Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Moden view of video games



A couple months ago, there was a case of bickering between the so called "Kong Boys" and "Kong Girls". The whole issue has sort of died down now. The boys and girls have expressed their opinions and they have come up with their desired stereotypes. In essence, they have vented their anger towards those members of the opposite sex who embody the worst stereotypical "Kong" traits.

Personally, I agree with some of the accusations, disagree with others, and simply have to dismiss a majority of them because of the absurdity. What sort of annoyed me was how video games is always used as the number one sin that the "Kong Boys" commit. I agree that when people over-indulge or become addicted to video games, it is most definitely a bad thing. Yet, how is being addicted to video games any different from being addicted to television? Isn't staying up all night watching Lost or Gossip Girl the same as staying up all night to play World of Warcraft? Why are games given that extra evil stigma?

Toys

The unfortunate truth is, that video games are still considered to be toys (for kids) by most people. So video games = for kids, and TV shows = for adults. Would you rather spend a couple hours playing Guitar Hero rather than vegging out on the couch? Most of the stuff on TV is pretty immature and unproductive. With games becoming more advanced, challenging, and aesthetically pleasing, people should see that value in games is growing.

Everything in moderation

Every form of entertainment is healthy until you make it unhealthy. Addicted to WOW? That's bad. Addicted to infomercials? That's bad too! Yet, watching TV all night seems like a more "mature" thing to do. Gambling is healthy until you lose your kid's college tuition at the Venetian. The same goes for eating, shopping, working, dieting, and even exercise. It bothers me that video games are immediately vilified as something immature, when they are probably much more complex and rewarding than something like The Amazing Race season 13.

Video games aren't evil, and the people who play them are not losers. If you abuse games, then it's a whole other story.

As for the video... The discussion could have been interesting if the attention whorish, egotistical host, Cheng (鄭大班) didn't open his mouth every 30 seconds to interupt his guests. Cheng has obviously already made up his mind about video games and other forms of modern entertainment. I don't see the point of trying to explain it to him.

2 comments:

Josekin said...

Oh come on, you have to stay up all night for Lost...! (No comment on Gossip Girl)

knockoutgirl said...

lol just realized that's Erica