The Unknown Future - Retro Gaming

The youth are our future, and only through their memories can we live forever.

That thought actually occurred to me a long time ago, back when I was still part of youth. The reality of the situation is that how we are remembered is what we actually are. Our own memories vanish when we die, so the only way to live on is to remain in the minds of the next generation.

So what does this have to do with games? Much more than one would think. I have seen a huge growth in "retro game" fans, primarily because of Nintendo offering some of their greatest hits in the eShop. What makes me happy is to see kids not only playing these games, but actually discussing them intellectually. Offering opinions on the pros and cons of each 8-bit classic.

This says a lot about my generation of geek and nerd, how much we were unappreciated while I was still young made me ask if it was worth the effort quite often. We not only decided what classics were in fact classics, we also became the play testers and developers for games today. But the 8-bit era is a part of history now.

That's the fun part, many people who often don't like history classes in schools, those who sleep during the long boring lectures of wars fought in our past, perk up at the mention of Super Mario Brothers. But Super Mario Brothers is, in fact, history now, it is a part of our culture, and a household name. Everyone knows of the Mario Brothers, even those who have never played a video game. My generation has left it's mark on the world, and we will live forever because of it, but without us geeks and nerds that mark would not have existed.

So our immortality is now guaranteed, even if not by name, we are the pioneers of gaming, the ones to start a glorious new chapter in the world, a chapter where technology exceeds our greatest expectations.

That last part may sound anecdotal, or a sweeping generalization, but it's very true. As a whole, computer technology was very unpopular when I was young, when video games first made their appearance. People considered home computers to be fads, and businesses wrote everything down on paper still. Phones were bound to our homes, and images took forever just to view on a bulky and blurry monitor.

The first video games were simple LCD games with various sprites all burnt into the screen. Each sprite would turn on or off depending on what was happening, and the "world" of the game was small and static. But we loved them, they were fun, when sitting there with nothing to do, waiting for people to fill out long forms in pen. Seeing how popular these games were, enterprising companies began investing in creating more, better, and faster games.

Fast forward today, we have stereoscopic 3D now making an entrance into the world, gaining ground. Video game worlds are massive, mechanics more elaborate, more types of game play than we ever dreamed. All because my generation had geeks and nerds who enjoyed the classics. Even those prior to the 8-bit era are seeing attention now, my generation, the geeks and nerds at least, are etched in stone now. We will be forever remembered as pioneers into a new frontier that resulted in the internet as well, cellphones, portable computers, touch screens and interactive menu systems.

The one drawback is that I fear we have set the bar too high, this new generation will have to cause a drastic improvement in something in order to make their mark, or be lost like those before my generation. I know you young people can do it though, I have high hopes of seeing space travel or complete equality, perhaps a scientific golden age. But it is often the smallest thing that can cause the biggest mark in history.

I know, this was more of a rambling post. Right now I am waiting for Bravely Default to come out in my region, starting a new game would just confuse my tired old brain so I am holding off on gaming news. But yes, Bravely Default will be the central topic of my posts soon, I have it pre-ordered. So patience, I will get back to more gaming specific posts soon.

Violence, Sexism, Porn and ... Games?

I have posted my views, along with the facts, on these issues many times across the internet. But they still keep showing up, and those who find cause to attack video games, specifically, often rely on old arguments that have been addressed, and completely debunked, many times. So I shall gather my thoughts on these matters for this post, and offer a glimmer of fact on these matters.

The common lies often stated are as follows:

1. Violence in video games makes people violent.
2. Images of females in specific clothing styles objectifies women.
3. Porn is bad.
4. There are not enough female heroes in games.

The first one is an ancient argument, thus I will sweep it away first. One simple fact demonstrates how fallacious the statement is: as video game sales increase, crime decreases across the country.

Specifically about the US, but this fact destroys that first point because it demonstrates that there is not even any correlation to video games and violent crimes. If there is a correlation, and if correlation could prove causation, then the opposite of that statement would be true. So there is no possible way in which video games can cause violence in anyone who is not already prone to violent behavior.

The second annoys me, though it's fallacious and just plain stupid, because it also says that the way I choose to dress is somehow wrong. I love wearing miniskirts and light blouses, tees, or other less prudish clothing. Is it wrong that I choose to wear these? Does my wearing these make me a slut? No, quite the contrary, my motto is "you can look, but if you touch I will have your hand on my wall."

If an asexual person, like myself, can admit that these clothes are really cute, then why can't sexual people admit it as well? But the evidence of why this second point is fallacious is another very simple fact: cultures in which women are forced to cover all their skin also demonstrate the highest number of rape cases.

Looking more into that, the Middle East countries have outlawed any woman to show "too much" skin, and yet to them women are nothing more than sexual objects to please their man. So no, less clothing will not cause men to objectify us any more than they already do. But men are not the only ones to objectify humans, women who often complain about images that they don't like tend to objectify men just as often. They are asserting, by claiming that images of any particular type will cause men to behave in a negative manner, that men are nothing more than ravenous beasts who cannot control their own behaviors.

The third claim is so silly that I can't help but snicker each time I see it. Personally, I dislike porn, I see no value in it. Sexual activity of any sort bores me, actually. But porn is neutral, meaning it doesn't influence behavior. When asked to show scientific evidence to back up the claim that porn can cause harm, all they show are anecdotes peppered with their own personal desires, not any actual evidence. There is no evidence that porn, or sexual content, is in any way harmful. If you doubt me, them prove me wrong, send me real scientific evidence to support your argument.

The fourth point can almost be considered valid, almost. The problem is that it misses one major aspect to the market, it is dominated by male players. When playing a game you like to put yourself in the shoes of the hero, you become that hero in your imagination. So to appeal to the market they have to make most of the heroes male. They need to appeal to the market to gain profits, profits that allow them to make more games for the fans to play.

I would love to see more heroines, many times they are really strong figures and powerful characters, offering us something to look up too. But that cannot be the case until the female players dominate the market. This is actually happening too, a decade ago you could talk to almost any male about games, but finding a female gamer was difficult. Today you can find female gamers in almost all gamer groups.

If you ever see these arguments posted anywhere, ask them for scientific evidence. If they cannot produce any then dismiss their argument as foolish and move on. Enjoy your gaming, enjoy your porn too if that's what you like, but if you don't like something, then just leave it lie.