Weekly Written Analysis/ Assignment 4-1
Games People Play
It’s funny what we as a society consider entertainment. When I was growing up, we had board games and card games and games of our own invention, the latter of which required that we use our imaginations. It is different today though. Video games arrived on the scene and the rest, as they say, is history.
The vast array of video games, most of which are violent or far-fetched, is a testament to the fact that we prefer fantasy over reality and, in the rare event we choose reality, we want it to be spruced up a bit. The average child aged 8-12 spends 13 hours every week playing video games. In the 13-18 age bracket, 14 hours are spent each week (Bradenburg, 2008). Many of the games kids are playing are of a violent or negative nature. The violent ones include Halo, Grand Theft Auto, and Kill Nazis. And, on the negative side, there is Homeless Sims.
Back when video games were first introduced, there was a single game called Pong. The object was to hit a little cyber-ball back and forth until someone missed. Then came Pac-Man and we guided him through a maze of ghosts that would eat him if we were not fast enough. The Mario Brothers let us navigate them through dangerous obstacle after dangerous obstacle. Each level gave us a new feeling of elation as we conquered them and moved on to the next world. But that apparently became too boring.
The industry quickly reacted and added the elements of violence and fantasy. I found this odd though in light of the fact that there was such a push to “pad” the world. Disney tamed Disney World and Pirates of the Caribbean became more like It’s A Small World. The Saturday morning cartoons of the past (Bugs Bunny, Road Runner, etc.) were deemed too violent and replaced by a plethora of kinder, gentler animation.
It seems that violence is still around though. The video game industry reaches more kids than the Saturday morning fare of the past. It would seem that, when money is involved, our values go out the door.
References
Bradenburg, M. (2008). Interesting Statistics About Video Games. DIY Father. Retrieved on September 9, 2009 from Google.com.
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Carolyn what an interesting topic to choose. Having been a mom to a teenage boy when video games came to the forefront it was interesting to see the games go from Pac Man and Mario Brothers to Grand Theft Auto. I remember the point when I couldn't sit in the room and watch anymore. Luckily, the kids that are targeted by for these games do grow up and move on to other things.
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