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by Paulie Walnuts
If I had known as a five year old that I’d still be a video game nerd a quarter-century later, I might have thought twice before begging for that Nintendo. Who could’ve possibly known in 1985 that the release of a semi-psychedelic video game featuring superhero plumbers, princesses, dragons, talking toadstools, and flying turtles would mark the beginning of what might turn out to be a permanent social fad?
And here we are. It’s nearly 2012 and technology runs the world. It’s hard to imagine any adult without a cellular phone, a television, or a computer. In fact, as America is perhaps on the verge of overcoming a lengthy economic recession, computer technology may be the key to propelling us forward into a new economic boom. But the tools for economic transition aren’t limited to those things we consider essential, like cars, computers, or cell phones. We live in an age when even our recreational preferences are rooted in technology. It seems like every other movie is a 3D action film. We have DVD players and Blu-Ray players. Picture quality is so clear that looking at our television screens is like looking through a window. Our cell phones can predict the weather.
But perhaps the most striking evidence of this is the sheer eruption of video game technology. Sixteen days after its November 8 release, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 broke James Cameron’s Avatar’s sales record, becoming the fastest entertainment title to reach the billion-dollar mark. I am one of the millions of lemmings who pre-ordered the game, which costs around $60.00 for most platforms.
But I can’t help but worry about the amount of time I spend playing.
With the advancement of entertainment platforms like Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, we are no longer limited by our video game consoles. We are given free reign to surf the internet with our video game controllers. We can play games with and against millions of other players online. We can watch movies and listen to music, all from the default home screen on our consoles. This, while fascinating and alluring, is both a good and bad thing for America.
Clearly, entertainment technology like this is beneficial to our economy. Throughout history, our culture has clung to one particular thing for a particular length of time to improve the economy. Technology has always been that very thing, in one form or another, whether it be the automobile in the early 20th century or the computer in the past couple of decades. Now, it appears that our video game industry is next in line as millions of consumers are spending billions of dollars on consoles and titles.
On the other hand, however, the American youth is wasting more and more time in front of television and computer screens. Video games, social media websites, and the explosion of texting are contributing to our country’s illiteracy. We communicate with one another in abbreviations: “ur,” “lol,” “brb,” and so on. We watch television instead of reading. We listen to drivel on our radios. Instead of learning, we focus our brains on unproductive things, like posting online messages instead of placing phone calls, or playing video games instead of studying. We no longer enjoy thinking. We are lazy.
But how do we overcome this problem? Well, unfortunately, this question has no definitive answer. I can only begin to scratch the surface with this short blog. But perhaps the answer lies in how far our entertainment consoles can advance. Perhaps corporations like Microsoft need to invest more research into building programs, systems, and consoles designed specifically to improve on our country’s issue of productivity. We clearly need technological advancements in order to build a solid economic future for America. But entertainment technology is hindering our youth from becoming the educated, motivated, forward-thinking individuals we need them to be. It’s a catch-22, and a potentially damaging one, as we are spending billions of dollars on things that prevent us from reaching our full potential.
-Paulie Walnuts
Categories: Paulie Walnuts, video games
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2 Comments
I don't know, man. Consider that scientists hired gamers to map out DNA sequences in order to unlock more secrets about the HIV virus (and however many more we don't know about; American media Blackout, anyone?). I'd say that the only people giving gamers a bad name are the 13 year olds playing Call of Duty. What sheep.
In addition, video games used to be able to create the ability to problem solve. Back in the days of Mario and Zelda for NES, there was nothing around to point you in the right direction. For those who didn't have access to Nintendo Power, you had to find things out for yourselves. I'd argue that the kids aren't failing us entirely, it's the developers making games that save for you every 30 seconds and tell you how to play the game with no room for self-discovery.
tl;dr, you're right about corporations needing to step it up, but there's blame all around.
In addition, video games used to be able to create the ability to problem solve. Back in the days of Mario and Zelda for NES, there was nothing around to point you in the right direction. For those who didn't have access to Nintendo Power, you had to find things out for yourselves. I'd argue that the kids aren't failing us entirely, it's the developers making games that save for you every 30 seconds and tell you how to play the game with no room for self-discovery.
tl;dr, you're right about corporations needing to step it up, but there's blame all around.
I'm not sure if anyone is truly to blame. We're a society of consumers. There's nothing wrong with owning an Xbox and playing a video game, or watching a DVD. But we procrastinate too much. We put our responsibilities aside and intentionally make time to play instead of work. It should be the other way around. People are wasting away. No one even knows anything about American literature anymore because no one knows how to read. I could go on and on.
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