Sunday, April 29, 2007
What the &#$% were they thinking?
Ok, I'm not what you would call an "animal lover." I like dogs. Some dogs--mostly big goombah dogs like my dearly departed Arnold. And bears. I like bears, but then I kinda have bear-like characteristics and tendencies. A man-bear, if you will. Other than that, I'm pretty ambivalent about animals. That said, this struck me as sick and wrong.
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5 comments:
Ewwww!
So, I have it in my head that people are basically good . . . that no one is inherently evil. Not that this Sony stuff is "evil," but it does make me question my "basically good" argument. Why, if people are so wonderful, are the blood and guts, shoot 'em up, grand theft auto-type games so dang popular? Why do people derive joy from pretending to commit crimes? Is it because we're really inherently bad, or is it because we are inherently rebellious? Or is that the same thing?
I'm not sure how this rates in the spectrum of good and evil.
On one hand, I think this was a calculated effort to generate buzz. Sony is targeting teenage boys, some (many?) of whom probably find the idea of snacking from the innards of a decapitated goat to be cool in a gory way. You can't buy this kind of publicity, as they say.
But, all marketing aside, you have to wonder about the so-called adults who came up with this idea. It's one thing for teenage boys to think something like this would be cool. Most teenage boys have no concept of their own mortality, so unless they experience the loss of someone close to them, or maybe a family pet, I think most teenage boys are somewhat detached with respect to the realities of life and death. That said, it's quite another thing for an adult to exhibit such callousness and indifference toward life. Ok, so it was a goat. Cows, chickens, pigs--they're all slaughtered by the thousands every day just so we can enjoy bacon and leather seats, both of which I enjoy immensely. But, no one takes joy in the slaughter of livestock, and this is where things go wrong here because the slaughter of an animal, not to mention the ensuing depravity, was central to the party Sony held. Sorta makes ya wonder whether Sony's marketing department is due a psych eval.
To answer your question, I don't think violent video games are necessarily an indicator as to whether someone is basically good or not. I think you can enjoy the experience of putting a double tap into a terrorist while playing SOCOM and still be a good person. It's basically roleplaying in a virtual realm.
By the way, I should disclose my own biases on the subject; namely, I like playing SOCOM, Star Wars Battlefront and Planetside (all shoot 'em up games, though low on the blood & guts scale). Of course I'd like to think of myself as a good person too, though I'm sure if you tallied up my life's actions and beliefs, my "badness level" (to borrow a term from Lilo and Stitch) is probably higher than that of most people I know. Honestly, I attribute this to a certain self-centeredness. I'm pretty sure that if I didn't have the positive influence of my family and friends (present company included), I would be a selfish, arrogant jerk. All of the people in my life have seen that side of me to one degree or another; left unchecked, Lord Vader and I could be kindred spririts.
I didn't mean to suggest that people who play violent video games are bad people. I just wonder what it is about us that makes us WANT to play those kind of games.
I should disclose my biases, too: I don't like guns. I don't like violent movies or TV shows (except 24. . .and I experience extreme cognitive dissonance when I watch that show). And I'm not a fan of violent video or role-playing games. Those arcade games with the realistic rifles? Hate 'em. Have you watched people play those things? It's scary.
I don't even like pro wrestling, and I can't watch America's Funniest Home Videos anymore. What's entertaining about people hurting themselves?
I guess I just don't like anything the celebrates--or encourages--the darker side of human nature. I realize that's a pretty bold statement with potentially broad ramifications, so I reserve the right to retract it. (For example, I think Stephen King is brilliant, and he's majorly twisted.)
You don't seem like a selfish, arrogant jerk. Just really smart.
I think most women don't like guns. I'm guessing that guns are alien to women just like most health and beauty aids are alien to men. Personally, I can appreciate a gun for its ingenuity and craftsmanship, even though I have no particular compulsion to own one (yet). I also enjoy shooting; putting a round on center target produces the same gratification as a perfectly hit golf ball. Then again, most women don't appreciate golf either, so it probably has to do with how men and women are wired.
I also think most women don't like pro wrestling, much in the same way that they don't like the Three Stooges. I guess this is where I admit I'm in touch with my feminine side on this, because I don't like pro wrestling and the Three Stooges as well.
But as to the question of why would people (guys) want to play violent video games, I suspect it has to do with our primal coding. Gross generalization, but true nevertheless--most women like to shop. It's that whole "gatherer" thing. Guys are wired to be hunters, but don't get to exercise those skills unless it's deer season. Video games that involve shooting are basically a form of virtual hunting.
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