1. In what way do video games confirm this? What forms of violence do they represent? Geertz says the forms of violence are not always the actions that are bloody, but rather the unequal systems and structures that are created by violent means and then perpetuated. Pick a game that reveals not the superficial violence but the deeper structural violence of our culture and explain that form of violence.
Video games represent the modern world's "accepted" form of violence as most violent activities of the past have become boring, illegal, or in some cases may not be "real" for people anymore. A perfect example of this is the Roman Gladiators--it is no longer a legal activity and therefore people can no longer participate in the violence.
Video games represent the violence we fantasize about and can't reenact for ourselves. Or rather video games represent a way for people to feel that they can make a difference in a world where their actions are more than likely to be overlooked and ignored.
In the Nintendo Gamecube game Assassin's Creed II, the violence comes from religious groups and "nobles", or rather, what we would know now as executives or people who hold power in society. The game acts as a way for us to roleplay going against those who hold power and to make our place in society.
2. What is arrest and why is it important to art and specifically to game art? Can you describe a momnet of arrest in any kind of game you have played?
Arrest is the moment when the "hok" is set and the gamer can become aware of the deeper meanings of a video game.
I have had a moment of arrest while playing a game called Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner; while playing the game I became aware of the deep religious undertones of the game that comprised the majority of the plot. However, it was not stuck dealing with a single religion, (although Christian mythologies and prophecies played a major role in the game), other religions and folklores from around the world have been incorporated as playable creatures (as well as foes).
3. What happens when a game breaks out of representations of violence (Grand Theft Auto) and actually engages (executes) violence (Tekken Torture Tournament)? In what way does representation sensitize or desensitize us to violence vs in what way does play (real enactment) resensitize us? When children play do they ever resort to violence? Can you describe its possible uses?
Representation desensitizes us because we cannot and do not experience consequences that affects us directly, but rather affects the avatar on the screen. In contrast, play resensitizes us because we can feel the immediate repercussions of our actions and choices.
Children do resort to violnce in taht they often can get frustrated with each other and resort to violence (such as hitting) to solve their issues. Children can also play violent games with each other like a "sword fight" or dodgeball, and other games of the like. However, it is somewhat important for children to play these games because they learn that by hitting someone they usually get hit in response and are sensitized to the consequences of their actions.
4. In what ways to some games reinscribe (ie make it seem natural by so much repetition) rather arbitrary gender roles? Why do games geared to adolescent boys have such strong gender stereotypes? What biological phase are these boys going through? What is the danger if they do NOT adopt gender stereotypes but pursue alternate gender definitions for either women or men? Pick a game that begins to questions gender roles for women and for men (these can be two different games) and describe how they challenge stereotypes.
In the vast majority of games, (old and new), the protagonist is male and the victim is generally female.
Games for boys are more strongly stereotyped because our culture is based around such ideals that men are in charge and hold the power which are further enforced by the fact that the boys play those games whereas the girls do not (typically). Also, the "biological phase" of the boys is typically puberty, I believe, and therefore the boys grow into "desiring" these gender role stereotypes.
The only danger I could see is that they would be questioned or "exiled" socially because they would essentially be going against the norms of our society and culture.
I'm hard-pressed to think of such a game, but what comes to mind first is the Metroid series because, as I recall was the case, people playing the game thought that the protagonist was male but upon finishing the game they discovered that she was a female. This showed that a woman could be just as influential and powerful as a man.
5. Why do US Army recruiters use games to both recruit and train soldiers? What is being trained or learned? Why is it effective, or is it?
I believe the US Army uses video games to recruit and train soldiers because the games teach/enhance certain skills that could be directly implemented in the field. They also teach the players to be aware of their environments and to be vigilant. The games also enhances the players' ability to formulate strategies quickly as if they were actually in the field doing their work. Lastly, I see the army as using video games to help desensitize their soldiers before sending them overseas.
1. Explain how games lure you deeper into someone else's reality. How does "identification through action work"? Can you explain a few instances here your identity is shaped by the choices to act in a game? ie in an army game, how often do you question your superior officer? in a stealing/violence game, how often do you share? In what ways are certain behaviors held up as normal and others as impossible?
With games becoming more immersive and "open" (as in allowing the player to choose how the story progresses and can travel wherever they want in the world), it is much easier to lose one's self in this imagined reality.
"Identification through action" means that the player experiences the game on a deeper level than just plainly identifying with the character. Instead they get into a mindset where they identify through their own actions and choices within the game.
There are a few games (that are a few years old) where you are given a set of options of what you can "say" to someone in the game. Although a lot of times, regardless of what you say, the same outcome happens. However this can give the player a sense of "Well, I did everything I could to help this person". One such game was Tales of Symphonia for the Nintendo Gamecube. The mail plot was fairly linear in that it followed a single path with one outcome. Throughout the game you are given choices to a situation that wouldn't change the outcome of the situation, but rather the other characters' opinions of you change depending on your choices.
2. In what ways do games promise satisfaction by creating both the reality and illusion of character agency? In other words, games give you the impression that you can act, choose, be in control--a deep human need that we often take away during schooling and training for the job market. How do games tease and then either satisfy or trick this need?
As I had previously described, games like Tales of Symphonia give the illusion that your choices will affect the situation at hand and ultimately the flow of the plot. Another game, Dragon Age: Origins, successfully allows the player to influence the flow of the story and their choices affect the world that they are playing in. There are times where your choices not only affect the immediate future, but rather affect the events much later in the game, such as who will help you in the end and who will rule the kingdom.
3. Explain how the computer game environment helps to create a second self. IS this helpful or narcissistic? Is this alternate reality an escape from or a help for coping with the material reality in which we live? Could different types of games affect this?
It is becoming increasingly popular for games to allow the player to customize their characters (in looks as well as skills and abilities). I personally feel that this is both helpful for the player to be able to further immerse themselves and identify with their avatars/characters. I also feel that this is narcissitic in the sense that people will design their characters with what they find to be pleasing and attractive to them, not the way it was intended that the players will make the character look similar to themselves in real life.
For me, personally, the alternate reality is more of an escape than a coping mechanism. The way I see it, this rings true for many other people who want to escape their own lives to experience one that is "out of their league" or rather can't possibly happen. However, I feel that the type of game affects this greatly, for example, Dungeons and Dragons games serve the purpose of escaping reality, whereas The Sims works towards coping with reality.