• 17Aug 09

  What my 3rd year of college means to me.

  So, I'll be leaving my small town Wednesday to go back to Houston again, but this time I won't be coming back. Yup, time to actually be my own person; but aside from that, the beginning of school means to me, personally, a new year to build relationships and a larger video game collection. A new year for my English. Lit. teachers to pile the work on me, and a new year for me to throw it all on the floor and pick up a 360 contoller, haha. Definitely got to spend some quality time with the Mrs, as well. No, but really, I get all my stuff done, am on a Greek Honor Society, and this year, I'm hoping to reach my goal of being in my specific major's Honor Society. Anyway, I'm so psyched about these new games that are to be released this Fall and Spring! Assassin's Creed II! Mass Effect 2! Halo! Battlefield: Bad Company 2! Lost Planet 2! Heist! Alan Wake! Splinter Cell! Bioshock 2! Dante's Inferno! And a little later... Deus Ex 3! Damn, what a lineup! All I can say is "thank you financial aid." I just gotta safely play the balancing game with procrastination... should be fine. Another year of close calls and good times.
  

  
  

  What does the new school year mean for you guys (and girls)? (Excluding those too for school... haha)

  
  

  -Phillip (Novakaine)

  • Posted Aug 17, 2009 8:23 pm PT
  • Category: Editorial
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• 23Jun 09

  Too Close to Reality?

  I don't know if this has been said or brought up by any other member on Gamespot. It's not an immediate concern, but I have no doubt the time will come when the problem arises.

  
  

  How real is too real? We play video games, and we can certainly say there is a certain amount of realism involved in many games, but the realism simply arises from the detail that is put into a character's face, or the reflections and shadows that are cost upon the floor. Sooner or later, though, graphics will far surpass those aspects of realism and begin to just plain look "real". Soon, the people we shoot to kill will look as though it was an article out of a newspaper or a real life crime scene. We feel bad when we witness events such as those in our actual lives, but would it even phase us when we pull the "right trigger" to do it ourselves?

  
  

  By that, I mean how might it affect us if the enemies we killed in our games happened to look EXACTLY like a friend of ours or just someone we may know? Would that be a bit too real for all of us, or would we simply accept it as a more intense, superior gaming experience? I'm asking this of anyone who comes across this, what is your opinion on the matter? How would such a real experience make you feel? Do you feel like gaming will even come this far? I suppose that last question all depends on whether the gaming community is willing to accept it, because if we're willing to buy it, they're willing to sell it.

  
  

  I'd even go as far to say that if graphics emulated that of real life, verbatim, games might lose much of what made them fun in the first place. The whole awareness that it is only a game is what keeps us from becoming too emotionally attached to the characters we control, but if that line starts to blur, would we not be prone to a degree of extreme emotion as far as depression when we witness tragic events? I'm aware that I'm focusing much on the emotional aspect, but I feel that these questions may become very relevant in the future, if graphics continue into this territory. We're all human, and if one witnesses murder and killing in such a real light, wouldn't it only be natural to feel sad?

  
  

  I realize the line between gaming and reality, and I, for one, know that I could never confuse the two, but I would like to know other people's opinions on the subject aforementioned. This aritcle is a bit dramatic, I admit, but I'm certain that we will run into many problems regarding realism in video games as we advance technologically. There have already been cases in which the lines have "supposedly" been blurred, such as the "Halo Killer" or the innocent kid who was delt a fatal blow from a "Mortal Kombat" fighting move. I, personally, have never blamed games for the stupid choices that some people make in life, but circumstances may soon change... What do you think?

  
  

  1.) Would you even like the idea of games looking exactly like real life?

  
  2.) Do you feel that the realism may be way too intense of an experience, or not?

  
  3.) Would you be willing to play games that incorporated such realism?

  
  4.) Do you feel that gaming would even remain enjoyable if it ventured into such territory?

  
  5.) What other problems not mentioned here do you foresee arising from this predicament, if any?
  

  Phillip (Novakaine)

  • Posted Jun 23, 2009 8:40 pm PT
  • Category: Editorial
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