[lbo-talk] Liberate Doug from Old Fogeyism! - was/ videogames

Tayssir John Gabbour tjg at pentaside.org
Sun Aug 13 04:49:43 PDT 2006


Chuck wrote:
> I love playing Sid Meier's games, but I fail to see any leftism in any
> of the games I've played. I was playing Civ III last night and was
> reminded yet again that these games have a poor understanding of
> politics. Anarchism is never a viable option. Communism and socialism
> aren't fun options to play. The funny thing about having "Democracy" as
> your government type is that it penalizes you for starting wars.

Yeah, Alpha Centauri was designed by a philosophy/history guy, rather than Sid Meier. The main goal of the game was to transcend the human form and merge with Gaia. Also, the almost-inevitable pollution caused by rapid industrialization could cause the planet to attack you. So not only did you have antagonism with other players and your citizens, but also the planet.

(But speaking of anti-fogeyism, I think the most exciting literature of all currently comes from TV. At least, political dramas like Battlestar Galactica and The Wire are far better than the movies I'm aware of... and not only is it hard for me to find books where I'm willing to stay inside the author's head for hours, but I like watching the decisions good non-pretentious actors make.)

Doug Henwood wrote:
> Leaving aside the content of video games, don't they promote a
> stupefied solipsism among heavy players?

Doesn't a strong distaste of TV and sports often result in leftists' detachment from the working class? ;)

Seriously, I think heavy gaming can pose ergonomic/health problems. I'm not sure if know enough about effects on childrens' social development, or whether we're even asking the right questions: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_controversy#Criticism_related_to_children.27s_social_development

Though as a perhaps cynical guess, I think that "educational software" is far worse for the mind. ;) David Noble's criticisms come to mind...

Tayssir



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