Converting the Non-Gamer

It must be difficult for the average person to get into videogames. The hardcore gamer culture probably seems daunting and inaccessible (and possibly unappealing) to a non-gamer. This very page declares, "Here, we post our thoughts on all things videogaming. If you are not hardcore, turn back now."

Well, perhaps we should revise that, considering the efforts we've made to bring the goodness of gaming to those who would otherwise miss out. As you all know, Asano currently resides in the great nation of Japan. Japan is notorious for periodic xenophobia, and as a reflection of that, it is very difficult for foreign companies to succeed there. Enter Microsoft. Microsoft's Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles have had a difficult time finding a market in Japan. For a more detailed analysis, please read Asano's post on The 360 in Japan.

But there is one thing working in Microsoft's favor in Japan. That thing is Asano. Asano is actively spreading the 360 love, and has already won several converts among the indifferent masses. Bravo, my man.

Asano's own brother, Mei You, has guided his girlfriend on her gaming path. She even beat me in our challenge to finish FFVII first (although she had a big head start). Recently, he was on a quest to find the perfect game to introduce his father to gaming. After a long period of soul and game library searching, he decided on Kingdom Hearts.

I as well have used the Kingdom Hearts. I bought Kingdom Hearts for Laura, who is only down with gaming provided that the controller has two buttons or less. The first time she popped it in, she played it for six hours. That was all she played of it for a long while, until she told me that she had secretly been trying to beat it and was about 30 hours in. That was probably the happiest moment of my life. Well, I guess it might be tied for when she bought a DS. Or when she said she would marry me. I can't decide which.

Another of my proud achievements came about a month ago, when I got voomped with some of my friends who are way into sports and very little into games. They asked for something ridiculous, and I could think of nothing more ridiculous than Katamari Damacy. I thought it might be a little too Japanese for them, but they ate it up. One of them recently asked me if he could 'keep Guitar Hero safe' for me while I'm in Japan.

While Nintendo is creating consoles designed to expand the industry and bring gaming back to non-gamers, it's a good thing that there are people like us, working towards this goal at a grassroots level. It's interesting to note that there are quite a few games out there that are accessible and fun for just about anyone. Or at least everyone is sure to enjoy a game that is right for them. It's just a matter of educating the public as to what those games are.

I believe that it is the duty of all good hardcore gamers to educate and spread the love of great games. Here are some simple, common-sense guidelines to help non-gamers find the way:

1) Pick a good game. Duh.
2) Pick a game that is easy to pick up and understand. There's no better way to alienate someone than to introduce them to a game they can't control. In general, you should avoid FPS's. Music games, on the other hand, are great. The controls are usually simple, and everyone loves music.
3) Pick something that would interest them. Kingdom Hearts, for example, was a no-brainer for Laura (who has just about every Disney film ever).

By following these simple steps and using some good taste, you should be able to convert all but the staunchest anti-gamer to our side. Good luck and God bless.

-Joule

Silent Hill

This post was intended to go up just after I saw Silent Hill, but I slacked off big time. I enjoyed the Silent Hill movie. It was creepy and interesting, though certainly not a great movie. It did, however, pique my curiosity toward the Silent Hill games, and I've since picked up SH1 and SH3. I'm interested to see what parts of the movie came from the games and also to delve into Silent Hill's sordid history in a little more depth.

Like I said, the movie was enjoyable. It doesn't take long to get going, as the protagonist, Rose, and her daughter end up in Silent Hill within about 10 minutes. Things get creepy almost immediately, and I began to understand what drew people to the Silent Hill series' brand of horror. I think the movie did an admirable job of porting the look and feel of the things (monsters, sounds, ambiance, etc.) that made the games so disturbing.

Certainly, there were parts of the movie that were very disturbing. Basically, any time Rose descended into the 'dark' Silent Hill, things got grotesque. Probably, the worst offense came near the end of the movie, when a character was lifted into the air, suspended by sentient barbed wire, while other wires were driven up between her legs, through her torso before ripping her apart. Meanwhile, a little girl who was essentially the embodiment of the devil danced in the pouring blood as if it were a warm spring rain.

While most of these disturbing bits served to heighten the tension, other disturbing parts took away from the movie. In particular, some of the writing was dubious to say the least. My favorite bad line was when Rose shouts, "Your faith brings DEATH!" You probably have to see it to appreciate how it made me cringe just as much as any gory scene in the movie. Another thing that bothered me is that the bulk of the movie is structured such that Rose finds a clue as to where her daughter is, she sees her daughter (who runs away), then stuff gets evil, then she finds another clue.

That said, from a game-to-movie standpoint, I think Silent Hill was a success. It did a fantastic job of presenting and unraveling the mystery that is the town of Silent Hill, and it was deeply disturbing to boot. It faithfully (I think) recreated the game world and story, and added other small touches (like prerendered-looking environments) from the game, without blatantly shouting "Hey! This is based on a game! Check it out, this is from the game!" As such, the Silent Hill movie stands up well as a film (albeit not a great one), which is a huge accomplishment for a game-to-movie translation.

As for the games, I haven't really delved into them yet. I popped the original SH in for a little while, and I can tell you that the first 10 minutes of the game are recreated almost perfectly in Rose's first 10 minutes in Silent Hill. And despite my earlier groaning about the movie's dialogue, the acting in the game is way worse. The game is definitely creepy and just about as uncomfortable to play as it is to watch the movie. It may be a while before you see my post about the Silent Hill games, cause I'll have to work up a good deal of courage before I go back to them.

-Joule

Nintendo Murder Simulator

This will be a short post, hopefully. I just wanted to convey a thought I had about some possibly unexpected backlash to Nintendo's new console.

For years the videogame industry has come under fire for violent and sexual content in videogames. Starting with Joe Lieberman and Herb Kohl, and now with Hillary Clinton, Leland Yee, the ranks of "concerned" politicians have grown over the years. Throw in quack attorney and anti-videogame activist, Jack Thompson, and there's virtually a throng of videogame haters.

Now, don't get me wrong. I absolutely believe that some games are really violent for nothing more than shock value. They are gratuitous and usually not good games. Furthermore, they should be kept out of the hands of children. But I do not believe that playing videogames turns you into a killer, as Jack Thompson seems to believe.

Some of these politicians have valid arguments, but I am constantly reminded that, in actuality, they are retards and liars. Basically, they make stuff up. For example, I read a quote in EGM from a politician who posted on his website how you could control breast size in Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball, and you could look at topless girls. That's a blatant lie. Apparently, after the Columbine shooting, there were reports of Eric Harris creating Doom levels to simulate the layout of Columbine, so he could practice killing his classmate. While he did, in fact, create levels, they were not simulations of Columbine. Another blatant lie. And my all-time favorite argument, that I believe completely relegates all politicians of this breed to sub-stupid levels, is the "argument" that when Kentucky teenager Michael Carneal killed three other students, his shooting was, "way above the military standard of expert marksmanship." And that he was, "a kid who never fired a pistol in his life, but because of his obsession with video games he turned himself into an expert marksman."

How dumb do you think I am? Yes, in general, the American public is so dumb that they would believe that clicking a mouse can make you good at firing a gun, but I am not. There's a reason that the military trains with real guns for hours and hours, instead of having all recruits play Doom. I'll let you try to figure out that reason.

And so I come to the point of this post. With the Nintendo Wii on the way with its motion-sensing controllers, Nintendo may inadvertantly make these ultimate morons' point more credible. In a game like Red Steel or Metroid Prime 3, you would aim by pointing the Wii controller at your target. Granted, it is still vastly different than firing a real gun, but to a public that believes that playing Doom makes you a good marksman, the Nintendo Wii will surely be a sign of the coming apocalypse.

It would be a shame for a family-friendly company like Nintendo to come under fire for a console that looks like it will expand and evolve the videogame industry. Here's hoping for a moratorium on stupidity.

-Joule

UPDATE: I just uncovered some rampant stupidity. I'm really worried because one of the authors on this paper was a doctor. This is a paltry attempt to bash videogames under the guise of science. As a holder of two science degrees, I must say this paper is very far from good science. It is riddled with inaccuracies as well as the bias of the authors. But they say it's science, so they must be right. Seriously, they should be ashamed of themselves for their abuse of science. I'm offended as a gamer, but much moreso as someone who loves and respects science. If you're not stupid and don't want to get pissed off, don't click on this link and scroll to the bottom and click on videogames.pdf.

UPDATE 2: So I was just thinking, and I arrived at what I think is a pretty good question. Do you think the Dylan Klebold's and Eric Harris's obsession with Doom cause them to commit murder, or do you think their obsession with Doom was a reflection of them being seriously disturbed? Hmmmmm. While I was pondering, I came across a quote from MIT professor Henry Jenkins, who is the man:

Far from being victims of video games, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold had a complex relationship to many forms of popular culture. They consumed music, films, comics, video games, television programs. All of us move nomadically across the media landscape, cobbling together a personal mythology of symbols and stories taken from many different places. We invest those appropriated materials with various personal and subcultural meanings. Harris and Klebold were drawn toward dark and brutal images which they invested with their personal demons, their antisocial impulses, their maladjustment, their desires to hurt those who hurt them.

ANOTHER UPDATE!!! So it turns out, you don't actually point the WiiMote at your target. I can't say all of this for sure, but the way the technology apparently works is based on a sensor strip you put on your TV. It registers your movements rather than where the WiiMote is pointing. This will not, of course, stop morons from proclaiming that you do point the controller at your target and playing videogames turns you into a deranged expert marksman, but it's worth noting anyway.