Merry Christmas. War Is Over.

Or more specifically the Cold War is over. 

What is referred to as the Cold War today was actually a period of time from 1945 to 1991 that encompassed much of the world’s major political events including but not limited to several “hot wars” in Korea, Vietnam and Afghanistan. If that last sentence sounded too textbook-y, then this next one won’t. In the simplest terms possible the Cold War was nearly 50 years in which the world was under threat of nuclear war between the United States of American and the Soviet Union because they wanted to see who had a bigger penis.  (By penis I mean nuclear stock pile) 

Both countries were vying for power hoping to be the predominant world super power. The launch of Sputnik, the moon landing, three wars, the Iranian Hostage Crisis, the Chernobyl disaster  and the Cuban Missile Crisis were all part of the over arcing struggle between the two countries. The development of modern day political allies and other relations can be attributed directly to both the NATO Treaty and the Warsaw Pact. In short all of what is taken for granted today has roots directly in the Cold War. That stands true for today’s videogames.  Nearly all modern war games, whether they be RTS or FPS, place Russians as enemies. But the thing all those games (and the people who develop and publish them) seem to forget is that the Cold War is over. Has been for over 2 decades.   

Then why are Russians always the enemy?

To be perfectly frank this gaming trope bothers the hell out of me. I was born in 1995, after the Cold War had already ended. During my formative years there was no major American adversary. No threat from an opposing country. America was just another country in the relatively peaceful world. Of course that didn’t last very long. One of my earliest memories is of 9/11. I was in kindergarten. I did not really comprehend what was going on then but I do recall clearly that the people responsible for it were not from one specific country. War was declared on a group and an idea they held. America still had no opposing countries. 

So maybe my view of the world is different than someone who spent their formative years in the Cold War. Those people who learned to fear and hate the Russians. And at the time they had good reason to. The ever looming threat of nuclear war had scared their parents and most likely their grandparents as well. Russian antagonism was just another part of normal American life. And then the Cold War ends when these children are already grown. The mindset has already been planted and that underlying fear cannot be erased.  

Now I am in no way saying that the elder generation is racist against all Russians. Quite the contrary. People themselves have the ability to change. Society as a whole does was well, but it often lacks any sense of urgency in that change. Why else did it take nearly a hundred years from the 13^th Amendment to the Civil Rights movement? Russia is still a societal touch stone of antagonism.  An acceptable enemy in a world where the lines between enemy and ally draw ever blurrier. 

Or to make this even clearer: It has been 21 years since the Cold War ended. The average age of a game designer is 31 according to the International Game Developers Association. That is ten years of societal fear ground into the creativity behind some of today’s biggest selling franchisees.   

And there is no franchise that sells more than Call of Duty. In its ten year history there have been nine games released in the main franchise. Two thirds of those games (or six of the nine) involve fighting and killing Russians. The Modern Warfare series has them as the main antagonists and the Black Ops series has them as predominant enemies in the first game. Black Ops II which has been marketed to take place in the future and promises a compelling new antagonist in Raul Menendez cannot help but to place some of its levels as flash backs to the 1980s in the Afghanistan conflict. Who were the enemies then and there? That’s right; Russians. 

I, personally, am strongly opposed to this type of preconceived notion that all Russians are the enemy. It unjustly stereotypes 141,930,000 people (the current population of the Russian Federation) as vile murderous war-mongers. Thousands of American gamers view Russians through their gun sights every day. It leaves a negative impact of an entire nation of people in the minds of gamers today: Gamers that were not born during the Cold War. Yet through the proliferation of war videogames where Russians are the enemy, the same societal fear from the Cold War lives on. And that is, by any definition, wrong.

But then what can be done to fix it?

My suggestion is to simply have other groups or nations as the enemies.  Although they take a lot of criticism for being trite and predictable, sci-fi shooters present a good alternative to killing Russians; killing aliens. In a sci-fi shooter like Halo or Killzone, the enemies are completely fictitious. That gives the games writers a chance to create new and interesting antagonists. Ones that are compelling and truly evil. Without the safety net of supposed Russian evilness, writers must actually come up with interesting villains. They cannot use the crutch of “He’s Russian so he must be the enemy” when designing their game. 

Or the game has to be a gritty realistic shooter taking place in today’s volatile political climate use another nation. Homefront, for all its flaws, had an interesting premise and enemy in the North Koreans. It presented a frighteningly possible futuristic situation in which North Korea had launched a nuclear attack on America followed by a full scale invasion. By not falling back upon the ingrained fear of Russians, Homefront presented an enemy that was not only possible but truly scary.

Finally if the game must have enemies that have Eastern European accents and a predisposition for saying the word “comrade” then make them from Belarus, not Russia. As the world stands today the Russian Federation is only a threat to the United States economically. Belarus on the other hand is formerly Soviet Republic that upon getting its freedom has been working ever steadily to go back. The government of Belarus is a “republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship”. That quote is directly from the CIA World FactBook.  Under the harsh rule of Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus has committed human rights violations and been called “the last true remaining dictatorship in the heart of Europe”. If that is not basis for a modern war game, I don’t know what is. 

Russians have been inappropriately labeled the enemies for far too long now. It is time that that stopped. There are enough current other viable threats to America that can be used in the next Call of Duty. But please leave the Russians alone, the Cold War is over.

Borderlands is my Antitheses

Story and narrative are the two biggest draws of any game for me. If the characters are well developed and the dialogue is good, I can overlook gameplay inconsistencies. It is for that reason that both Heavy Rain and Fallout: New Vegas have worked their way into my good graces. Even though Heavy Rain controls worse than a drunk playing Simon Says, it weaves a compelling and emotional story that is well worth playing. New Vegas, on the other hand, is a glitched out mess. Insta-deaths, characters without skin and some of the worst check points I have ever seen fall by the wayside because the world is so well realized. Dialogue is engaging and I wanted to keep playing just to see where I would go next. No matter the flaws of the gameplay or design a good story can save the game for me. 

Then why do I like Borderlands? 

Don’t get me wrong, both Borderlands and its sequel are extremely good games. Combined I have spent about 100 hours roaming Pandora. Not too impressive a number to the hardest of hardcore Borderlands players, but it is highly significant when you consider the fact that none of the other games I own have even reached that number of hours played. And yet when Borderlands is brought up in conversation, the only time the story is mentioned is to say how bad it was. The narrative plotting of the first Borderlands goes something like this:

• ·         Get off the bus.
• ·         Kill bandits and take their stuff.
• ·         Do tasks that make you better at killing bandits.
• ·         Kill more bandits.
• ·         Oh yeah, this Vault thingy exists.
• ·         Kill more bandits.
• ·         Wait? …. You want to know more about this Vault thing?
• ·         Why can’t you be content with killing bandits?
• ·         Kill more bandits.
• ·         Ok fine … Have your stupid little Vault. But wait there is no loot in the Vault. Only tentacles and unfulfilled dreams!
• ·         Ha! Next time you should just kill more bandits.

Let us be kind and say that the first Borderlands is not have a grade A story. Nor did it have good dialogue. All the dialogue was attempting to be humorous and sometimes it succeed, but others if failed horribly. When you weren’t either getting or turning in a mission, the npcs spouted the same 5 or 6 recycled lines. By any of my aforementioned standards Borderlands would be a terrible game, but it is not. The saving grace of Borderlands is the gameplay itself. 

In many ways Borderlands is like Tetris. Tetris is the perfection of gameplay. No story, narrative or dialogue, just pure unadulterated gameplay. And it is in many ways perfect. The gameplay of Tetris is superb and stands alone. (The argument can be made that Tetris is a commentary on Soviet life, but that is for later). Although it defies my own standards I love Tetris. 

Borderlands aligns with Tetris on the gameplay trumping story side of tastes. Gunplay is slick and responsive. Randomly generated loot is addicting and the entire experience is just rewarding. The story fades out into the background as you focus on killing more bandits. Borderlands is just about having fun. A world is created and populated with enemies so you can be given several gazillion guns and go crazy. What about that doesn’t sound fun? Borderlands and its sequel are gameplay experiences over story. 

And I know this makes me a huge hypocrite, but I love Borderlands. Crap story and all.

Sharing is Caring

As the credits closed out Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception, I turn to my mother and ask: “Well, what did you think?”

“It was good and I enjoyed it.”

“But what did you think of the awesome action sequences?” 

“They were action sequences.”

“You talk about if as if it were a movie.”

“To me, it was.”

Its part of a routine we have, if I ever pick up a videogame of interest to her we will sit together and she will watch me play. We did that for the entire Uncharted series. I would play and she would watch. My mom would help out on the puzzles and even provide the annoying: “Look, he’s over there. Go get him!” While the rest of my immediate family scoffed at us, we were having a good time. 

That was the point to sharing my otherwise solo passion. I wanted her to understand just what a good videogame is and what it can mean. Although my parents have always been well informed and not ones to believe the continuous amounts of hate propaganda spewed against videogames, there have been times when we do not see eye to eye. They become angry and upset at my ‘until I find a save point’ response to questions. Mostly this stems from the difference in opinions and the understanding of videogames between me and my parents. They see videogames as a hobby or cheep entertainment, I see them as my passion. So when my mother and I sit there together, it is my way of sharing and of finding an understanding between us.  She cares for Drake, Sully, and Elena as much as I do, which is why I could not believe it when she said Uncharted 3 was like a movie. 

The comparison between videogames and cinema is a very common one. And one that has, time and again, been proven inaccurate. Film is a passive industry. You sit and you watch, having a story told to you. Most of us will never meet a movie star or take any part in the production of a blockbuster. But everyone has the ability to save the galaxy, rescue the helpless and find the treasure.  Videogames are an interactive medium. That is their appeal, that is their market and that is why they are my passion.  You become an integral part of the experience.  

Videogames transcend movies and yet my mother called Uncharted 3 a movie. I was hurt. Quite physically hurt. Although it can be confused or described as misguided gamer rage it was not. Something I fully believe in was cut down right before my very eyes. All my hopes and aspirations for not just the videogame industry, but for one day having understanding between my parents and myself were crushed. How could she say it was just a movie? That’s impossible; I sat there for 10 hours and played every second of it. And I can guarantee you that Uncharted 3 is not a movie. But the thing is my mother did not. Where I had an interactive experience of thrills and adventure, she had a passive one.  To her, it was a movie.

And I stormed off in a fit of rage. It was not until later that I realized what she truly meant. I do not have to concern myself with trying to get my parents to like or play videogames. They most likely may never be gamers and that is acceptable. All I need them to do is understand my passion. Uncharted 3 was a game to me. Uncharted 3 was a movie to my mother. It does not matter what it was, the only thing that matters is that it was something to the both of us. A shared experience between my mom and me. She is as invested into the series as I am and we often sit around talking, thinking up new ideas and stories for our beloved characters. My mother now understands, and did long before I finally realized she did, what a good videogame can be.  Whether she thinks of it as a videogame or a movie, I no longer care. Just as long as she understands my passion. 

And that is the approach that should be taken throughout the entire Industry. We as gamers should be less concerned with getting converts to our cause and more concerned about spreading understanding. Publishing houses and ad-campaigns would want everyone to be a gamer, but that is an impossible goal and one that the average gamer should not support. To force our passions upon those unwilling to accept it is wrong. My mother is not and never will be a gamer. The point is that she understands my passion and what games mean to me. We have an acceptance; I game, she understands. That is all that is needed. To make everyone a gamer would be to rob them of their own valuable hobbies and passions. 

The Internet has multiple sources for info about gaming with your girlfriend.  Yet, these websites and articles treat the subject in the wrong manner. They are part of the forcing everyone collective. The websites and articles are setup in such a manner as to help you find the appropriate game to play with your significant other. Nothing too hard, which might scare them away. Then they instruct you on how to ease them into it. Start with co-op, then go to deathmatch.  Give them a simple controller. Start a new save so they cannot mess up your progress. These sources treat your girlfriend (or boyfriend, if you prefer) as an imbecile. And that is ultimately the wrong approach. If you want to share your passion with your girlfriend (or boyfriend, if you prefer) then go ahead. Find an understanding, they should respect your passion and you, in turn, should respect their interest or noninterest. If she (or he, if you prefer) likes gaming and whishes to play more than good for you. But if they don’t enjoy it and do not want to continue playing then do not force them. 

A mutual understanding between gamers and non-gamers is what the Industry needs right now. Whether it is between my mother and myself, a gamer and their partner, or any other type of relationship, understanding is a necessity. We cannot and should not force our ideas upon others nor should we allow simple ignorance to debase our passion. Teach them and accept their answer. A understanding of mutual respect will increase the acceptance of gaming.    

So maybe next time I say ‘until I find a save point’ they’ll be more accepting of it.

Hi. My name is Steven and today is my seventeenth birthday.

In the eyes of the gaming world that makes me an official adult. I can now buy and play M-rated games without any sort of repercussion. I have been deemed worthy by right of age to be exposed to games that “may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language”. So says the Entertainment Software Ratings Board.  But they are only one small part of the gaming community in whole. What does it mean to be seventeen to the rest of the community?

To the multibillion dollar companies, I am a demographic full of profit to be easily exploited. Seventeen year old males are wild beasts that feast upon the basest of human nature: sex and violence. How else do you explain the continuation of series like Dead Or Alive or the “There’s A Solider In All Of Us” ad campaign for Call of Duty? And sadly enough, there are studies that back it up: the Entertainment Software Association reported that 20% of people who play games are boys age seventeen and younger. Another study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 97% of Americans between the ages of 12 to 17 play games and of that half the males questioned list their favorite game being rated M. A teenage boy is walking talking profit as far as they are concerned. 

To the gaming press, I am nothing if not a joke or a malcontent deserving of scorn. Countless times a given age in the teens will be thrown around as the butt of a joke. “Oh, you’re not good at Call of Duty. It’s probably those 14 year olds.” “The main reason I don’t play online is because of all the asshole 17 year olds”.  Although to be fair and accurate this type of negative spin does not always happen and there are certain publications that do very well at keeping a non-ageist view. But the verbal or written abuse is by far the more prevalent. And the opinions expressed in the gaming press only then spreads to the main press were such ideas fester and grow. Only when gamers and in particular teenaged gamers are attacked by the main press do they realize how damaging that joke is.

It is not really a pretty picture, is it? How the gaming community views a seventeen year old. Having grown up on videogames and loving every minute of it, it is hard for me not to feel abandoned or betrayed. The year I was born, 1995, was the same year the original Playstation was released. Say what you will about Sony, but there is no denying that the modern games industry was being born then. The next major step would come in 2001 when Microsoft released the original X-Box. I was entering kindergarten. Modern gaming’s Big Three would continue to grow and dominate the market from then on forward. Now the newest generation of consoles has just started with the launch of the Wii-U. I am seventeen. According to the ESRB my age makes me Mature, so why does the rest of the industry treat me like I’m not. Sex and violence sure as hell are interests of mine, but they do not define the games I play and the type of person I am. It is this type of hypocrisy that leads to misunderstandings, false assumptions and negative advertising. The gaming community has left me out in the cold.

My games of choice are ones that offer story and narrative along with gameplay. I could walk into a room and kill all the people, but without context it is just unnecessary and borderline offensive. Take for example, my favorite game of all time, the original God of War. It is by far one of the most blood-and-gore-tastic games I have ever played. But the narrative works and it delivers on a deep revenge plot that feels natural in the world of the often disturbingly violent Greek mythology. Kratos' desire for vengeance upon Aries is relatable. His love and devotion to his wife and child give him a greater depth of character then other button-mash games. I love God of War because there is so much more going on than just violence and sex*. The final moments of God of War have Kratos hugging his wife and chile. Yet, when I buy the game it just gets marked down as another teenager who bought a game of sex and violence. That could be no farther from the truth and still the negative mindset pollutes the gaming opinion of teenagers.               

So this blog is an attempt to change that. This is a place that I hope will one day set people’s opinions straight and lessen the negative image that has been placed upon seventeen year old gamers.  It is an attempt to be more than just a gamer, but to be part of the industry that I love. There are intelligent, mature ideas and opinions at the heart and in the heads of younger gamers that deserve to shared. The Age of Gaming is not an egotistical “look at me” place nor is it an angsty, angry teenage message board. I hope that by making my voice heard, the gaming community will listen. And with open arms embrace the newest age of gaming.  
   

A few things you should know about me:

·         I am a teenaged white straight male gamer. But do not let that make you think I closed minded. I support LGBT rights as strongly as I support woman’s rights. I try to keep an open mind all the time, not allowing myself to be blinded by hate or bigotry. This blog, I hope, will reflect that.

·         I live in a middle income household in suburban New Jersey. It is about as much fun as it sounds.  Because of this I have a limited monetary amount I allow myself to spend on games. I have one system (PS3), one PC and a small games collection. I do not let that limit me though as I try to constantly learn and experience new things about games and the industry.

·         I am a full time student.  Homework comes first and gaming, sadly, second. So too will this blog, if need be. Although I will try to keep it updated with new material as often as I can. I hope to go to college to study game design.

·         I live with my parents. And as much as I hate to admit it, they are exceedingly important in my life as a person and gamer. They will be mentioned in some of my writings.

Ground Rules:

·         Games are art.  No question. No doubt. There may be a million murder-fests out there but so too are there a million porn movies. Does that lower the artistic merit of movies? No it does not.  Games shall be treated in much the same way. 

·         “I may not always agree with your opinion, but I will defend until death your right to say it” (Voltaire).  Any and all comments, questions and suggestions are welcome.

·          Respect is mutual. Have some to earn some.

·         Intelligent and informed opinions will always be chosen over raving fanboy garbage.

·         If at any time you feel like I have lost the point or broken one of these rules, call me on it.

Enjoy.

*Note: This is all about and in reference to the original God of War released in 2005. I do understand that later games in the series kinda went crazy and lost the narrative focus of the first one.