Game Design and Effects on Society
by Demolishun · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 11/09/2006 (8:39 pm) · 61 replies
I just read two really good articles about how games affect society. I found them to both be very insightful, but I warn you one of them will probably make you mad.
The first one I read was:
"Virtually Alone" from a magazine called "Faith & Family". It described a person who literally has an addiction to video games to the detriment of his family, his job, his hygene and his health. The article described how his wife had lost he husband to video games and that he was irritable, angry, and would not eat for a day or two at a time. When I read this I was mad. I said to myself, "This guy is just an idiot and needs to grow up!". Then I realized I had some of the same issues at times when playing video games. I am always looking for that rush of a new mission and finally getting past that %@#$ing level! As I honestly looked at myself in the proverbial mirror I could see the signs of a mild addiction.
The second article was quite different:
"Serious Expectations" from a magazine called "Game Developer" describes the use of a game that allows a cancer patient to battle cancer cells in a virtual world. The result of the project found that those patients that had access to the cancer fighting game called: RE-MISSION did better than those that did not. This is ground breaking research of using simulated health problems to conquer real health problems. This example shows that video games have potential for doing great good for society.
So, what did I learn from reading these two articles. I learned that as designers we need to take into account that our goal of making money from a video game may be at odds at times with the well being of our audience. Putting in a feature that the user can adjust such as an alarm clock that shuts down the game for some number of hours. Or a feature that indicates they have played so many hours. Or a feature that allows the player to save their current position so they are not felt obligated to keep playing to get past a certain point in the game. This last one really hits home as some games really make me frustrated when a level is too long.
I also learned that through creativity we can affect society in a way we may never have dreamed. For instance, games that focus on puzzles overtly or in a more hidden way can enhance the thinking process. What about a game that challenges a player to face their "real" internal demons. This would have the potential for creating a relationship with the player that is so personal it could change their lives. How about a game that causes kids to want to get outside and ride a skateboard ( I have bought two skateboards since I started playing Tony Hawk games and I am 31 year old kid).
The point is we have a real chance to generate a whole new class of video games that CAN change the world for the better. These two articles are making me rethink all of my motivations for writing video games. I love to play them, I love to make them, and I would love to make someone elses life better for it.
Thanks,
Frank
The first one I read was:
"Virtually Alone" from a magazine called "Faith & Family". It described a person who literally has an addiction to video games to the detriment of his family, his job, his hygene and his health. The article described how his wife had lost he husband to video games and that he was irritable, angry, and would not eat for a day or two at a time. When I read this I was mad. I said to myself, "This guy is just an idiot and needs to grow up!". Then I realized I had some of the same issues at times when playing video games. I am always looking for that rush of a new mission and finally getting past that %@#$ing level! As I honestly looked at myself in the proverbial mirror I could see the signs of a mild addiction.
The second article was quite different:
"Serious Expectations" from a magazine called "Game Developer" describes the use of a game that allows a cancer patient to battle cancer cells in a virtual world. The result of the project found that those patients that had access to the cancer fighting game called: RE-MISSION did better than those that did not. This is ground breaking research of using simulated health problems to conquer real health problems. This example shows that video games have potential for doing great good for society.
So, what did I learn from reading these two articles. I learned that as designers we need to take into account that our goal of making money from a video game may be at odds at times with the well being of our audience. Putting in a feature that the user can adjust such as an alarm clock that shuts down the game for some number of hours. Or a feature that indicates they have played so many hours. Or a feature that allows the player to save their current position so they are not felt obligated to keep playing to get past a certain point in the game. This last one really hits home as some games really make me frustrated when a level is too long.
I also learned that through creativity we can affect society in a way we may never have dreamed. For instance, games that focus on puzzles overtly or in a more hidden way can enhance the thinking process. What about a game that challenges a player to face their "real" internal demons. This would have the potential for creating a relationship with the player that is so personal it could change their lives. How about a game that causes kids to want to get outside and ride a skateboard ( I have bought two skateboards since I started playing Tony Hawk games and I am 31 year old kid).
The point is we have a real chance to generate a whole new class of video games that CAN change the world for the better. These two articles are making me rethink all of my motivations for writing video games. I love to play them, I love to make them, and I would love to make someone elses life better for it.
Thanks,
Frank
About the author
I love programming, I love programming things that go click, whirr, boom. For organized T3D Links visit: http://demolishun.com/?page_id=67
#22
Religion as an excuse for killing is hardly a new idea, the crusades pop into my head. It's not just religious for that either. If someone believes in anything enough and they are of that type they will feel it's ok to kill for it, so showing that in a video game is nothing new.
The true bottom line for me is the government regulates too much, TV shouldn't be regulated on what it can say or show same with radio same with video games. People odn' thave to watch/listen/play they have the choice to do what they want, and parents need to raise their kids with the morals they think are just. Just look at the difference between some european countries TV and out own. They use nudity in commercials.
For that reason alone I think people should make games about anything they want. Would I feel bad if I made a game and found out some wacko played it and decided to kill a bunch of people because he thought he was the game? Of course I would but I'd also think the guy had some issues and could have done the same thing from a Movie or TV show.
To go back to the original topic of the post, should designers feel a responsiblity for what their video game "teaches"? No they should feel that when they go to sell it they give a very accurate description of what the game is like so parents can make the right choices. Now that I got that out I'm going to go get my jetpack and exploding discs and go cause some havoc, watch CNN
11/17/2006 (6:51 am)
Well to quickly touch on that one, that's silly to say a lot of people are not from the US, other countries helped in that war too. And when there is war in the world no matter where your from you should have knowledge of it.Religion as an excuse for killing is hardly a new idea, the crusades pop into my head. It's not just religious for that either. If someone believes in anything enough and they are of that type they will feel it's ok to kill for it, so showing that in a video game is nothing new.
The true bottom line for me is the government regulates too much, TV shouldn't be regulated on what it can say or show same with radio same with video games. People odn' thave to watch/listen/play they have the choice to do what they want, and parents need to raise their kids with the morals they think are just. Just look at the difference between some european countries TV and out own. They use nudity in commercials.
For that reason alone I think people should make games about anything they want. Would I feel bad if I made a game and found out some wacko played it and decided to kill a bunch of people because he thought he was the game? Of course I would but I'd also think the guy had some issues and could have done the same thing from a Movie or TV show.
To go back to the original topic of the post, should designers feel a responsiblity for what their video game "teaches"? No they should feel that when they go to sell it they give a very accurate description of what the game is like so parents can make the right choices. Now that I got that out I'm going to go get my jetpack and exploding discs and go cause some havoc, watch CNN
#23
Eric:
The real evidence: video games are an art form. Every art form imitates life. If life wasnt violent, if people didnt make love, then video games would be very different. But the fact is.. life is violent, people do hunt animals, people do go to war, etc, etc...
11/17/2006 (9:44 am)
I havent read all these posts, I'm too lazy right now, but from what I've read and this:Eric:
Quote:
Will there always be people who defend video games blindly without any real evidence at all? Absolutely. ;)
The real evidence: video games are an art form. Every art form imitates life. If life wasnt violent, if people didnt make love, then video games would be very different. But the fact is.. life is violent, people do hunt animals, people do go to war, etc, etc...
#24
Iraq is not an adventure, it is a tragedy. It is real life going on right now. This topic is about how video games affect real life. It is relative to this topic.
Sears,
I absolutely agree that the video game must describe what is in the game. I disagree with giving free reign to media producers on publicly broadcast TV and radio however. The only way I can see that being plausible is if every TV/radio had built in controls for blocking content. Then again, it would be really hard for me to go along with it then. Also, I saw you on CNN, how did you do that loopty loop thing?
Eric,
People giv e bombs to children and say, "Take this package to that man accross the street. If you don't I will kill your family.". Life can be far more disgusting than we often want to admit. I am not saying this should not be in a game, but do we want to glorify it? I am all for the arts, but maybe it should be tasteful.
11/17/2006 (10:54 am)
Munoz,Iraq is not an adventure, it is a tragedy. It is real life going on right now. This topic is about how video games affect real life. It is relative to this topic.
Sears,
I absolutely agree that the video game must describe what is in the game. I disagree with giving free reign to media producers on publicly broadcast TV and radio however. The only way I can see that being plausible is if every TV/radio had built in controls for blocking content. Then again, it would be really hard for me to go along with it then. Also, I saw you on CNN, how did you do that loopty loop thing?
Eric,
People giv e bombs to children and say, "Take this package to that man accross the street. If you don't I will kill your family.". Life can be far more disgusting than we often want to admit. I am not saying this should not be in a game, but do we want to glorify it? I am all for the arts, but maybe it should be tasteful.
#25
11/17/2006 (11:30 am)
You should beable to make any game you want. It should be the parents who control what there kids play and do, not the world. Some day we will be smart enough to figure this out. Laws and controling what a person make does not prevent crimes and violent acts. The one way to stop the crimes and violent acts is to enforce the laws. Oh he kill but yes dont go his level and take his life. Maybe there is time for a change.
#26
You are right, you can make any game you want, but do not get upset when stores won't carry it, or someone gets your website shutdown because the webspace provider finds it distasteful. You have a right to free speech, you do not have a right to be heard.
Also, I do control what my kids do. They are allowed 1/2 hour of PBS each day and that is it. They do not watch morning cartoons (which are all a pile of heaping...), they do not watch movies we do not know about, etc.
11/17/2006 (1:38 pm)
I agree that it is time for change, but maybe not the same one you are talking about. Lets take your premise a step further. Teachers at school should be able to say anything they want. Yes, Billy, there is no God. Billy, the Nazis did not really kill the Jews. Billy, it is okay to have sex, it won't hurt you. You are right, you can make any game you want, but do not get upset when stores won't carry it, or someone gets your website shutdown because the webspace provider finds it distasteful. You have a right to free speech, you do not have a right to be heard.
Also, I do control what my kids do. They are allowed 1/2 hour of PBS each day and that is it. They do not watch morning cartoons (which are all a pile of heaping...), they do not watch movies we do not know about, etc.
#27
Can you imagine? A similar thing needs to happen with games. It doesn't necessarily have to be a written set of rules, but good sense can dictate what should and should not be in a game.
For example, a good reference here would be Splinter Cell. A contrast to the frantic kill-everything of many other games, Splinter Cell forces you to make a choice: it puts all of the tools to kill in your hands, but penalizes you at the end of the mission if you do so. I can't remember the exact stats, but I think that out of the entire mission, you lose a 5% rating for every person you kill. In a real-life situation like that, incapacitating and killing would be equally beneficial to your objectives, so the fact that the game puts a moral circumstance on killing really sets a game like that apart. And the fact that killing is discouraged doesn't make it feel like a kid's game or anything, if anything it feels more mature to know the difference between right and wrong rather than just rack up the body count.
That is what is important to try to incorporate into future games. No matter what your nationality or religion, your basic ethics should be the same. Right and wrong, good and evil, all of that. Violence and death have a place in society, but they should not be glorified. They should be portrayed accurately, showing that every death is a person and another family torn apart, a horrible event for many people.
I am very impressed with the work Nintendo has been doing lately. In a world of Battlegrounds and Warcrafts and Mortal Kombats, they just turn around and make games like BrainAge (not REALLY a game, but fun nonetheless, and good for your mind), and Trauma Center (saving lives instead of taking them? God forbid!). Take a lesson from them, and keep in mind that to be a great game, it doesn't have to fit in the FPS cookie-cutter. Especially if you're a hobbyist like me, don't cater to the money, cater to the people. A trend of better games has to start somewhere, and why not with people like us, who love games so much we want to make them? Don't target an audience, target humanity, and you're sure to find someone who loves your game as much as you love making it.
**EDIT**
That's just my take on violence in games. I know that isn't the whole point of this topic, but I think that's really the fulcrum on which the balance of the video game controversy sits. I also won't go into the whole sex in games issue, because whether sex is "right" or "wrong" isn't nearly so clear-cut. There are many different types of sex. But however or for whatever reason you kill someone, it's still just killing.
11/19/2006 (9:53 pm)
I totally agree that change is needed. But control is still necessary. It's like if America was breaking from England, and they just said "They controlled us too much! This new society will have no rules!"Can you imagine? A similar thing needs to happen with games. It doesn't necessarily have to be a written set of rules, but good sense can dictate what should and should not be in a game.
For example, a good reference here would be Splinter Cell. A contrast to the frantic kill-everything of many other games, Splinter Cell forces you to make a choice: it puts all of the tools to kill in your hands, but penalizes you at the end of the mission if you do so. I can't remember the exact stats, but I think that out of the entire mission, you lose a 5% rating for every person you kill. In a real-life situation like that, incapacitating and killing would be equally beneficial to your objectives, so the fact that the game puts a moral circumstance on killing really sets a game like that apart. And the fact that killing is discouraged doesn't make it feel like a kid's game or anything, if anything it feels more mature to know the difference between right and wrong rather than just rack up the body count.
That is what is important to try to incorporate into future games. No matter what your nationality or religion, your basic ethics should be the same. Right and wrong, good and evil, all of that. Violence and death have a place in society, but they should not be glorified. They should be portrayed accurately, showing that every death is a person and another family torn apart, a horrible event for many people.
I am very impressed with the work Nintendo has been doing lately. In a world of Battlegrounds and Warcrafts and Mortal Kombats, they just turn around and make games like BrainAge (not REALLY a game, but fun nonetheless, and good for your mind), and Trauma Center (saving lives instead of taking them? God forbid!). Take a lesson from them, and keep in mind that to be a great game, it doesn't have to fit in the FPS cookie-cutter. Especially if you're a hobbyist like me, don't cater to the money, cater to the people. A trend of better games has to start somewhere, and why not with people like us, who love games so much we want to make them? Don't target an audience, target humanity, and you're sure to find someone who loves your game as much as you love making it.
**EDIT**
That's just my take on violence in games. I know that isn't the whole point of this topic, but I think that's really the fulcrum on which the balance of the video game controversy sits. I also won't go into the whole sex in games issue, because whether sex is "right" or "wrong" isn't nearly so clear-cut. There are many different types of sex. But however or for whatever reason you kill someone, it's still just killing.
#28
I am not an animal and I don't want to have sex because my testes are full of cum whether or not that effects my sex drive. And it's not because I want to continue my species either I don't even want to have children and when others do it's not for that reason. I want to have sex for and because I love someone.
As for violance I don't enjoy it but we all enjoy the rush and excitment we get from it just like any dangerous or exciting or fearful situation but not because the "animal" with-in me wants to prey on people.
Getting back to games I like violant games but not because of the violance but for the reason above. The same goes for sports and any exciting games.
On a positive note it is pretty awesome to hear some of the very positive effects games have on people. And I think people should continue trying improve society through the medium. I'm going to do my best to atleast try it in my games.
11/30/2006 (1:16 am)
I haven't bothered to read all the posts but anyway:I am not an animal and I don't want to have sex because my testes are full of cum whether or not that effects my sex drive. And it's not because I want to continue my species either I don't even want to have children and when others do it's not for that reason. I want to have sex for and because I love someone.
As for violance I don't enjoy it but we all enjoy the rush and excitment we get from it just like any dangerous or exciting or fearful situation but not because the "animal" with-in me wants to prey on people.
Getting back to games I like violant games but not because of the violance but for the reason above. The same goes for sports and any exciting games.
On a positive note it is pretty awesome to hear some of the very positive effects games have on people. And I think people should continue trying improve society through the medium. I'm going to do my best to atleast try it in my games.
#29
12/23/2006 (6:37 am)
I agree with the lazy guy who posted above me, I too did not read much of anything as well but I do agree that it is in our best interests to keep gamers alive so they can buy more of our games. I'd really like to know which games are cuasing hopeless addiction since this might aid in creating the next big hit. I'm probably going to have to go back and read all the posts now as I just read the rest of Timothy's post regarding "testes are full of cum" and am failing to connect it to the first post.
#30
http://indieart.18.forumer.com/index.php?showtopic=19
01/07/2007 (4:25 am)
Frank, i agree with you so much, i have been worried by this issue for long time now and have the same aspirations as you, and i wanted to tell you and everyone else with the same or alike interest to check an essay i wrote not so long ago, i just translated it from the spanish and put it on my forum, read it and please tell me what you think, its about emotions and how they affect people trough play of games.http://indieart.18.forumer.com/index.php?showtopic=19
#31
Very interesting take on the affects of emotion. Other than some explicit references to where you quoted from it looks fine. I have been playing FFX and I really like this game. However, there are some really tedious things in the game that have made me frustrated to no end. One of those things is this monster that you have to guess to beat it. It is a randomized thing with no logical sequence to beat it that I can find. Talk about producing negative emotions! I think you have it in your article, but yes frustration with non-essential items in a game can kill the joy.
Thanks for adding to the discussion.
01/07/2007 (4:00 pm)
Christian,Very interesting take on the affects of emotion. Other than some explicit references to where you quoted from it looks fine. I have been playing FFX and I really like this game. However, there are some really tedious things in the game that have made me frustrated to no end. One of those things is this monster that you have to guess to beat it. It is a randomized thing with no logical sequence to beat it that I can find. Talk about producing negative emotions! I think you have it in your article, but yes frustration with non-essential items in a game can kill the joy.
Thanks for adding to the discussion.
#32
1) Nobody is going to cut off a game for you after a few hours. That's bad business. Wait, ther are games that cut off after a certain ammount of time, their called demos. Game designers don't owe anybody anything. They make entertainment for you to have fun and for them to make money, plain and simple.
2) Why can't we make profit off of religion? Religious leaders do it everyday.
3)No game, movie, or song is going to cause any sane person to be violent. Anyone pushed to do anything nagative (including addiction) by any form of media would most likley be pushed to do it by something else if that media wasn't around. It's called being weak minded, unstable, and your addictions and violence are inevitable.
-Ajari-
01/07/2007 (5:21 pm)
Add me to the lazy list. I've read a little but damn. 1) Nobody is going to cut off a game for you after a few hours. That's bad business. Wait, ther are games that cut off after a certain ammount of time, their called demos. Game designers don't owe anybody anything. They make entertainment for you to have fun and for them to make money, plain and simple.
2) Why can't we make profit off of religion? Religious leaders do it everyday.
3)No game, movie, or song is going to cause any sane person to be violent. Anyone pushed to do anything nagative (including addiction) by any form of media would most likley be pushed to do it by something else if that media wasn't around. It's called being weak minded, unstable, and your addictions and violence are inevitable.
-Ajari-
#34
01/16/2007 (3:32 pm)
Um, what has that got to do with this topic, except maybe that game design is driving you crazy?
#36
01/16/2007 (5:03 pm)
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Torque Owner Gustavo Munoz