Nielsen states in this chapter that videogames are perceived as pop-culture and purely entertainment. While it is true that videogames do have an entertainment aspect, they can also be artistic and forms of expression. People tend to deny commercialized entertainment the same value as other non-vital tasks, like reading and gardening. But how are they any different? They all are tasks that we do only because we choose to, and how can anyone tell another person that the choice they make is worse than a choice of someone else?
This may be because videogames are often pointed to as "low-culture." This happens because they are easily accessible, not too hard to understand, and influenced by corporations. Does high culture just imply that the standard person would not really enjoy it? How is that definition acceptable? It creates an elitist attitude that can not be helpful to society at large, but everyone seems to understand this distinction and respect "high-culture." If videogames are fun, what is wrong with them?
The last perception of games I wish to discuss is that they are excessively violent and potentially damaging. As we read in Chapter 10, this is still the topic of much debate with only weak evidence connecting any bad effects with the playing of videogames. Nonetheless, videogames are often subject to slanderous allegations of causing things that could not have been caused by games.
Discussion Question: Why do you think videogames are still a target of bad perception even after being around for over forty years?
In 40 years, I think the bad perception will have most likely ended. I say this because Nielsen gave the example of Gone with the Wind and Pulp Fiction. If that 1939 crowd had seen Pulp Fiction, they would have been horrified by the amount of violence in the movie. Nowadays, movies like that are run-of-the-mill. No one really throws a fit about violence in movies, and movies today can be extremely violent. Video games are still relatively young when compared to other forms of media. After some time, the bad perception will wear off.
ReplyDelete