I just have a few points I want to say. So please post your tought on this. I got "The Sims" A while ago. And I of course love the game. But the thing about relationships in games is something that I feel is to "go to far with games". I think, or... I''m sure, people will start comparing a relationship in the game with one in reality. I for one, have got a strage feeling getting in love in game, while having some relationship stuff going on in my real life. I think they could have skipped the "Love-part" in the game. Ok, maybe it could be fun to play with friends. But for someone who is alone, I think it''s dumb. What if someone who never been loved, someone who hasn''t got manyt friends starts to play it. He/she might find consolation in games. Is this a good thing? Maybe for a while, until he/she realized that the world out there is not at all like in the virtual game world. This is my toughts. Maybe we should start a new topic: "How do games screw our minds". - Because they do. Tell me your toughts MindWipe

I really think everything screws with our minds. Everything that we come in contact with effects us conciously or unconciously. Think about all the crazy crap on television people are subjected to.

"All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be." --Pink Floyd

I've never played Sims but I think being worried about someone taking it too seriously is not really the developers' responsibility.




"""" "'Nazrix is cool' -- Nazrix" --Darkmage --Godfree"-Nazrix" -- runemaster --and now dwarfsoft" -- dwarfsoft --pouya" -- Nazrix
""You see... I'm not crazy... you see?!? Nazrix believes me!" --Wavinator
Need help? Well, go FAQ yourself.


Edited by - Nazrix on October 14, 2000 6:55:25 PM

Natrix>>>

Good point. But there is a difference when reality and virtual reality effects us.

Good example:

How many of you game freaks out there have tought
that if you screw in school or with something else.
You can only load and try again?

I know a few people have tought that. That''s how it is.
But it''s the same thing with religion. It makes us belive things
that arn''t real. But everyone needs a belife, but not from a computer game.

But also as you said it''s everyone own problem. You can''t blame the developers - or can you?

I really don''t think you can. It''s the same with blaming musicians for their lyrics, or movies. I think a rating system for violence or other potentially offensive material is okay. That way parents can know what their kids are into assuming we''re talking about younger people experiencing these things. If we''re talking about adults, then they should be balanced enough to handle these things. If they''re not, then they have more problems than video games.

I''ve heard people wanting to blame Verant for making Everquest so addictive. That''s ridiculous. That''s a game developer''s job.


"""" "'Nazrix is cool' -- Nazrix" --Darkmage --Godfree"-Nazrix" -- runemaster --and now dwarfsoft" -- dwarfsoft --pouya --nes8bit" -- Nazrix
""You see... I'm not crazy... you see?!? Nazrix believes me!" --Wavinator
Need help? Well, go FAQ yourself.

Comparing games to ''classic'' forms of art (music, literature) might not be accepted by a majority of people, because games often are perceived as ''different'' forms of entertainment simply because they are so much more interactive and personal. How many times have you caught yourself saying "I did (this) in (this) game" rather than "the character I control did (these) actions as the story unfolded" as though you were in the game?

Another point is "anything in moderation is good; anything in excess is bad". It''s like watching too many violent movies / TV shows or listening to too much of one style of music. But in the case of games, their main consumers are aged between ''young teen'' and ''young adult''. Coupled with the fact that this age group is the most emotionally underdeveloped compared to small children or grown adults, you''re sure as hell that games can be detrimental, just like anything else with excessive violence or incorrect representation of Real Life (i.e. in MindWipe''s example of "fake" love relationships).

My opinion? It''s the parents'' (and individuals in the case of grown adult game-players) job to ensure that they and their children are not negatively influenced by the games we deliver. We make these games (for the most part) because it is what we enjoy; "please everybody and you end up not pleasing yourself".



MatrixCubed

Most people who say "I did (this) in (this game)" are quite aware that it was not real. It is just a short-hand notation for "my character".

"anything in moderation is good. anything in excess is bad."
Not quite. Are you saying that stealing in moderation is good?
By the way, doesn''t that mean moderation in excess is bad?

I think that anybody who has problems with fiction/reality probably had problems before they started playing games.

Well in my Comm class just this past week we discussed something along these lines. We discussed TV and how it shapes our reality but I am guessing that the same principles apply to gaming....
There has been a study (i think it may be ongoing) where you are asked 2 questions.
1. Are you a frequent or infrequent viewer?
2. some generic question about society. The question given in class as an example was ''What percentage of society is law enforcment?''
Frequent viewers said 12%, infrequent viewers said 1%. And if you all think about it, 1% is probably even too large a number.
But our reality is shaped by things we see and what we do....

Dan

that''s interesting, dbrookin. I think the important thing is to try very hard to be aware of the impact the things we see and experience effect us, and try to experience a wide variety of things to get the most overall view of things.


"""" "'Nazrix is cool' -- Nazrix" --Darkmage --Godfree"-Nazrix" -- runemaster --and now dwarfsoft" -- dwarfsoft --pouya --nes8bit --CmndrM " -- Nazrix

"If your parents didn't explain this one, I'm not going to." --Felisandria

"You know you're cool when you're in Nazrix's sig :) " --Martee

Need help? Well, go FAQ yourself.

I KNOW games screw with your head. I remember after playing diablo (the first one) for a month straight, I thought I could reach into my backpack and pull out a wad of gold. And when I have spent far to long programming, I am forever looking for the Ctrl-Z key in my head. I walk around and I do something that doesn''t seem right and I just think ''Ctrl-Z'' or ''Edit->Undo'' .

Is it just me that is screwed up like this? I remember my year 11 and 12 programming teacher asking me for all of the answers to his questions (about Turbo Pascal) because I was the only one who had used 5.5 before wheras he had only used 3 or 4 (or something like that). This is an example of how warped I was, at 15 the teacher was asking me for the answers to his own questions. And I was also the debugging program too. And I enjoyed it. But I was always thinking ''Ctrl-Z'' ah, doesn''t matter, I have 50,000 GP in my backpack anyway

-Chris Bennett of Dwarfsoft - Site:"The Philosophers' Stone of Programming Alchemy" - IOL
The future of RPGs - Thanks to all the goblins over in our little Game Design Corner niche
          

quote: Original post by dwarfsoft

But I was always thinking 'Ctrl-Z' ah, doesn't matter, I have 50,000 GP in my backpack anyway

...

Is it just me that is screwed up like this?

Hahaha... yes, sorry, but it's just you.

Actually programming stuff gets in my head too -- that Undo key is a good example. And if someone is irritating me, I can just call IAnnoyingPerson::Release(), right?

-Ironblayde
 Aeon Software

"Down with Nazrix!" -pouya -Ironblayde

Edited by - Ironblayde on October 15, 2000 1:57:00 PM