>I think it will score well in the US. The US-ers, especially males,
>seem to be infatuated with STAGED toughness and violent spectacle that
>makes them look mean and threatening: they like to talk tough, buy
>menacing gear (guns, SUVs, combat attire), make threatening postures,
>vicariously participate in violent spectacles - which give them an
>illusion of virility and control which they lack in their emasculated
>suburban and corporate lives (at the same time, they tend to be quite
>docile and sheepish in everyday interaction).
>For that reason, these "virtually strong and brave" men would like to
>revisit Vietnam and turn their defeat into a virtual victory of which
>they will be virtually in charge.
Oh, come on, Woj. It's hardly an American thing; I see that sort of behaviour all the time in role-playing games here in Canada (and I see the same thing with other gamers around the world): big guns/swords/lasers/robots/whatever. It's a pleasant fantasy that comes from feelings of powerlessness and anxiety, I think; almost every adolescent and pre-adolescent gamer goes through this sort of thing in gaming, and some DO grow out of it . . . . What's wrong with playing at being tough just for fun? To get your mind off your problems?
Todd
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