Games as Propaganda

In the United States a very popular childhood game is musical chairs. Ten chairs will be placed in a circle and the teacher will play music while ten children walk around the chairs. One of the chairs is removed and the music is stopped and then the ten kids try and get a chair with one child not finding one and they are then removed from the game. The game continues until there is only one chair left and one child is declared the winner. The kids all are jealous of the winner and everybody misses the point. The teacher ends up with nine chairs because she is perceived as having a right to remove the chairs. This is a perfect example of how our economy works and it is all seen as acceptable.

Games such as "Simon Says" are used to teach kids that they are rewarded for imitating others and games such as "Red light, green light" are used to teach us to obey authority without thinking and to make snap decisions. Most people would say that these are just games; but, these are not the type of games that all societies would teach their children. In many places games are meant to teach cooperation rather than imitation.

We live in a winner take all society rather than one that rewards based on efforts and contribution. Let us consider the game "Monopoly", okay it is winner take all; but, we all start with the same chance. In the real world some of the players already own all of the properties when the game begins.

Games such as "Simon Says" are used to teach kids that they are rewarded for imitating others

Simon Says teaches memorization skills, no?

games such as "Red light, green light" are used to teach us to obey authority without thinking and to make snap decisions

Thought that was pre-driver training, obey authority? How about not running red lights?

You want to talk about gaming propaganda, stick with the newer video games, like the Call Of Duty series, and pretty much all non-sports games, because if it's not a sports game, then the goal of the game is to kill everyone and everything. In my Gamer magazines, there's always that reliable ad for the military just a few pages after some Call Of Duty write up. Coincidence?

Maybe it's also a coincidence that half of my friends as well as their younger siblings playing CoD have also bought real guns and ammo and are eager to join the military all of a sudden. Must be benevolence at it's finest going on in our culture.

reply to post by JibbyJedi


Dear JibbyJedi,

Yes, I have also watched what video games people are playing. Military historians have long tracked how many soldiers actually fire their weapons, during the Civil War it was less than half (as I recall), now it is just about everyone. This has also resulted in a higher percentage of suicides by soldiers than we have ever seen in history. The games may desensitize people when they are firing on the battlefield; but, when they return they have to deal with the mental consequences.

reply to post by JibbyJedi


you've obviously never played call of duty.

there is no video game pumped full of propaganda. theyre all neutral mediums of art usually involving a good vs evil story as most things do.

people need to stop blaming video games for the horrors of the world. sh!t was screwed up with society long before video games came around.

if you want to blame anything. blame yourself. blame the parents. and blame the society you live in. do not blame art.

Originally posted by XelNaga
reply to post by JibbyJedi

 

you've obviously never played call of duty.

there is no video game pumped full of propaganda. theyre all neutral mediums of art usually involving a good vs evil story as most things do.

people need to stop blaming video games for the horrors of the world. sh!t was screwed up with society long before video games came around.

if you want to blame anything. blame yourself. blame the parents. and blame the society you live in. do not blame art.

Of course I've played CoD, I have little choice in Xbox games to play that don't involve killing and those crossed my path. My friends are addicted to Xbox Live, some take it too seriously and react like it's digital drugs. Not all of them, but most of them can't wait to show me pictures of their new guns every time I see them, fun times for sure.

I didn't "blame" CoD for anything, it is what it is, combat desensitizing training that can start as young as the kid who grabs the controller. The younger the better is what they are hoping for, a perfect soldier, one who has no memories of values for human life, but only for HONOR and DUTY!

Not everyone succumbs to that programing, but too many do. They aren't trying to catch ALL the fish, someone has to stay behind in the states to pick up garbage and plow the roads.

Far out lol.. this old chestnut again.

You know, 30 years ago, I am amazed parents did not say "Oh you cant play space invaders. The PTB must know about the aliens, and all this does is desensitize you to killing innocent aliens."

It's the exact same retarded logic.

Call of Duty... Indoctrinated desensatising for mass slaughter of the enemy.
Pac man... Indoctrinated drug abuse and deep paranoia.
Space Invaders... Indoctrinated preparation for alien invasion and desensatised murder of aliens.
Cowboys and Indians... Indoctrinated mass murder of natives.
Doctors and nurses... Indoctrinated sexual perversion.
Hide and seek... Indoctrinated evading the law.
Skipping... Indoctrinated self flagellation.
Hop scotch... Indoctrinated Keeping you in the correct box.

Ahh yes, a cigar is never a cigar, it's obviously a plan to give you the best tools in life to cope with all these indoctrinations.

You know what.. If it wasn't for Battlefield 3 I would never have learnt to fly helicopters, drive tanks, amphibious vehicles, the works!

However I did laugh when I first started playing it and the "battlefield" was in Iran lol..

And other great games? Remember Americas army? Hell, I got my combat medic qualification in that game, Im practically qualified to patch up anyone!