I am 20 and I am very passionate about my hobby of video games. So i get extremely defensive when I hear other people say that they are a waste of time, violent, addictive, or other horrible things to your body. I would really like to defend this medium from others and maybe say that video games were benifical. I have always loved video games and for a short while I was anti video games a bit then I realize that I was playing into their hands. But I am changed now and I would like to know what can I do to help defend video games? I would like to know what books, articles, blogs are out there that put video games in a positive light? Does anyone know?
Hello Earth001,
I love Video Game 'RPG', especially older classics like 'Final Fantasy 9', and 'Valkyrie Profile'. But I have always loved table top person to person RPG even more. Back when I was young, almost 20 years before you were born, D&D was very new. People shunned in as a general reaction, thinking it strange and unhealthy. Time went by and eventually I tried Christianity as a religion. I tried very hard to fall in line and do things the way people told me to act, to think what people said to think, but I began to notice some things. When it came to the Occult and Role Playing Games, most Christians acted very foolishly.
I can't totally blame them though. It's a trap they fall into. It just takes one person to say 'That's a sin and you go to hell' and then the other Christians are afraid to try it, they shun it for fear of being contaminated, and as such, they have to rely on hearsay and rumor to develop an impression of what these things are all about. Yes, they should grow up and learn to make up their own minds about controversial things, but everyone is young and foolish at some point in their lives. For a real horror story, try listening to the popular Christian kids show 'Adventures in Odyssey' radio program by focus on the family and listen to the one about Role Playing games. It's shockingly....very, very wrong.... yet, this kind of misinformation is what shapes the beliefs of many.
Anyways, I'm not trying to bash Christians, I was one, and many are well intentioned, basically good folk. But let's be honest, the Evangelical Christian general impression of RPGS is....a bad scene.
I think you should focus on presenting yourself for what you are. A well adjusted video gamer, who is someone they would like to know. Don't be adversarial or develop a 'siege mentality' that people are out to persecute you. Be polite and friendly, and then the ball is in their court. If they reject you, move on. Sometimes it takes chains of events in a persons' life to make them see truth. They may not be ready to accept what you say right now. But they -will- remember. And if you just be yourself, share a positive love of Video Games and show them you're actually well adjusted, and friendly, that will be the best way to get them to one day see the light.
Having said that, on YouTube I've seen clips from some truly heinous and vile videogames. But I assume you're not into ultra-violent, crime simulators, with lots of misogynistic hyper-sexuality
That sort of game is impossible to put in a good light
Game on Earth001!
Gerry
Video Games can be used - like any other tool - for an Art.
Make screenshots, films, fanfic stories, perhaps more.
Don´t worry, that has happened in the past with the roleplaying games and the comics.
The videogames aren´t bad if you also play sports and read books, nor you don´t play the wrong videogames.
If a little dog is barking to you... would you feel offendend? I can say to you to can listen critiques, but not always, and anytimes you don´t must worry about opinion by people who you don´t trust. If you notice another persons have got great predjudices then you haven´t to be bothered.
Luis_Carlos wrote:
Wrong videogames for children. A kid can play Mario Bros but shouldn´t play "God of War", "Assasin's Creed", "Dragon Age" or "Mortal Kombat". Yo can play "World of Warcraft" but not to be all the day only with the computer and the videoconsole.
Sometimes you have to defend videogames to be not bothered while you are playing.