Too Many Gamers are Intellectual Cowards

I think "it's just a game" is used to shrug off the criticism of gore and violence in some games. It's just a game because no one dies. The same as violent movies can get away with it being "just a movie". You can show arms being amputated, stomach's bursting open, heads exploding and it's ok because we know it's not real.

Does medal of honour really give you serious insight into the mind of the Taliban? Or even the presumably western troops you play as? Probably not. It's just a game. No one dies or is injured. You play through it to get to the end. You learn how to avoid 'dying' long enough to beat the levels. As a journalist you should know that games generally don't address real issues, and this is because they are largely entertainment. People go to games to escape. If you want to learn about conflict then watch the news, watch documentaries or travel to other countries and learn about it first hand.

While I've learnt some interesting facts from games I wouldn't say they've increased my understanding of the world. Games can manipulate us emotionally as can any story, but they are entirely ficticious. That's not to say you can't learn anything from a game. Online games teach us how to organise and co-operate to achieve goals. Games can teach us how to be methodical and solve problems. But in regards to human interactions they are very simplistic.

@Aiddon

You may be right... but its hard to get past the arrogance and ego of the author.

They are not just games. They are video games.

American gamers,
Consider this, if you continue to be dismissive when issues like this come up and say "it's just a game", you are forfeiting any claim that might be made that games are protected under the first amendment. The reason being that in order to be exempt from obscenity laws something must have serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value. Don't let us turn into australia, people! (no offense australians)

if people keep having the same views as a lot of the commenters for this article then it's no surprise that gamers are still thought of as socially mal-adjusted losers. "it's just..." is a copout in every sense of the word and a way for people not to lose their innocence when it comes to a medium. That argument needs to die and we need to stop using it. Thank you for proving this article right by acting in the way its writer said you do

Oh, and I forgot to say--excellent editorial. The world needs dissenters and the opinionated. Sameness breeds stagnation.

I was under the impression that dissent was not allowed when talking about video games, and especially when talking about Nintendo.

I'm all for intellectual conversations--and I don't exactly have a problem with the Taliban appearing in the new MoH. After all, gamers have been allowed to play as Nazi's for ages. All I do is talk about video games, normally. Hell, I just got 16 more games in the mail today. I love this medium.

You don't see the potential for deep discussion on games? Fine. Then bugger off and let me do it without throwing me under the bus for it. The fact that I can see it and I have highly enlightening discussions with my best friends about games means that it is there, whether you see it or not. The reason the phrase "it's just..." is so bloody infuriating is because by saying that you are pretty much saying, "who cares?" I BLOODY WELL CARE.

I can tell you that games, this article, movies and music have had more profound of an effect on my life than most humans. I'm not a social shut out either. I make friends all the time. Literally everything you do and how you choose to percieve it will have an effect on your life's path and the paths of those whose lives you touch, however indirectly.

Games don't effect us on an emotional level? Bullshit.

The most important thing it's play what's we love more....so i think it's a discuss without reason to be...I don't care if the others players like or not....I like!!!....I don´t care if some players tell me that res5 or gta are violent...because i don´t think the same...we have to respect the others players and the companies that do the games....and the most important...we have to be mature to respect that!!!

The thesis of this article is that gamers' views of video games are inconsistent: they want video games to be treated as serious art, but they also shrug off discussion of serious real-world issues raised by video games. However, an individual gamer would only be inconsistent if they simultaneously held BOTH of these views.

Is there any evidence that most gamers hold both of these views? Isn't it possible, instead, that some people treat games as a fun diversion ("just a game"), whereas others treat video games (or at least some video games) as serious art?

If so, then no one is behaving inconsistently; different gamers simply hold different views.

It's like movies.

^^,


:P

Its just a game, its just a hobby, but its MY hobby so if you don't like it then "Just" ignore it, thats how i see it, but if i get butthurt over other people's opinion then the problem is me not them, you're being too sensitive about nothing writer.

Its all JUST entertainment.

Goddog beat me to it...I was just about to say it is just a game, just a movie, just a song... none matter as much as real life issues. Talking about them and analysing them only really matters if your livelihood depends on it, mine doesn't... yours does. It may or may not be interesting but it doesnt really matter in the end. Very few movies or songs (and no games) have ever caused a real stir in any important way.

Further, this article is just an article. It matters not one iota to anything real or important. It is just another article in your portfolio. Like nearly all journalism it is instantly unimportant. Please dont place any real importance on being a gaming journalist, there isnt any.

Write a serious investigative piece into 3rd world poverty or drug gangs and you may be able to claim some value to your piece. But an article written about gaming is just an article written just about games. It is entertanment and entertainment only.

You might say most gamers are intellectual cowards, I'd say most gaming journo's are pseudo intellectuals that get away with murder due to the demographic of their majority audience. This article is patronising, self indulgent nonsense in my opinion - no offense. I'm sure you are a nice guy.... so don't take it personally... and I'm sure you wont react badly given the tone of your own piece.

it is just a game,
much like
its just a piece of art
its just a movie
its just a song
its just speech

some people relate to these things in a less then confrontational manner. they might do that because this is there hobby or where they go to relax. calling them a coward does nothing but putting them of discussing the issue with you.

not every one will step up and take the heat of an argument, and for a product that is a leisure activity as much as bowling is, you will not see the community involvement you see with something like guns collecting and hunting until the activity is threatened in the same way they are.

Maybe some of us just see these questions and avoid the same argument we have had for years, it does become weary.

my thoughts on the subject

weather it be games, music, movies, or art. it is and should stay protected speech, even if i disagree with it, i will spend money, or write, or protest to protect the thought being out there. it is necessary for free speech & thought to continue in all forms, to protect the unpopular idea so that we never have to fear censorship. so yes it is only a game, and i will defend it it the same manner i would defend the westboro baptist church despite feeling the message is full of hate, or is stupid. it must be protected.


Note* deleted to make some edits then reposted

note *
I find your tone in the article, confrontation and insulting enough that i feel you will drive readers away from a site they went to where they relaxed and enjoyed the community.

note* calling gaming a product is not meant to cheapen it, i would refer to fine art or movies in the same manner when discussing its field.

People are too defensive and negative nowadays. Everything is an attack on them, their choices, their lifestyle. Shame what a way to waste a life

Sorry, I just don't see it.

I'm an avid gamer, and have been for years now, and I have yet to find one game deserving of a deep intellectual debate.

Even the best games don't merit anything more than a purely technical discussion, although you can talk about pacing and character building, but those are storytelling techniques, and not story telling in itself.

So long as games like medal of honor attract attention from the mainstream media for things like being able to play as the taliban, I can only defend them in the most general terms and fall back on "It's just a game", because MoH really is just a game, it doesn't discuss anything and it's basically the equivalent of a Steven Seagal movie in terms of everything but budget. And let's face it, if Seagal ever made a movie in which he played a Taliban, it would certainly arouse controversy, but no-one would dream of it leading to a meaningful discussion about the artform and it's relevance to contemporary events.

That's just the way it is.

@Kowhoho

I do not agree with you about being attracted to 3d-blocks though. I have never ever being attracted to a 3d block. Mainly because that they do not look human enough. When the day comes where gaming graphics are more or less the same as real life we can consider this.

About RE5. I had some serious deep convo's on that. And not because it was a game but more to the point of it was a stupid argument to begin with saying the game was being raciest.

If it were a film those same hypocrites wouldnt have had an issue with it, but i will put it to you it would have been a lot more contrversial to be in the heart of Africa and not black people. I mean really that was just stupid and it was an argument that was made to make gaming look bad.

Holy crap, that guy in the last picture is getting shot in the balls.

OUCH! :O

Well i'm sorry if someone says to me oh that GTA learns kids to be killers. My reaction is its only a freaking game. What do you think its trying to do build an army?

I say the same about films aswell. and about music. Does that mean i am killing all of the entertainment industry.

Heck i even say its only the internet. I aint killed that yet and many peopel still use it.

Dont get me wrong i will and can get into a serious debate to protect gaming and show some of these people how stupid they are but when they get too out of hand and far too deep into the convo i'm like listen its just a fucking game what do you expect it to do brainwash a full generation?

who cares if anyone says "its just a game"? is that gonna destroy the industry? end the existance of video games?

@kowhoho

Well, you may consider myself arrogant if that's the only point you made in that post, but my points still stand.

My perception is based on researches conducted by such companies as Nielsen, EEDAR, NPD and recently Nintendo reports etc. Concentration on youth is natural for practically any entertainment inudstry as they are perfect pray for them - still kids who have a lot of free time and more financially independent than kids of younger age - the problem occurs when industry get concentrated on them for too long and too heavily rely on them. Bottomline - games are not universal phenomenon, they are restricted to certain age groups and more importantly to certain geographical regions. And I have doubts it will ever become universal phonomenon.

But this's only part of the problem. In fact, all that's been said here is common place, just google it. In my post I've addressed other points such as non-existent game criticism and rejection coming from not only social groups not targeted by gaming industry, but from the academics circles that study, review and value art. You may consider them snobs as well, but their opinion is an indicator.

@Kowhoho, I agree with you 100%. I knew when I said it that I was making a generalization and it is not as though I think that everyone 15-20 is immature and everyone older is mature. I just made the generalization just to make a point that a lot of gamers are immature and when threatened will respond to form. But as RE5 was situational, so is MoH. That situation being war and in war there are always multiple sides. It is ludicrous to portray the side of the Americans as the only side or the righteous side.

@ Joseph, people will always be obtuse on an issue in which they feel strongly about. A mother with a son in the war will have a fit that someone can play as the Taliban killing American soldiers in a game. Clearly she sees this as an affront to all of the men and women serving in the Armed Forces currently in Afghanistan. On the other hand, gamers are going to get defensive when they are being labeled as indifferent and unfeeling because of what they are playing in a game. This is why this is all ridiculous to me...people are hardly ever willing to step outside themselves and see things from other perspectives.

The screenshots don't help in anyway for your argument. Those are from cutscenes, which are basically movies.

Why would a person that sees videogames as just games even spend time arguing about it?

I believe that they are just games and we value them for this. Prove you point by showing us a game that has high artistic value but bad gameplay. Then compare it to a game that is just the opposite.

What distinguishes videogames is that it is game. I think what some gamers would consider art in videogames would be the movies, the digital sculptures, digital paintings etc. Problem is there works of art are all created for the sake of the game. I am not a believer of art for art sake. Art can be made for propaganda, it can be commercial, etc. But there is no escaping the fact that the Art that videogames contain serve the game. So the way I see it, videogames contain art and can be appreciated a such but I won't go as far as saying that videogames are art. The power of art is that it can be directed to create a emotional or intellectual stimuli. It contradicts the essence of games which should give control to the player and not the creator of the game.

@mai:

I feel as if your perception of youth is seriously clouding your vision. You posit that the majority thinks differently than those of the "opinionated" youth but show no evidence for it, other than directing us to "any research." You speak with authority and say what you think as if any other conclusion is entirely preposterous and yet your viewpoint lacks any evidence. What compels you to label those of a younger generation with terms like Elitist? I find it ironic that when people use the term "elitist" they are attempting to raise themselves to a higher level than the lowly elitist group.

About what prestige you're talking about?

Nowadays, as I see it, most vocal gamers are just a bunch of young and very opinionated people who want to somehow justify their hobby as serious and worth attention of others (as if it could justify huge ammount of time they invested in gaming instead of other “serious” businesses). The stereotypical teenage gamer (actual or mentally) will brag about how game is engaing, atmospheric and has “an epic story”*, while lacking understanding of what majority of people value in games.

But what about other people? Almost any research regarding social acceptance of gaming has showed that gaming isn’t socially acceptable. Gaming to become regarded as “serious” should be closer to majority, not to minority elitists. The creators of modern games are to blame. But when and if gaming is unversally acceptable and popular, chances that a lot more people are going to participate in creating of future games. If it’s not acceptable then you can’t spawn imagnation of masses since you have very little to choose from.

What about game criticism? It’s practically non-existent. I’m not going to discuss what’s art and what’s not, but rather just ask other people what they consider it to be? Ask Roger Ebbert, ask any art historian or critic, chances are high they won’t take gaming seriously. Why? What modern game critics did to seriously discuss gaming? Most of them mentally are no different than those “young and opiniotaned” persons I described above, most of game reviews are merely buyer’s guide, that advice you to buy or not to buy certain game. That’s not how it’s supposed to be, the very few ludologists today that bothered seriously with game studies make their review in quite different manner. They don’t sell you the game, they assume you’ve actually played it before you start reading their review, and they discuss what’s within the game.

The popular argument that gaming in it’s adolescence doesn’t hold any water, there’re dozens of medium forms that never came out of it’s adolescence age due to mostly targeting teenagers. The progress isn’t something that’s bound to happen.


//* For example, rather controversial topic of game’s story, since in eyes of vocal minority it’s automatically makes any game better and more “mature” (whatever they understand by that). But at the same time their understanding of the “story” is rather bastardized. The main form of expressing of story is some cutscene footage, which is cut into gameplay sequences. The pinnacle of imagination is exploiting space operas, false melodrama of soap operas, war themes etc. More words equal better story. So overall a very shallow and flawed view on things, and nobody even ask what game’s narrative (a more broad term) is supposed to be, what differs it from other mediums, what narrative most popular games have (mind you, they do, but rarely many people see it: Mario has it, Zelda has it, WarioWare has it – and they all are very good, integrant and important parts of these games… Tetris though don’t).

@Charmed: Ah, I see what you're saying. I just wanted to add, though, with all due respect (really, I'm not just disagreeing for the sake of it) that age has nothing to do with maturity. I'm 18 myself, right in the sweetspot of the field of ignorance you portrayed.

Not taking offense, just wanted to point that out.

My thoughts on the RE5 debacle just for fun: the reason that the claims of racism are baseless (imo) has nothing to do with the status of RE5 as a game. It has more to do with the choice of setting and how it called for there to be a certain percentage of each ethnicity (mostly black, some arab, few white) to be portrayed in order to maintain realism. On top of that, the main character's ethnicity wasn't chosen just for this game; he was a pre-existing white character. I don't see Capcom tailor-fitting the races of their protagonist and his enemies in order to display their alleged racial bias; instead I see an already established character placed in a new setting.

@Char

I personally found no problem with RE5, but my feelings on the topic did not hinge on the dismissal of the issue as a whole. RE5 was an opportunity to talk about race and video games, regardless of whether or not the charges were merited.

You give reasons why you don't think why either RE5 or MoH are issues deserving of merit beyond the usual "It's just a game, get over it." That is my only issue here.

Are these issues being blown out of proportion? Possibly. Tell me why you think they are. Tell me why you think they aren't. Give an opinion, and a reason for that opinion. Listen to others who both agree and disagree.

What's happening between us now is exactly what I want to see more in gaming. Discussion. And you know what? When we go back to whatever we're playing, they're still going to be fun.

And I'd like to reiterate I'm not attacking people who play games for fun. I play games for fun. I'm attacking people who are purposely obtuse when they talk about these kinds of issues in gaming, without giving any reason for their views. All that does is block discussion, and it makes us look all the worse for it.

That's just the thing Kowhoho, no one was searching for artistic meaning in Medal of Honor, rather it was controversy that people were after. This article talks about having an intellectual conversation about the game but the people who made a big deal out of it themselves are too ignorant to even begin having such a conversation. Besides, I am sure many of the asinine comments made by our fellow gamers came from 15 and 20 year olds. I don't know too many 15 year olds who will partake in intelligent conversation when their medium of entertainment is being attacked.

I try to stay out of the comments if things get rolling, but I do want to say that I appreciate both the positive and negative insights about the article. It's refreshing to hear such frank and honest feedback.

One thing I would like to stress though is that the industry is not only developers and publishers. The industry is the consumer as well. We, as consumers of the gaming industry, make up a vital role of the gaming experience. We should make the most of it.

Joseph, I am actually curious to know your stance on the controversy concerning RE5, when some people decided to label the game as racist because primarily black Africans were being killed. Were you also this understanding or did you think the controversy was without merit? Personally, this is exactly what happens when people are too sensitive and create drama where none ever truly existed. Medal of Honor is not some social commentary trying to disrespect American soldiers. It is just a game that allows you to play from two different perspectives--besides, it's only during the multi-player phase of the game. Just like in lots of other mutli-player games where you can choose to be the "bad guy". Please people, let's try not to overreact to everything we see.

Good article, and I agree. I fully appreciate games like Mass Effect, where story and art really shine, and I wish more did. But you must also understand that the gaming culture is relatively new compared to that of say, movies. For example, just 15 years ago, you didn't know which games were good and which were bad. There were no reviews on anything, you just had blind luck or went off of what your friends said. There were so many bad games, which is why you have people like the Angry Video Game Nerd, etc. who poke fun at what was given to us as children. The industry has grown so much since then, and the with the dollar amounts, companies profit margins, and more pressure, it has grown into something much bigger... rivaling Hollywood (and I believe surpassing it.) It is still new however, really within the last decade, and mostly with this new generation, that gaming has really exploded into the mainstream, and the call for quality games is louder than ever, as no gaming company wants bad reviews.

In a way, it is more strenuous for companies than the film business is, as they can keep crapping out garbage like all those american pie and scary movie sequels that cost nothing to make, and there are always enough dumb people around to see them because $10 for a night out with some friends SEEMS cheaper than $50 for a game you can enjoy for 100+ hours (obviously it isn't, but it SEEMS that way sometimes). Of course, even with a medium like film, people still don't get it. Why do those Twilight movies make so much money? They are terribly written, and have awful actors, yet they make hundreds of millions. Because dumb people are dumb people are dumb people. Or they just really don't care about the art form at all. Either way, you can't expect too much from people in general. And the gaming industry won't reach the film industry for another decade as far as its audience appreciating and learning more about the medium.

Just look at the reviews now, and how people say that games like Mass Effect are the start of something new. Well if this is just the start of producing games with good fun AND meaningful story, dialogue, choices, and thinking, then companies are going to need to pump out some more games like that before we can always except story and action over just action.

CharmedontheWB:

I agree with most everything that you said, but what do the sensationalist tactics of the media have to do with the search for artistic meaning in games by "sensitive" people?

That last comment was directed at nanarchy for the record.

And cAPSLOCK, it doesn't do you any favors to spit out the very phrase that caused this debate. And how can you say that the industry hasn't grown up? Look at games like Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, and Heavy Rain. Take, for example, masterminds such as Fumito Ueda and Hideo Kojima. Grow up? Come on.

I have no respect for any of this because this comes from overtly sensitive people that want to cause controversy for one reason or another. These same people seem to think war games are alright as long as it is not American lives being lost. It's ok to kill Nazis or anyone else, but when Americans are being killed, then all of a sudden it is a problem? War is war, people die. Why is it a big deal if I want to play as the Taliban? It's just a different perspective on the current war that is being waged in the MIddle East. It is nice to have an alternate way of seeings things, rather than the sensationalized drivel that the media wants to put out. People should probably stop making a big deal out of things that probably does not affect their life one bit.

I don't believe the term was being directed at those who choose not to delve deeper into their gaming experiences. It was my understanding that he was referring to those who do, but choose not to voice their opinion.

Video games really aren't the best medium for exploring important questions. Their strength lies in the player's ability to control their actions so until developers figure that out they'll never be anything more than third rate story tellers making different versions of the same excuse plot to drive gameplay.

Doesn't help the industry is largely blockbuster fixated manchildren.

Sorry but until the industry grows up: It's just a game.

wuth, there is nothing wrong with digging deeper and getting more meaning out of games, or even discussing them to the nth degree. MY issue is with the authors view labeling anyone not interested in such an undertaking is an intellectual coward, to me that basically shows the cowardise he is intending to protest against, he refuses to believe that people can just enjoy games for pure entertainments sake. Whether they are missing out on something by doing so is irrelevent, it doesn't make them an intellectual coward, however his elitist view certainly qualifies him as such.

I've gotta say, I wasn't expecting an article like this to come along. I have the greatest respect for you to have written the things you did, and I agree wholeheartedly. Games have made me who I am today and it is highly insulting to hear people babble on about how I shouldn't think about it so much, that I should just enjoy it. Shouldn't think about it? What the hell?! Why shouldn't I draw from the information that is gleaned from the media sources in my life? What right does anyone have to say that it's "wierd" that I stock so much faith in the stories I partake in?

Movies and games are not always meant solely to entertain, that is people's first mistake. Look at movies like Tekkonkinkreet (or to a lesser extent, Inception). These films are created to make you think, and the action is added to keep the attention those who aren't interested in learning anything.

I just don't understand why anyone would just want to lay back and go on living without trying to understand the world around them, and the human condition which is oftentimes portrayed to perfection in books/movies/games/music, although sometimes in bits and pieces. I don't understand it, but I can live with it. Without condoning or condemning, I understand. What irks me is when people tell me that I'm wrong for trying to discover these things, that I'm in error for my need for greater depth in my experiences.

What would Metal Gear Solid be without the interactions between its characters and the realism of their emotional crises? Not anywhere near the legendary tier it stands upon.

If you look at the vixens of the videogame industry and tell me straight-faced that they shouldn't cause any sexual stimulation, you're purely full of it. Sexuality is whatever you personally believe it to be. People had the hots for Tifa back when 3d character models where just a few blocky polygons thrown together. The connection one has with a fictional character has little to do with the "real world." (These characters are actually a part of your reality, whether you like it or not.) You don't condemn people with foot fetishes because they get turned on by a few toes, so why do you find it necessary to label those of us who take games and their characters seriously as "strange" or "weird" or denounce them as fools? I'll tell you why. You've got no credible reasons for it, so like any desperate debater you resort to name calling so you can belittle your opponent and place yourself on a higher tier, so you can still say that you were right all along.

Nobody respects critical theory any longer. This post will fall upon deaf ears. As someone who has tried to preach this message before, I can tell you that your cries will fall unto deaf ears.

To Mr. Khan- Perhaps you've never heard of the "Death of the Artist" in literary theory? New theory emphasizes the personal, subjective experience over that of the artist. Artist's all have intents, whether or not they are successful is up for discussion.

To Phendura- Film as a whole has benefited greatly from literary theory and criticism. To say that theory discussions and criticism are elitist and useless is just ignorant. If you don't understand it, then you might try actually learning about it rather than badmouthing something you've never cared to investigate.

Nanarchy- Well, if you waste several hours every week playing and reading about video games and don't attempt to draw something of value from them, then I think it is you who has the problem. It's fine if someone wants to simply play games for fun and escapism, but I believe they are missing out on a very rewarding part of their experience. It's just like real life, sometimes it's good to look back and reflect on past experiences and take what you can from them. Sometimes simply remembering the good times is enough, but sometimes we can dig deeper and learn from our past.

And even if everyone in the world disagrees with what this author said, why does it even matter if he or anyone else wants to talk about games as artistic texts? If you don't want to participate in the discussion, then butt out.

I am very much a supporter of artists' intent, because anything beyond that devolves into mere speculation and psychobabble, so it *is* just a game, if the artist intended it that way. If social commentary were intended, then go ahead

Like if we try to discuss why Mario tears down flags with the peace sign, which is purposeless, or about how Sam Fisher highlights the peculiarities of right and wrong in ethics, then we might have something.

I respectfully disagree with your opinion.

It's clearly the opinion of a writer. There's nothing wrong with that opinion, and English classes demand that things be analyzed, that students looks closer, that writers attempt to see into a work. You're somebody who has to write for a living, and critical analysis is a critical part of writing.

You're heading in the wrong direction, however, when you say that everybody should have to analyze works as you do. There ARE people who play video games and try to analyze the content, explore the themes, understand the underlying subtext, share their findings and debate a games intricacies. Your goal should be to find them, and bring them to the forefront. Instead, you've chosen an impossible battle. You instead think that you should turn everybody into a literary critic.

It's not going to happen.

To some people, video games really are entertainment, and to some books, a story is just a story, and a film is just a film. They'd rather leave analysis up to the intellectuals, and get angry at jerks like you and their High School English teacher who force them to look for deeper meanings.

So, write critical analysis, understand the criticism, discuss to your hearts content. You're a writer, and you enjoy it. Eventually, maybe you'll find one of the many, many dedicated people who will happily discuss with you, enjoy hearing your opinions, and be willing to discuss controversy in games. YOU can be the gamer who discusses this.

But don't think that everybody should be a scholar. You'll just make the fools angry.

Wow, wonderful article. I will admit, I am one that said it is "just a game", but I didn't really mean it to be that its essentially nothing. I meant that people act as if real life situations shouldn't occur in games because they will make people depressed in games. Video games are a marvelous art that take years upon years upon years to perfect, if that is even possible. Despite some people still believing a game in the past may have been the perfect game, there are always new games coming out that break new boundaries. Games that are becoming more and more realistic (To some degree, I know war is not like war games at all), and it takes an art to make this. It takes an art to make a game with a wonderful storyline. Even though I am one that said it "is just a game", I meant that in the way that people take games as if they are real life. While they may mean a lot, they aren't real life, but are rather an art.

I know that you are talking about the Medal of Honor controversy specifically, but I am not sure where you are going. You were vague in just what point you were trying to make. I assume your "It's just a game" statement is not meant to include all games, but just those that are questionable. Much in the way an insulting joke is often defended by the statement, "It's just a joke." IF this is where you are coming from, I am in agreement with you. Any media that makes a questionable statement should never be justified with the statement, "It's just a _____". I believe that sometimes we go to far in what is said in all sorts of entertainment and it must be opening and honestly discussed to decide how we feel about it. There will never be 100% agreement from everyone on all subjects, but is important that we examine how and why we form our opinions by listening to other thoughtful arguments. In most cases, a game is just a game, in the same way that movie is just a movie, or a book is just a book. But there are always special cases that merit our serious attention and should not be easily dismissed.

I agree 100%. I made my opinion about MOH clear as a comment when the article about it's controversy first appeared on this website. I don't like the idea of playing as a terrorist killing American soldiers. Unfortunately many of people that disagree with that view laughed it all of as just a game for fun. Well you can't argue that games are art and then turn around and say they have no impact.

Sure a game needs bad guys and someone needs to play the robber in a game of cops and robbers, but I don't play games to pretend to be a murderer I play games to be the hero. The real heroes, the servicemen interviewed in response to the controversy in a followup article, had the courage to give their honest opinion, yet most gamers and game makers deflate important issues regarding video games by saying "it's just a game".

If you think killing hookers in GTA3 is hilarious, fine, but don't act like someone who thinks it's disgusting is some kind of prude who doesn't get that "it's just a game". We all know games aren't real. Movies and books aren't real either. But they all have context and meaning. Some of us don't like books and movies that make the murderer into a protagonist and the same goes for games. Yeah I know, it's just a book, it's just a movies, and it's just a game. They are all just entertainment. So what?

Some of us question the social and cultural value of all things in life. That's what a mature adult is supposed to do when present with controversy.

Also a question, if I were to create a movie that encourages racial hatred, lets just say I create a movie called "Black People And Why We Should Kill Them All", is it ok to say "it's just a movie lol!!"? What if I created a game about the same topic?

To all the qq'ers, you are completely missing the point. The article is not saying that you aren't allowed to have the opinion that "games are just games". He is specifically referring to the attitude that the authors opinion is invalid because people specifically responded to the article with "it's just a game".

It's close minded to assume that everyone must think the same as you, and yes I agree with the author it is intellectual cowardice. And it's not that you are too much of a coward to have a thought yourself but rather that you feel threatened when someone else puts an intellectual opinion forward. If you simply "must" comment what's wrong with a simple "I don't agree"? Why must you denigrate someone elses opinion, whether it be directly or indirectly, as being an invalid position.

This is the elitist's attitude. I can't wait until game snobs can join the ranks of movie snobs and art snobs...

A majority of games are made for entertainment. When an intellectually stimulating game is released it's always discussed by the people who care to discuss it. Not every game is going to create intellectual discussion and not everyone is going to care if it does. I fail to see what the problem is unless you want every person who plays games to enjoy them for the same reasons you enjoy them.

Just look at it like movies. You're going to have more people who just want to relax and watch a movie than people who want to discuss the meaning behind, oh, let's say David Lynch's work. Does it discredit the medium artistically? No. Does it mean most movie-goers are intellectually stunted morons? Most certainly not. There's room in the industry for both types.

BRAVO! BRAVO! NAILED IT!

People say the exact same thing about books and film and it in no way undermines the power of those media as art. If anything doesn't, you raising the issue suggest some insecurity with the industry?

Your the exact sort of irrational human I despise, always wanting to read some hidden meaning into everything we do. Games are called games for a reason, their primary purpose is entertainment and their value should be measured as such, people that want to read too much into a particular game quite frankly need a serious reality check. If your so intellectually stunted that you can't seperate gaming from the need to discuss world events then you have a problem. If you can't understand how people can like games for their intended purpose, and limit it at that, then it is probably time you quit playing them and certainly time you quit writing about them.

I simply don't care, and everyone I know in real life doesn't care. And the 90% of gamers that this is directed to do not care either. Wanna know why? It's just a game, and games are mostly played by people who just wanna have fun.

Stop trying to ruin videogames. Videogames are meant to be fun like exciting tests of hand-eye coordination for example and lots of eye candy helps too. Marxist brainwashing and pretentious bullshit should be kept OUT of videogames. If you want videogames or videogamers to "change" then maybe you don't really like videogames or videogamers, maybe staring at Tracy Emin's unmade bed would be more to your liking. At the end of the day all games are "just games", some are great games but still "just games" and there's nothing wrong with that. It's you who is insulting videogames by implying that just being a game is something to look down on and that it's worthless unless it has blatent non-game related aspects of it that can be endlessly discussed by pretentious assholes.

It sounds like the author is embarrassed about gaming so he has to feel better by attaching unnecessary importance.
It's fun and it is a hobby it will never cause world peace to break out or feed starving people

@dunno001 You make a good point but:

1. The media over sensationalizes anything and everything so they get more viewers.

2. Every time a new GTA comes out the media outlets make a huge deal out of it and nothing ever really happens, at least in the US. Look what happened to Jack Thompson.

3. Your asking people to be more serious about gaming when they don't want to be. Most gamers just want to have fun playing games, not be bogged down trying to change the perception of gamers.

I agree with your view to an extent but it seems your asking people to take a hobby too seriously which takes some of the fun out of gaming.

RE: It's just a game.

Very interesting article.
Last couple of days I´ve been playing COD: MW 2 and Mass Effect and, though pretty evident in the first one, a little less in the second one, is very interesting to read the tensions and view that americans have about themselves and politics in general through them. Mass Effect in particular made me think about the UN and how humanity was fighting for a place to make relevant decisions: Turians are for me the USA in that game for me. Humans could be any 3rd world country, as a "newcomer" that cannot vote in the United Nations Security Council.

@Joseph Jackmovich

I understand what you're saying but don't know if this way will reach those that you're trying to. I too have spent much time trying to force gamers to see the hypocrisy of "it's just a game", but most of them refuse to face the implications of what that means, for better or for worse.

Admittingly, I saw the subject, and worried about where this would go. But after reading it, I'm not worried; it makes a good point.

To those who shrug this off as "a game", think of this- what he says about the media and its impression of gamers is true. They do see us as a bunch of immature brats living in mommy's basement. And yes, some have linked this to other deviant behaviors. What happens every time there's a major incident? If the person liked video games, it becomes the target of the cause. If the best case we can make is, "It's just a game", then what does that say about us?

So, in a few years, we have another problem; the culprit was found to have played (and thus, was inspired, according to the media) by the latest CoD and GTA games. This time, the media gets traction to pass more gaming restrictions on what can happen in games. Why should we care about these new restrictions? They're just games, after all.

Folks, by being so apathetic toward the medium, we're giving them the ammo to restrict what kinds of games can be made later. I personally wouldn't miss games like the prior mentioned ones if they were banned, but I can see the shitstorm that would ensue. You'll care then, seeing more than the gaming angle, but now it's too late.

its just a game.

I have intellectual conversations all the time about politics, world events, chemistry, the concept of time(had a 2 hour conversations with some friends yesterday about time), etc...
When we start talking about games, the conversation end with "why aren't we playing games right now?" Gaming is a hobby and most people play games to have fun. When me and my friends talk about games, it's about what was the best part of a game and what exciting stuff is coming in the future. Just because I don't get overly serious about a video game doesn't mean I can't have a intellectual discussion. I love talking about the future and what our current actions are going to cause in the future, but I play games for fun. Gaming is an escape from reality, meant for entertainment.

@haxxiy Madness? THIS IS VGCHARTZ!

whats your point again,i'm not sure i understand,let me know,

good luck with your ideals in the real world of work and remember

"he's just a boss",when you're taking it in the A-hole

Not all games are worthy of high intellectual discussions. Not all games have a story with other meanings. Not all games are full of symbolism. Most games are just games. Not all books need high minded discussions. Not all movies. Yet those pretty much all have plots and characters. How many games don't even have a character you play? Quite a few. So when those few come out that do. People mist still have the attitude of I just want to play it. Games are games first and other things second.

Like Freud would say, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. And a game, well... it's just a game, as the name implies. What the hell you would expect people to do? To start wondering about why they play Mario Kart and how deep and meaningful it actually is?

You sir have played far too many videogames, congratulations

1-Its just a game
2-Chill out
3-I dont know wtf drove you into this madness but.. discussing about videogames is not going to make them better, buying good videogames will
4-You are overreacintg
5-Its just a game

Its just a game

Hobby

-is an activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure or relaxation, typically done during one's leisure time.

Serious :

-Requiring much thought or work
-of or relating to a matter of importance
-not joking or trifling

I am sick and tired of the strawman logic of "it's just a game" or "it's just a movie"; those are pathetic, gutless cop-out arguments whenever someone gives criticism to a narrative or message a title is trying to convey. It is NOT just a friggin' game; if gaming is to grow past the stereotype of 20-somethings trading insults online then maybe we should take this hobby a bit more seriously instead of it being a way for us to kill time in our daily lives. We need to be better than that.

It's just a game

It's just like a douche with some kind of literary degree to force his "intellect" on the idiots who just don't "understand". It's strange how so many lose there common sense as they learn bigger words.

I don't know one person who gives a rats rear about the story of an FPS, yet journalists and reviewers are constantly arguing about story and how close to "real events" and "realistic warfare" the games are. Who even plays the campaign again after getting 100%? No-one that I know. The are enjoying the FUN part of the game: online multi-player.

If anything, games are losing what makes them what they are: the gameplay. Sure a story and character background are a cool add-on, but not at the expense of the way you play the game. Games were just fine before the snooty journalists and book-heads started whining for more content and putting red pens to lines of text.

Yes, it is just a game. Quit trying to make a reality out of them so your other snobby friends will except them as art. They are games on video. I couldn't care less if anyone takes them "seriously". You are part of the problem, please get out of the way.

Also, since we're intellectual cowards, I'll just leave this here :

Is it your graduate studies that made you into the pseudo-intellectual rambling man that you are?

Nobody says "It's just a game" with the intention of discrediting the media itself. It's just a false assumption of yours.

most people think by saying it's just a game takes it away from the negatives, but what happens is that gamming is left with no redeeming qualities.

yeah it's just a game... I love it and I support the industry as much as I can, but just like a movie is just a movie a game is just a game... if it's not a game then it's something else... it can be a game and an educational tool, but then that would make it not just a game that would make it a game that teaches and thus fall into the realm of edumetainment

It's just a game.

So you write for a gaming website and decided to insult your target audience? I agree with your points but you could have made them in a different way.

Wow, chill out. It's just a game.

It is just a game.

I love video games but it's not a lack of balls that keeps me from sticking up like you say we should, I just genuinely don't care. I'm not really a hardcore gamer.

I don't understand your point at all with the phrase. I've heard and said "It's just a movie!" countless times in my life. It's just a movie, it's not real life and shouldn't be taken as such. "It's just TV," or "It's just a book!"

We use them for all entertainment forms and I find these phrases accurate. They are "Just a (---)" and do not reflect reality nor should they directly influence one's actions as such. It's all dramatized, fantasized, and romanticized views of existence in all forms of entertainment.

I go to the real world for important issues. I game to have fun and relax.
You are assigning way to much importance to video games as an important media.

Reminds me when situation comedies wanted to get serious they added:
Don't miss this important episode of "Punky Brewster"

Well of course it's not Just a game...I can tell you whom never to tell that phrase to...Blizzard game players...Just stay away from that phrase, lol