Today we are learning: Morality.
Sorry people, last week it wasn't like I was in the mood to write or anything. I also was a lot less active, but life goes like that.
~Let's speak about today's subject
"Can videogames teach morality?" is the headline of the thread which gave me the inspiration. It didn't take me long to get an answer. A lot of times, when a young boy kills his parents or strangers, the first thing you hear and cops want to know is if he had been playing videogames. To be more specific, violent ones. Gamers, as me, say that it wasn't games fault at all; he was already mentally ill. Not everyone who likes RPGs walks in the street with a sword trying to find the final boss. But, saying that videogames can teach morality, isn't the same to say that videogames can also teach violence?
Now, think also about anime, manga, or books. Same thing.
Those four categories are inanimate objects. This means they can't hear, move, sleep or eat. This also means they can't teach anything.
There are a lot of them where the justice and moral precepts are sketched, inserted in the plot in a shallow way, and I'm the first who says they aren't only for children. We all know it. But, it is really hasty to believe they could change a person's mind. Instead, it's the person's mind itself which changes the precepts, turning over and modelling them as it likes them. Two perfect examples of two different categories:
No More Heroes, your typical bad game. The main character is a shameless boy with a lightning katana who has to kill people in order to conquer his dreams' hot girl and a title. You save going to the toilet, seeing him pissing.
Katawa Shoujo, an eroge which wants to be also something more. Nice and pretty amusement, but makes you reflect at least a bit over disabilities.
Pick a normal guy. Make him play No More Heroes, and Katawa Shoujo; only for the game nothing would change. The only thing that could happen is to develop a deaf girl fetish. If he's already insane, nothing would change anyway, it's just his true self showing. Items don't build men.
Obvious Maid at your service.
~Let's speak about today's subject
"Can videogames teach morality?" is the headline of the thread which gave me the inspiration. It didn't take me long to get an answer. A lot of times, when a young boy kills his parents or strangers, the first thing you hear and cops want to know is if he had been playing videogames. To be more specific, violent ones. Gamers, as me, say that it wasn't games fault at all; he was already mentally ill. Not everyone who likes RPGs walks in the street with a sword trying to find the final boss. But, saying that videogames can teach morality, isn't the same to say that videogames can also teach violence?
Now, think also about anime, manga, or books. Same thing.
Those four categories are inanimate objects. This means they can't hear, move, sleep or eat. This also means they can't teach anything.
There are a lot of them where the justice and moral precepts are sketched, inserted in the plot in a shallow way, and I'm the first who says they aren't only for children. We all know it. But, it is really hasty to believe they could change a person's mind. Instead, it's the person's mind itself which changes the precepts, turning over and modelling them as it likes them. Two perfect examples of two different categories:
No More Heroes, your typical bad game. The main character is a shameless boy with a lightning katana who has to kill people in order to conquer his dreams' hot girl and a title. You save going to the toilet, seeing him pissing.
Katawa Shoujo, an eroge which wants to be also something more. Nice and pretty amusement, but makes you reflect at least a bit over disabilities.
Pick a normal guy. Make him play No More Heroes, and Katawa Shoujo; only for the game nothing would change. The only thing that could happen is to develop a deaf girl fetish. If he's already insane, nothing would change anyway, it's just his true self showing. Items don't build men.
Obvious Maid at your service.