More Useful Gaming

Here are two instances of video games helping people in real and dangerous situations. This first one is a post from GotGame about a child who survives a moose attack and the second is a man who saves a a crash victim's life. These are both "violent" games that have ended up helping people rather than hurting them.

12-year-old Hans Olsen saved himself and his sister from a charging moose using World of Warcraft hunter moves. More here at GotGame.com

That same month Paxton Galvanek saved two men at a car crash scene using medical training he received from the FPS America's Army. He had no prior medical training or knowledge and treated a serious wound to the driver. More here at Gamervision.com

I love the World of War-Crack?

So the semester is over, and for the first time in eight months, I am bored out of my freaking mind. All my friends have jobs or summer school, and I'm left in the lurch with no nine to five. It is this series of unfortunate circumstances that has driven me back to the ruiner of social lives... the World of Warcraft. I've been two years clean with no relapses (well maybe one, but if its not more than 8 hours it doesn't count right?). Once I was a strapping young gnome warrior with a devil may care attitude and a haircut to match, but the game took over my freshman year of college, I decided it was time to quit. It took my hard drive getting destroying to quit cold turkey, but in the end, it was worth it. A beautiful woman took pity on me and took me under her wing, and I got drunker than I ever wanted too.

But this brings me to my point. As I re-installed WoW, I was reminded of an article I read a few months ago about Internet Addiction in the New York Times (picture left). More specifically, it was about a South Korean internet addiction rehab camp for youngsters. As the internet becomes more inextricably tied to our lives, the potential for abuse and addiction has grown at an incredible pace. The junkies of cyberspace didn't even exist fifty years ago, and now there a kids who log eight, ten, twenty hours a day and ODing (very isolated cases but ODing none the less).

Internet addiction has become a serious concern that has gained attention from the American Medical Association, networks and news outlets like CBS (click link for a quick vid), and by individual doctors like Dr. Kimberly Young who heads the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery campaigning for treatment and rehabilitation. The withdrawal symptoms are similar to those of alcohol and other drugs and can lead to unhealthy lifestyles.

I only hope that as I delve ever deeper into the world of WoW that I don't lose hold of my discipline and social life. As always, moderation is the key to maintaining balance, a mixture of good judgment and self-discipline.

Interactive Media: How Far Can We Go

Ugh, finals are done. I've finished packing and moving out. Past the grueling ordeals of the airport and its prodigious delays. Its game time... video-game time.

I think in light of the recent boom in the video-game industry, the term "interactive media" has gained a new significance. It describes mediums of entertainment that engage users on more than just a aesthetic or vicarious level. Lately, I've been thinking about the applications of "interactive media" and how they can effect the future of the gaming world.

Recently, I finished the Call of Duty 4 single player campaign ( I know, I know... but better late than never, eh?). To be transparent as a pizza grease napkin, I was fucking blown away by the cinematic value and the depth of the story. Though it was a bit short, the campaign drew me in and engaged me on a level that had never really clicked with me before. Even my room-mates were stunned watching while I played. They wanted to know how it ended. Thats how engaged they were in it. This brings me to my point, a new genre of video games that emphasize story and cinematic value first. A wave of movie-games... a new "interactive media."

Think about the possibilities. Some game developers have already started releasing games with an episodic type format with each adventure its own independent and self-contained story, yet still flowing with the greater vision of the game. Telltale Games has done this with their cult-classic psychotic (naked?) bunny and noir canine Sam and Max with a gushing response. Movie or tv-show type games with an emphasis on interactivity could be the next step. Movie/Games bought on-demand to be expierienced and watched by an audience, not just to be
played alone... in your room... with half empty Mountain Dews littering your desk.

There are some flaws with my new vision for the future. To mention, development time, costs of a full professional screen-writer staff, continuity issues for different outcomes in say a television series format, and target audiences, but hey, wouldn't you want to play the chase scenes in the Bourne Ultimatum?