Violence In Video Games

The California Supreme Court ruled today that prohibiting the sale of "violent" video games was unconstitutional, something much aga on the gaming twitterverse. 

Personally, I'm okay with making suggestions and educating the consumer population about the content of video games.  Parents who are averse to exposing their children to violent video games (like violent films, or books, I suppose) should be able to know the basic premise and level of violence the game contains.  Thank god for sites like GamerDad's - which specifically take a no-nonsense, honest and fair approach to gaming with children.  The above site does it in a way easy for parents to understand.  For example, when describing the "Kid Factor" of Super Mario Galaxy, GamerDad writes: "you stomp fictional creatures called Goombas, who vanish in a puff of smoke, revealing a coin."

However, not all games are of the puff of smoke, reveal a coin variety.  Games like Call of Duty present real and substantially violent situations, appropriate for mature gamers, but possibly not age-appropriate for developing children.

My background on this issue blends from both my youth as a gamer and my education in childhood development.  Simply put, while I agree with the ruling, there are some fantasy situations (whether by video game, film, or novel) that developing minds will have trouble differentiating from reality.  Considering the medium of delivery, parents should (as best available) be responsible to observe and curtail any influence that could be detrimental to their children's healthy development.

However, with some parents barely even to meet their children's basic needs, perhaps there is a place for government intervention of the sale and furnishing of all media based on developmental level.  Of course, the issue becomes much, much more subjective, and I can't count on the guy in GameStop as being able to assess a child's readiness to look down the scope of sniper rifle and disassociate that with real-life scenarios.

Fantasy play is important to childhood development, and children can benefit greatly from the introduction of age-appropriate gaming, but just like you wouldn't expect a child to appropriately play Canasta, or Texas Hold 'Em, we also shouldn't be forcing games (through advertisement, primarily) to children who won't be able to enjoy or understand the medium.

Save Yourself Mammal!

How on earth could I have neglected to include Save Yourself, Mammal!: A Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal Collection?  Zach Weiner (hehehe), author of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal (one of my favorite webcomics) compiled a lot of free, electronic comics into a not-free, hardcopy version of his work.  With commentary, etc.  Full of winning.

Other Birthday Thoughts

I cannot promise this will be the last birthday post, but probably...

I just wanted to through a shout-out to ThinkGeek.com which has oodles of brilliant geek-related gift ideas.  Sure, I may already have an Aperture Science Mug, but what about a Vintage Aperture Tee?

Also, check out this awesome Simon Pegg book.  After lisrtening to him on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me (the brilliant NPR News Quiz that I love to listen to, possibly because of Carl Kasell's voice) I decided that this was the sort of thing I'd want to advertise. 

Plus, you know Shaun of the Dead - brilliant, really.  Zombies + humor + Nick Frost = win!

Finally, I wanted to buy this shirt for my parents, because I feel like it encapsulates awesomeness, which for them should be celebrated.  It's based on The Cure's idyllic song, Friday I'm In Love:

Birthday Wishes

In an attempt to assuage any anxiety about gifts for me, I have made a couple recommendations of the video game/coffee variety.  The full bulk of this sort of thing can be viewed at my Amazon.com gift list here.

It's probably worth noting that some of the links that follow are part of me being an Amazon Associate, so I could even be getting bonus money from you buying gifts for me that you were going to anyway!

The list, descriptively separated by how much you love me how much money you have to spare on the celebration of my birth, follows after the jump!

Mario Marathon 4 On It's Way

It's almost time for another round of this madness!  http://www.mariomarathon.com/ is happening again, and - if you haven't watched before - it's for a good cause.  These guys play Mario until they have completed the objectives matching the donation level.  The more money dontaed, the more Mario they are subjected to.  It's like being sadistic, but for charity!

Jealous

The Balance of Good and Evil

I don't usually play games as an "evil" character.  My natural inclanation is to save people, heal others, and generally be a "do-gooder."  Games like Fallout 3, Bioshock, Fable, and inFAMOUS have greatly featured the morality/Karma/whatever system that can affect gameplay in subtle ways (slight differences in dialogue), to extreme ways (effects powers).  So it should be no surprise that my first playthrough on games like these is that of the good guy (with the exception of Fallout: New Vegas, on which it was difficult to determine the "good guy" path, and I instead treaded into the murky waters of the unknown - and also Fallout 3: The Pitt DLC, which had the same outcome).

Playing inFAMOUS on Evil (and on Hard mode, for trophy's sake) has actually been a bit more fun than my first playthrough.  I can't tell if it's because I'm now more comfortable with the game, or if the evil missions are more enjoyable, or if I truly have molded into a sadistic creep who enjoys zapping pedestrians with electricity before sucking their bio-energy out of their skulls to replenish my health. 

So today, I wanted to look at the ways in which games communicated good and evil, and my take on that dichotomy.  More after the jump...

Nuka Break: The Series - Help Make This Happen!

Listen - no, listen - yes, I am enrapturedly attracted to Zack Finfrock, but I also think that Nuka Break: The Series needs to happen.  This is The Guild worthy, and I want to support it. 

Nuka Break, a short fan film, really captured my heart with its ability to fully encapsulate the Fallout world.  The writing, acting, and production were spot on and AMAZING.  If I had $5,000, I would sponsor this project (a random number selected, certainly not because that is the level of sponsorship for which said sponsor would have a walk-on role and a chance to meet Finfrock and confess my their undying love).

If you're a fan of webseries, creativity, Fallout, or just cute guys, make this happen!  Visit their Indiegogo page and sponsor!  http://www.indiegogo.com/Funding-for-Fallout-Nuka-Break-the-series

inFAMOUS



Main character Cole, being titularly infamous.

As part of Sony's Welcome Back program, one of the games I picked up was inFAMOUS, a sandbox, free roaming game where you play Cole, a courier who unknowingly unleashed a massive electronic explosion and is now a superhuman with electric powers.  The game's story unfolds as you explore Empire City's three districts, restoring power, taking back the streets from hoodlums, and uncovering the mystery of the explosion that leveled a few city blocks. 

The game is from Sucker Punch, of Sly Cooper fame, and it feel very similar.  On other games, this might be a bit of a bad thing, but for Sly and inFAMOUS, the balance works excellently!  The third-person camera is mostly cooperative (as it was, except for exceedingly painful moments in Sly) and the addition of electronic powers fits nicely.  There's cover, which I despise, but if you go headlong into a bulletstorm and die, the game is mercifully forgiving, starting you at the beginning of missions or in a convenient spawn location.

Considering it was on the docket as a free game, I wasn't sure how well, altogether it would frame up, but I was pleasently surprised at the length, depth, and altogether enjoyment I got out of this game.  More (and spoilers) after the jump.

Super Stardust HD

I usually have no idea what's happening.

My husband and I have been a little obsessed recently with Super Stardust HD, which we picked up as part of Sony's Welcome Back program.  As it had no charge (besides the mild inconvenience of not being able to use the PSN for a while), the ROI of playtime:money is practically infinite.  A top-down, dual analog stick shooter with a fun co-op mode only ruined when your life partner decides that - even though he already has one - to run for the uber powerful Shield upgrade.

If you weren't mildly inconvenienced or picked other games, Super Stardust HD is worth its puny $7 pricetag.  The music does a phenomenal job of inducing frenzy as you play through 25 designed phases on five different planets.