TheTrenchcoat Chronicles

Tag: video games

  • Videospiel-Gewaltttigkeit

    Videospiel-Gewaltttigkeit

    Computer games train players to be violent?:

    I guess it’s not just Americans who harp on the alleged links between video games and violence. Now we have a study coming out of Germany from the “Stuff that we pulled out of our ass Department” at the University of Aachen from renowned German scientist Klaus Mathiak which says that video games are training people to be violent. Mein Gott, here we go again…

    Klaus Mathiak, of the University of Aachen, maintains he has discovered for the first time what goes on in players’ heads as a killer character lies in wait on a computer screen.

    Their brains react as if they are treating the encounter as real, says the academic.

    According to Dr Mathiak, when players know violence is coming, the cognitive parts of the brain become more active and during a fight its emotional parts shut down.

    How did Herr Doktor measure these activities?

    According to New Scientist, Dr Mathiak recruited 13 young men who played video games for two hours daily. He asked them to play the game while having their brains scanned using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

    Dr Mathiak studied how brain activity changed during violent interactions.

    I’d be more inclined to believe him if he then dropped the subjects into an actual scenario of impending violence like Iraq or any violent big-city neighborhood, then compared findings. Most of these kids would probably crap their pants if they were in a real situation of violence.

    At least the British are thinking clearly…

    Last night, Mike McClure, director of public education at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said there were individuals who were susceptible to suggestions inherent in video games. But he added: “You would have to say it is a small minority. Most people can distinguish between them as a game and what they would be doing in reality.”

    And that small minority has something wrong with them to begin with.

    And as an added bonus, a follow-up to Rep. Chuck Schumer’s snit over the game “25 to Life”.

    According to the guys at Penny Arcade you can also play as the police. Notice that Chucky boy doesn’t mention that part.

    Instead of worrying about the games themselves, maybe scientists and politicians should worry about the parents that are letting these games into their houses for underage kids to play.

  • Video Game Violence 2005

    Video Game Violence 2005

    Violent game furor:

    Here we go again, folks. Last year, it was GTA: San Andreas. This year it’s a new game made by Eidos called “25 to Life”. This is the first I’ve heard about this game, so let me quote the article…

    “25 to Life,” allows players to attack police with an arsenal of Molotov cocktails, broken bottles and baseball bats. When weapons fail, players make strategic moves using civilians as human shields.

    The game even lets players choose gang colors and create personalized graffiti tags.

    It sounds like a GTA rip off to me. I bet the gameplay will suck. But of course, that’s not the point here. Certain lawmakers have their panties in a wad…

    “It’s the worst in a series of violent and gruesome games that lower the common denominator of decency,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who is trying to block the game from hitting stores in September.

    “25 to Life” makes “other controversial games like ‘Grand Theft Auto’ look like ‘Romper Room,’” Schumer said.

    Schumer called on PlayStation manufacturer Sony and Xbox maker Microsoft to cancel their licensing agreements with Eidos. The senator also urged stores and retailers not to stock the game.

    Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolman’s Benevolent Association, slammed “25 to Life” for its cavalier treatment of murder.

    “It’s outrageous that a company like this would try to desensitize our children,” Lynch said.

    First off, have you noticed that when a politician is usually involved in calling for the censoring of a video game, it’s usually a Democrat?

    Secondly, these are obviously people who have never held a game controller in their life, or at least not since Space Invaders or the Atari 2600.

    Not all video games are aimed towards children anymore, and haven’t been since the dawn of Mortal Kombat back in the early ’90s.

    Lastly, the bigger a deal you make out of these games, the more hype you’re giving them. You’re taking what looks like to be a mediocre game at best, and you’re potentially making it a blockbuster by trying to censor it. People always want what they can’t have.

    If this game ends up in the hands of children, it’s because of irresponsible parents, and I have yet to hear any kind of blame falling on them. Remember kids, censorship is the solution to bad parenting. Or so says the Democrats.

  • GTA: Grand Theft Assclown IV

    GTA: Grand Theft Assclown IV

    Lawsuit: ‘Grand Theft Auto’ Led Teen to Kill:

    This one actually was in the news last week, but I forgot about until today. More on that later.

    Anyway, our favorite ambulance chaser, not John Edwards, is at it again. “Attorney” Jack Thompson is once again blaming the woes of society on one particular series of video games. He’s filed a lawsuit in Alabama against the game’s manufacturers and two stores that allegedly sold the games to an underage person. The person in question is Devin Moore, who shot two police officers and a dispatcher to death after being brought to the Fayette police station on suspicion of driving a stolen car.

    Of course, the video game series in question is the Grand Theft Auto series…

    The suit alleges Moore purchased “Grand Theft Auto III” at the Gamestop in Jasper and “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” at the Jasper Wal-Mart when he was under 17. The games, which depict police killings and other acts of violence, are rated M, meaning they are appropriate for those 17 or older.

    Named in the suit are Wal-Mart Stores (search) and Gamestop along with Take-Two Interactive Software, the manufacturer of the games, and Sony Computer Entertainment, the maker of the PlayStation 2.

    Why did Thompson file the suit this time?

    At a December hearing, authorities said Devin Moore, when he was apprehended, told officers,”Life is a video game. You’ve got to die sometime.”

    And check out Thompson’s great reasoning for filing the suit…

    “What has happened in Alabama is that four companies participated in the training of Devin … to kill three men,” attorney Jack Thompson told The Tuscaloosa News, which reported the suit’s filing.

    Granted that Walmart and GameStop should not have been selling these games to an underage kid, but why were the parents allowing it into the house?

    My main point is though is that everyone is responsible for their own actions. This assclown Jack Thompson wants you to think that you’re not responsible for anything. These kids that kill who have happened to have played a violent video game are screwed up in the head in the first place. My guess is Jack Thompson is looking for an angle since he missed out on the McDonald’s hot coffee settlement. Either that or he’s just jealous he can’t beat any of the games. Seriously, what is this guy’s problem with video games?

    What made me think of this again was this interview Jack Thompson did with CBSNews.com. I almost posted this under the Tin Foil Hat category because of some of the things he says.

    He calls Entertainment Software Association President Doug Lowenstein, the Joseph Goebbels of the video game industry. He infers that the increase in school violence is caused by video games. Claims he predicted Columbine 8 days before it happened.

    I’ll start you off with a quote from Mr. Thompson from the interview…

    The heads of six major health care organizations testified before Congress that there are “hundreds” of studies that prove the link. All the video game industry has are studies paid for by them, which are geared to find the opposite result. Lawyers call such experts “whores.”

    Pot, I have the kettle holding for you on line 2.

    Read the interview to see what kind of nut job this shyster really is. If it were up to him, we’d blame everything from the war in Iraq to Paris Hilton’s Sidekick being hacked on Grand Theft Auto. This guy really needs to get a life.

    UPDATE: The guys from Penny Arcade have their own take on sue happy attorneys.

    Here’s another take on it from joystiq.com.

  • Suikoden IV

    Suikoden IV

    One of the greatest pleasures in my life is when I get my hands on the latest installment of one of my favorite video game franchises. That happened this weekend when I picked up a copy of Suikoden IV.

    The Suikoden series is my second favorite series, only behind Final Fantasy. As a matter of fact, Suikoden II is my favorite video game of all time. That should tell you how great of a game it was. The fact that a copy of Suikoden II is going for upwards of $100 a pop on E-bay for a PSOne game should also tell you how good it was. Having said that, Suikoden IV was a little bit of a letdown.

    What Was Wrong: Suikoden IV was way too short. II took over 30 hours. III took over 40 hours. IV can legitimately be beaten in 20 hours. That’s too short for an RPG (Role Playing Game) for the PS2.

    In each of the Suikodens, the main goal is always to recruit 108 characters. Some are a little more challenging than others. The majority of the characters in IV were too easy to recruit. The majority of them, you just walk up to them and they join you.

    The cut scenes ended so abruptly it became an annoyance throughout the game. No fade to black, just END.

    The game takes place 100 years before the events of Suikoden I. If I didn’t look that up online, I would have never known. Nowhere in the game that I saw was that ever mentioned.

    They knocked down the members of your party from 6 to 4, which is ok, but if you’ve played previous Suikodens, you have to rethink your whole strategy now.

    In previous Suikodens, you could tell the combo moves just by putting the people in the same party. With IV, you have to guess which party members may have a combo move, then wait as they level up for their combo move to develop if they have one.

    Lastly and most importantly, there is no file transfer function. In Suikodens II and III, you could upload your saved game file from the previous game and unlock hidden parts of the game. No such feature in IV.

    Driving the ship in the game is very difficult at first. Like Game Informer magazine said, “it’s like driving a damp sweater”.

    IV was also too linear. III had diverging storylines with varying endings, which made for great replay value.

    Oh, and one last thing to the Konami developers. Please for the love of God, bring back the cooking mini-game. Suikoden fans know what I’m talking about.

    What Was Right: The graphics on IV are the best that have ever been on a Suikoden game. Very crisp and very fluid.

    The characters are more lifelike than they have been in previous Suikoden games.

    The nautical setting is one that I have not seen in an RPG, plus it makes me go around talking like a pirate, which annoys the wife. Finally, we have voiceovers in a Suikoden game.

    Lastly, having a massive ship as your expandable HQ was genius.

    Final Recommendation: At $40 only for the hardcore Suikoden fans. This should have been a $20 game.

  • GTA: Grand Theft Apprehension

    GTA: Grand Theft Apprehension

    ABC13.com: Robbers scared off by Playstation game get jail time:

    Last March, four would be burglars broke into a house where there were some kids playing GTA at the time. When they heard the police in the game say, “Stop, we have you surrounded. This is the police.”, they thought it was the actual police and fled. The four men were arrested. Two are serving time, one got probation and the fourth is awaiting trial.

    All of you busybodies are wrong about this game. It doesn’t cause violence, it saves lives.

  • Violent Video Games 2004

    Violent Video Games 2004

    How gory is that game?:

    Just in time for the fucking holidays, we get yet another “why won’t someone think about the children?” group who has their panties in a wad over violent video games.

    Of course, they’re naming the usual suspects of GTA: San Andreas, Halo 2, Doom 3 and Half-Life 2. All pretty violent games. All games that are Rated M you dumbasses. It’s the video game equivalent of an “R” rating.

    You can blame the game companies for making such games. You can even blame the game retailers for being lax in their enforcement of the ratings. But here’s a thought, how about laying blame on THE PARENTS who buy these games for their kids.

    The rating is clearly marked on the packaging, and it even states why the games received that rating. The fact that “parents” keep buying these games for their underage kids means one of two things. They’re either oblivious to the ratings or they just don’t care.

  • Hey kids…

    Hey kids…

    It’s The JFK Assassination video game. Remember kids, when you play “JFK Reloaded” it’s best to tilt your joysticks back and to the left.

  • Grand Theft Assclown III

    Grand Theft Assclown III

    US lawyer links video game to murder plot:

    I’ve been telling you lately about the school attack plot that was uncovered in Massachusetts. Well, from out of left field comes Miami ambulance chaser, Jack Thompson. He believes that the video game Grand Theft Auto influenced Tobin Kerns into wanting to shoot up his school.

    This isn’t the first time that Jack Thompson has said this. Last year he sued the makers of GTA because of two idiot teenagers that shot at some cars on a Tennessee highway. Never mind that the parents of all kids involved let them play a game that is obviously meant for more mature audiences. That “M” on the box actually means something.

    Anyway, this is a ludicrous statement at best. In Tennessee, the parents left their guns unlocked. In Mass. the parents didn’t keep a close enough eye on their kid. A video game is not to blame. Personally, it sounds like to me that Jack Thompson either A. can’t beat the game so he’s decided to sue, or B. much like in real life, he can’t figure out how to get the hookers to get into his car with him.

    If any lawsuit against Rockstar Games is ever successful, it’s another deathblow to personal responsibility. And I don’t think it could take anymore.

  • Big Brother Joe is watching you

    Big Brother Joe is watching you

    My bone of contention today is from my favorite Senator from Connecticut, Joe Lieberman. He has co-authored a bill with a $90 Million price tag that will try to figure out whether kids’ favorite TV shows, movies, and video games are actually bad for their health.

    There’s a good use of taxpayer money, huh? Even Lieberman’s own censorship squad, the Parents Television Council, say this is a bad idea. How about this Joe? Why not do a study on why people stopped parenting their kids. Joe even admits as much…

    Lieberman says parents need to play a more active role in what their kids are watching.

    “You can’t put it all off on the entertainment industry,” he said.

    Then what is the point of this bill? If it’s so obvious, then why do you need $90 Million? Lieberman has very pro-censorship leanings. I feel like this is his way of trying to disguise a “well-meaning” program that’s actually an Orwellian dream for him.

  • Grand Theft Assclown II

    Grand Theft Assclown II

    Grand Theft Assclown II:

    I said it and someone must have been listening. Let me quote the article…

    The family of a slain motorist has filed suit against the maker of a video game that two teens claim inspired them to shoot at passing cars on a Tennessee highway.

    So the family of the victim is suing the makers of GTA because of two assclown kids who went on a shooting spree after playing it. If these kids had watched a movie, would they be suing the movie company? If anybody should be sued, it should be the dumbass parents.

    According to the article, a September 2000 Federal Trade Commission report says that parents are present at and involved in the purchase or rental of games 83 percent of the time. And where did these kids get the gun? Michael Moore probably thinks that they got it at their local Circle K.

    These kids obviously had something wrong with them, to begin with, and the video game is not the root of the problem.