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Before I begin,I must point out two things:First,
there may be some spoilers to certain games contained in the following post, so be careful. Second, I accept no responsibility for the aforementioned spoilers. Ahem. With that out of the way, I will begin.
As the title suggests, I wish to discuss how realistic games have become of late, and how this will affect some of the more sensitive gamers out there. Sure, titles like GTA3 carry an 18s cert. but the violence in these games is so OTT that few take it serious.
The point I want to make(or am at least trying to...)is that some recent games have focused in on the more delicate areas of society in order to create a more realistic gaming experience. There's Metal Gear Solid 2, where Otacon's sister dies in his arms, and her blood stains his lab coat, the death of Aeris in FFVII(a true tear-jerker), and more recently, the melodramatic ending sequence to FFX.
Let us note that these games do NOT carry an 18s cert and there are many more, I am sure. Some of us more seasoned gamers take these kind
of scenes in games in our stride, but the younger generation, and indeed more sensitive seem to be seriously affected by these games.
For example, a cousin of mine(only twelve) was very disturbed by the unhappy ending FFX gave her. Infact, I was assaulted with questions such as:"Why don't they fall in love?", "Why don't they live happily ever after" and so forth....
And as for FFVII, my girlfriend(aged 19!) cried in my arms when Aeris died in FFVII! She has never been the same again...
What happened to the days when you played a computer game to drift away from the horrors of the real world? Gone forever, I dare say.
This is not a problem for me, but clearly it is for other gamers.
Any thoughts?
there may be some spoilers to certain games contained in the following post, so be careful. Second, I accept no responsibility for the aforementioned spoilers. Ahem. With that out of the way, I will begin.
As the title suggests, I wish to discuss how realistic games have become of late, and how this will affect some of the more sensitive gamers out there. Sure, titles like GTA3 carry an 18s cert. but the violence in these games is so OTT that few take it serious.
The point I want to make(or am at least trying to...)is that some recent games have focused in on the more delicate areas of society in order to create a more realistic gaming experience. There's Metal Gear Solid 2, where Otacon's sister dies in his arms, and her blood stains his lab coat, the death of Aeris in FFVII(a true tear-jerker), and more recently, the melodramatic ending sequence to FFX.
Let us note that these games do NOT carry an 18s cert and there are many more, I am sure. Some of us more seasoned gamers take these kind
of scenes in games in our stride, but the younger generation, and indeed more sensitive seem to be seriously affected by these games.
For example, a cousin of mine(only twelve) was very disturbed by the unhappy ending FFX gave her. Infact, I was assaulted with questions such as:"Why don't they fall in love?", "Why don't they live happily ever after" and so forth....
And as for FFVII, my girlfriend(aged 19!) cried in my arms when Aeris died in FFVII! She has never been the same again...
What happened to the days when you played a computer game to drift away from the horrors of the real world? Gone forever, I dare say.
This is not a problem for me, but clearly it is for other gamers.
Any thoughts?
Why on earth should games all have happy endings. Not all Movies and Books have happy endings, even childrens books.
I strongly don't think that we should bring children up to expect everything to have a happy ending, It makes them more dissapointed and jaded when they find out that it isn't true.
And why should unhappy events be given a higher age reating, surely the age rating is there to protect children from Sex, violence and obscenities. Not to sheild them from the fact that sad things happen. If you don't expose a child to unhappy things then the child will not grow emotionally and will not be able to empathise with others. Crying is good for us. It makes us feel alive.
I say well done to the developers for being brave enough to create these alternative endings.
Ros
I strongly don't think that we should bring children up to expect everything to have a happy ending, It makes them more dissapointed and jaded when they find out that it isn't true.
And why should unhappy events be given a higher age reating, surely the age rating is there to protect children from Sex, violence and obscenities. Not to sheild them from the fact that sad things happen. If you don't expose a child to unhappy things then the child will not grow emotionally and will not be able to empathise with others. Crying is good for us. It makes us feel alive.
I say well done to the developers for being brave enough to create these alternative endings.
Ros
Ingenium Bartender wrote:
> a game is only too realistic when you don't realise that you are
> playing it.
But, isn't the essence of a good game(film or book aswell) that you get absorbed into the plot without realising it?
So, even with a joypad in hand, it can be easy to lose yourself in an engrossing plot. Yes?
> a game is only too realistic when you don't realise that you are
> playing it.
But, isn't the essence of a good game(film or book aswell) that you get absorbed into the plot without realising it?
So, even with a joypad in hand, it can be easy to lose yourself in an engrossing plot. Yes?
Pure genius.
exactly my point
Ingenium Bartender wrote:
> a game is only too realistic when you don't realise that you are
> playing it.
*
Surely the abundance of a control pad in your hands gives that away though? ;-)
> a game is only too realistic when you don't realise that you are
> playing it.
*
Surely the abundance of a control pad in your hands gives that away though? ;-)
a game is only too realistic when you don't realise that you are playing it.
It's probably all down to developers wanting to employ those dodgy so-called "emotion engines" in their games, by creating scenarios and endings that we could supposingly identify with. Tsk.
Before I begin,I must point out two things:First,
there may be some spoilers to certain games contained in the following post, so be careful. Second, I accept no responsibility for the aforementioned spoilers. Ahem. With that out of the way, I will begin.
As the title suggests, I wish to discuss how realistic games have become of late, and how this will affect some of the more sensitive gamers out there. Sure, titles like GTA3 carry an 18s cert. but the violence in these games is so OTT that few take it serious.
The point I want to make(or am at least trying to...)is that some recent games have focused in on the more delicate areas of society in order to create a more realistic gaming experience. There's Metal Gear Solid 2, where Otacon's sister dies in his arms, and her blood stains his lab coat, the death of Aeris in FFVII(a true tear-jerker), and more recently, the melodramatic ending sequence to FFX.
Let us note that these games do NOT carry an 18s cert and there are many more, I am sure. Some of us more seasoned gamers take these kind
of scenes in games in our stride, but the younger generation, and indeed more sensitive seem to be seriously affected by these games.
For example, a cousin of mine(only twelve) was very disturbed by the unhappy ending FFX gave her. Infact, I was assaulted with questions such as:"Why don't they fall in love?", "Why don't they live happily ever after" and so forth....
And as for FFVII, my girlfriend(aged 19!) cried in my arms when Aeris died in FFVII! She has never been the same again...
What happened to the days when you played a computer game to drift away from the horrors of the real world? Gone forever, I dare say.
This is not a problem for me, but clearly it is for other gamers.
Any thoughts?
there may be some spoilers to certain games contained in the following post, so be careful. Second, I accept no responsibility for the aforementioned spoilers. Ahem. With that out of the way, I will begin.
As the title suggests, I wish to discuss how realistic games have become of late, and how this will affect some of the more sensitive gamers out there. Sure, titles like GTA3 carry an 18s cert. but the violence in these games is so OTT that few take it serious.
The point I want to make(or am at least trying to...)is that some recent games have focused in on the more delicate areas of society in order to create a more realistic gaming experience. There's Metal Gear Solid 2, where Otacon's sister dies in his arms, and her blood stains his lab coat, the death of Aeris in FFVII(a true tear-jerker), and more recently, the melodramatic ending sequence to FFX.
Let us note that these games do NOT carry an 18s cert and there are many more, I am sure. Some of us more seasoned gamers take these kind
of scenes in games in our stride, but the younger generation, and indeed more sensitive seem to be seriously affected by these games.
For example, a cousin of mine(only twelve) was very disturbed by the unhappy ending FFX gave her. Infact, I was assaulted with questions such as:"Why don't they fall in love?", "Why don't they live happily ever after" and so forth....
And as for FFVII, my girlfriend(aged 19!) cried in my arms when Aeris died in FFVII! She has never been the same again...
What happened to the days when you played a computer game to drift away from the horrors of the real world? Gone forever, I dare say.
This is not a problem for me, but clearly it is for other gamers.
Any thoughts?