TV fame

"defending" games, eh… erm, I can see the tripwire all the way from here :twisted:

I believe that you, of all gd.ie persons, should step up to that particular plate – mix in academic and publication credentials, and much media-savviness/-friendliness and we got ourselves a winner, methinks :wink:

Or Tony, under his double "industry insider / IGDA Irish Head Honcho" hat. Mind you, he’s not as camera-friendly :lol:

Mind you, he’s not as camera-friendly :lol:[/quote:bbeeb16420]

Shameful stuff. Buttering her up so you can make an appearance on TV3. Dont be fooled Aphra. :roll:

I agree with steph. Aphra does not fit the stereotyping "gamer/nerd" mould, that the general public think we are. They would be expecting a nerdy programmer, and a man.

A woman academic and author defending games would give a better impression of the industry/hobby. And the fact she knows her stuff is a bonus ;)

there are a few others here I’m sure could do a good job too, but I think Aphra gives the best first impression

As its only a ten min interview, I don’t think the discussion will be very deep, so you would not have to be an expect on the subject.

I wonder who is on the other side…. is jack on a world tour?

btw, Aphra, what is you view on "computer games are making kids more violent?"

Whoever is going should ensure they’ve read New Research Sees Correlation Between Violent Bible Passages and Aggression

A rare opportunity

I’d agree with both Dark and Steph, Aphra has great credentials and the added bonus of not fitting into the stereotypical gamer. That and seeing some of the faces from this board so early on a Friday morning may be more than the Irish public can take.

Aphra, I think the job is yours, based on looks and brains!

If anyone else does it, it may convey to the TV public that we’re all a bunch of overweight, spotty nerds LOL

Mal

There’s an article here on arstechnica with some interesting articles linked for whoever’s going to do the debate.

Elementary and very valid point to make, but I’d keep it under the arm as the finishing move for this ‘debate’ :twisted:

[devil’s advocate]Isn’t there an implicit admission with this argument, however, that kids playing 18-rated are likely to be more violent?[/devil’s advocate]

To my mind, there are two basic angles under which to approach the question: (i) parallels with other media (comic books, films, etc.) and the (ii) interactive nature of games.

The first offers a respite from/nice counter to ‘bash-the-VGs’ hysteria, since other media is just as violent if not more (Tom & Jerry is quite violent, if you ask me :wink:), but has the second been sufficiently quantified/studied/etc. for any valid points to be made either way?

All the same, VGs can’t and shouldn’t be isolated in explaining any kid’s behaviour – if the kid is badly reared to start with, any form of violent stimulus is only going to as an accelerator. There’s been violent kids for centuries before VGs even existed, are there more today? How long is it since kids started having TVs in bedrooms, and/or VCRs, and/or consoles, etc…? Lots of points to make IMHO, to take the ‘heat’ away.

EDIT – now glanced that arstechnica linkie, and same points made there, only more eloquently :oops:

This is a tough gig for anyone working or researching in the area of games who is not specifically researching games, violence and children.[/quote:dd511d692a]

Well, put it this way: what are the chances of you/the TV researchers finding anyone in Dublin who is (i) working or researching in the area of games and (ii) who is specifically researching games, violence and children? :wink:

"Loss" by default is looming :cry:

NB – somehow, I don’t think having children or not is a deal-breaker in this. E.g. what if that fabled person alluded to above is found, yet is not a parent herself/himself? If the ‘other side’ is likely to make the argument that the ‘gaming side’ spokesperson is not a parent to try and make a point, then it’s not a very adult/thoughtful debate to begin with, and more a tabloid/rag -type of banter.

Just a question, but is there any evidence that children as a whole are getting more violent? Aside from incidents such as Columbine which involve individuals, is say bullying in schools becoming more physically violent or is psychological bullying more common? Children killing children is a terrible thing but it probably isn’t new. The reason children can kill so many children probably has more to do with the efficiency of modern weapons rather than games making them violent.

Another point, what about children that engage in violent sports such as boxing or martial arts, it specifically involves the visualisation of violent acts and this, at least in my experience (and i know a lot of people that would agree), makes children less violent.

Just a question, but is there any evidence that children as a whole are getting more violent?[/quote:a2d90c183a]

No. Follow satchmo‘s linkie for instance, and there appears to be mounting evidence to the contrary.

That said, (say) if there’s 50% less violent children than 50 years ago, but if videogames can demonstrably be proven to account for 50% of violent children currently, then there’s is provably a problem.

That’s the crux of the problem: the maths/stats are meaningless unless they are grounded in scientific (not empirical) testing/research, of which there is little to none yet.

Steph, you seem to know what you’re talking about, you should do it :)

As for more violent children, i think its more of a case of a more vioent society as a whole. NED culture is a horrible thing and it seems to be growing strongly in the UK and I’m assuming in Ireland (Dublin) too. Strange thing is, aren’t these kids on the street causing problems all night, therefore, the one’s NOT playing violent games?

I also think the biggest problem, no matter what anyone says, is the parents. Rating system is in place, if they be bothered to monitor their kids playing time, they just don’t have an viable arguement in my mind.

If someone can clone me, for my clone to take care of business at base, maybe I will :lol:

Seriously – I am probably the GD.ie "person" with the least relevant credentials (although I do have a child :wink: – and she ‘plays’) for this malarkey. But I’d be happy to run the ‘contestant’ through a mock grilling, just so they’re prepared for worst-case :twisted:

Also worth referring to:

http://www.amazon.com/Everything-Bad-Good-You-Actually/dp/1573223077

how did it go???

how did it go???[/quote:f646dc90e0]

good point, that was last friday, i meant to ask someone to record it and throw it on to youtube

Who did it ?

Not me :lol: