@johnofwar @SpacePirate6 I'm no doctor, so let me first place emphasis on all this simply being my opinion. But I believe that, yes, without being swept away by our emotions and imaginations, we would have no reason to play games, as we would have more in common with the machines we play them on than those who make them. But seeing as we have such little control over our emotions to begin with, I'm left to assume that we aren't entirely in control of how we choose to feel in reaction to content in video games, and thus, can not choose how they will influence us. Essentially, I believe it is a harmless practice in suspension of disbelief, but the fact that we are able to suspend that disbelief at all means that games have an intellectual grip on us, with ramifications that likely aren't understood and may never be. Essentially, any time you start talking about how the brain reacts to video games, whether it be negatively or positively, you are talking about psychology and the human mind much more than about the actual games in question. Which is why it is so hard to make compelling arguments, because the intricacies of our thought processes and ability to reason are an enigma. Sorry if I'm making no sense, haha, it's late where I am and I should hit the hay soon. I don't mean to sound like a pretentious D-bag or anything, I just love to theorize about this kind of stuff ;)
Some clarity: when you play violent video games, it does, to some varying degree, desensitize you to violence. The same can be said about watching violent movies or TV. This is obvious, and always has been a fact of life. It doesn't mean you will go on a rampage or hurt anyone, but on a psychological level, you are immersing your mind into a fictive environment where the goal is to kill other players or bots represented by virtual humans, and if it is a truly immersive experience, then a part of your psyche will be taking it pretty seriously. But not forever, of course. Eventually, it becomes second nature. We're like lab animals, pressing a lever to receive a food pellet. Shoot a soldier in the face, receive 100 points. Shoot another man through the heart, receive 100 points. Maim a person badly enough and at least receive an assist. Do that enough times to unlock more tools to become a more effective killing machine - which by this point, we're already pretty addicted to. This reward based system is entertaining and satisfying, but on a base or primal level, it really screws with how our brains are geared to work, what with survival instinct and whatnot.
A truly immersive and believable game world means convincing some small part of you that you're really fighting for your life, your country, your beliefs, etc. And although a mature player always knows the difference between games and reality, make no mistake - there is a benign degree of illusion and playful misinformation coming from games. Why else would the characters, story or player motivation count for anything? It's because good games can wire some permanence or meaning, some emotion, into what is otherwise just ones and zeroes in a machine. But if through imagination we can empathize with an AI in our party on a human level, how are our brains reacting to the scores of enemies we mow down with a machine gun? Our brains aren't clever enough to be completely removed from them either, as we've already established that the allure of video games comes from being fooled into investing emotionally in the accumulative game world, the good, the bad and the ugly. Some small part of you is tricked into believing, unwittingly and transparently, that our morality choices in Mass Effect count for something, that the characters and their struggles mean something, and that something will come from all this. What I am describing is not necessarily video games so much as good fiction. Ghost stories have such an effect on young children. Why it is important to understand the effects of video games on our minds is purely a scientific pursuit, as both modern games and modern psychology will continue to evolve, as will our understanding of it. But what little we do know is that we are changing too, under it's influence, for better or for worse. Sorry I always write essays, when I get going I sometimes tend to ramble :/
But it has the potential to be so much more than that. See, the concept of the video is to showcase the fact that their product has the power to influence your state of mind while playing games; that it can convince your brain that when you're running and jumping across rooftops in Mirror's Edge that you really are diving down and rolling upon making contact to offset your body's impact. You can look down and see how frighteningly high up you are, hundreds of feet above street level. It's not exactly the VR we saw in cartoons, with a headset and a multidirectional treadmill to move around on, but the fact that it effectively plays these little tricks on your brain makes the games you play more immersive - if the game design lends itself to that sort of thing, anyway. I get the impression that a whole lot of people think this guillotine demo is actually an app or something that they're going to try and sell you. It is simply a tech demo to showcase the powerful and disorientating influence the Oculus Rift has to offer gamers looking for a little extra oomph to their game. I think it holds a lot of promise. Here's hoping for solid integration with solid games.
I feel all the naysayers entirely missed the point of this video. The fun behind it is the fact that it tricks your brain. The guillotine is simply a creative device to make the wearer feel disembodied, which in turn really freaks these people in the video out. It's just a surprisingly effective prank on the human brain. If you understand it, it's easy to see why the folks in the video reacted the way they did, and I applaud them for having fun with it.
Didn't they already do this in "State of Emergency"? I guess now there's a bit more political juice to squeeze out of it, is all. That said, "Riot" looks promising.
I hate to sound like a radical, but I feel like I just have to say something. This guy's statement could be true, or it could be absolute nonsense perpetuated with little to no evidence, but remember - you are all in control of this market. Sony and Microsoft quickly forget that, and after observing and analyzing the modern mindset and behavior regarding technology, they have little reason from a business perspective to respect or concern themselves with the satisfaction of the consumer - us. We complain about their business models and ethics, we fall victim to their crappy half assed marketing campaigns and hollow promises, and we are continually left wanting more with zero satisfaction from the previous experience they provided. I'm talking about baiting and switching. Perverse ass grabs at total industry control. Shallow and unfulfilling games with multimillion dollar advertising campaigns. Ladies and gentlemen - this absolutely needs to stop. The sooner, the better. See, it's like this: these companies need to be held accountable.
They keep pushing down our throats the idea that "video games have matured" and "we want to focus on emotional and heart wrenching stories and experiences". It still hasn't happened, or at least not because of this newly embraced push of the industry, which translates (surprise) into "with an industry that is growing at such an explosive rate, we need to secure the finances of mature adult consumers." I know this sounds obvious, but people miss the marketing standpoint on this move by developers. The industry icons keep saying that "video games have matured", but they haven't. It is the consumers that have matured, or more so the consumer base has become saturated with more discerning buyers as it has inevitably grown, and with that comes new struggles for the industry to maintain its numbers. This means, in short, that the video game industry is not changing, but the people pumping money into it sure are - and that makes the industry wholly dependent on it's consumers, as it's always been, and whats scary to developers is that it's becoming increasingly difficult to tell us what the "now thing" is. They can't. The people with the money can only tell you where it's going. After all, it's their (your) money!
The sad thing is that people have largely lost touch with this power. We have the power to shape gaming into whatever we want it to be, because it's ALL FOR US. All we need to do is draw a line in the sand. We are watching the evolution of the industry, and right now, it's not being directed by us. The game developers are simply telling us what they think we want to hear based off some half baked theory by marketing analysts. We can explicitly tell them what we as consumers want, but the guys upstairs have been long spoiled by lack of boycotting or backlash from their precious consumers. As consumers, we get a bad rap for buying things (i.e. consumerism). But don't forget, in making these purchases we shape the culture and economy we live with. So in actuality, as consumers we're kind of like knights that have the heavy burden and obligation of buying or not buying in the face of adversity. Should you boycott a company (I know, when was the last time you heard someone mention boycotting? No wonder this business is way too comfortable taking our money) you are neglecting to purchase goods and services that further the influence of some corrupt or otherwise questionable producer. This is a responsibility that falls on adults in a world run by commercials. The best part is, this practice is easy as can be. You don't even have to leave your home to do this. No occupy BS, no life changing alterations, just a little restraint shown for the greater good: regaining our voice as consumers.
Again, hold these companies accountable. Praise them for the good, and give them your business. When they do wrong, take notice and make it known to them how we feel. If they listen, forgive them. If not, don't buy their product, and note the impact, good or bad, it has made. If we exercise common sense and come to expect decency from an industry that runs solely on our money, we will surely reap the rewards, as will companies who listen to their consumers to satisfy them. Regain control of your money and control of an industry you love. Quickly companies and developers will see what succeeds and what doesn't, and you better believe they'll want your business. Alternatively, we can become jaded and frustrated and watch the industry crash, which I believe it will. It wouldn't be the first time - that's right guys, it's happened before. Ever hear of the video game crash of 1983? Google it. We've fought this fight before and won, but with devastating consequences.
Bottom line, you can either be in control, or be in pushed around. Like all things, videogames is a business - but in no way does that have to be a bad thing. I simply wish that the consumers and the producers would take hold of this before the industry runs into irreparable damage and once again must resort to slash and burn tactics to rebuild itself. Put the heat on the developers. Either we get what we want, or they don't get our money. I'm not looking for a handout, just a fair trade run by it's lifeblood.
"The Xbox 360 version in front of me looked was a poor imitation, rendered with all the elegance of a ham-fisted crayon sketch." What a spoiled generation.
SpacePirate6's comments