PureVolume

Youths, Violence, and Games

Last Week I was berated, well maybe not "berated", but I was ganged up against by my "University" friends on how games have this huge impact on society and modern culture. We all can agree on that, but that's not the issue, so let me get to the point. They claim that it's because of that strong influence it has on our culture that makes the violent games another axis for breeding hate and more violence into today's youths. Well I held my ground and I decided to write this over talked about issue, which for all us gamers is an old, old topic not worth discussing, but I'm writing about it anyways...? (contradiction?) Todays video games are the modern equivalent of the 50-60s Indians vs. Cowboys or the 80-90s Cops & Robbers. Here we have kids forming a gun like shape with their hands or have a plastic replica to shoot down their friends. These actions potentially have an effect on the children before they play, while they are playing and the affects after they played the game. I find that those games are strong forms of acting out violence, but nothing really spawned from those kinds of games. Ask you parents ask your grand parents, because anyone can take anything out of context like I just did and make it seem so vile. People recently have an issue with violence in video games, but are we that naive? Violent games have existed far before video games came along. Youths at the age of 3-5 shouldn't have developed a heavy care about things like video games it doesn't factor unless the Parent brings it to their home. Also in this age group kids are fairly developed in terms of being able to tell from reality and the virtual world. After all they should be doing quite a bit of pretending and using their imagination with stuff like power rangers. Not saying all kids develop the same but for the average child they should be able to diversify between the two by the age and after 6. Cause what are video games? It's a physical extension of another person(s) creativity and imagination. In addition Developers and Publishers don't produce games that are graphic for kids that are 10 or under. Those games that come out have certain age group ratings conducted by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (E.S.R.B). The Developers only make certain games with certain content depending on their intended target audience. If the Parents are buying these games regardless then who is at fault? It's the same as parents taking their kids to the 18a+ movies, but that seems to be more accepted in our society. Video games are no different from a movie, a television show, the news/newspaper, or content on the internet. If you fear the nature of these Medias then take the actions to censor them from your kids and educate them about them. Don't just shield them from it, give them the mental tools to deal with the media and what they will see and experience from them. Cause I believe that we all agree that the terrible things that happens outside your front door (or sometimes indoors) are far more influential than a virtual game. Basically what I'm trying to say is that video games have a minuscule impact on a violent person's motivation to be violent. If that kid is violent analyze the kid's environment (home/school), how he was raised, the people he/she interacts with, the emotional and physiological stability of that kid. when ever a kid does something terrible and, oh wow, they played Medal of Honor everyone goes wild. People just want a scapegoat for the fact that many of these kind of kids go unnoticed, or ignored and no one wants to take responsibility for not acknowledging the troubled kid and getting him/her some help. this is no different to how people reacted to the kids involved in columbine tragedy listened to Manson and everyone pointed the finger of blame at him. No one is a puppet, Manson didn't guide them and made them do anything that they would've done on their own without his music and video games are on the same the same level.

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Shane Cross (1986-2007) R.I.P.

Skateboarding suffered a tragic loss today: Shane Cross has passed away.
The 20-year-old was fatally injured while riding on the back of Ali Boulala's motorcycle in Australia. Ali survived the accident, but is currently in critical condition. Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved. A police report covering Shane and Ali's accident and coverage from The Age are now online.

Shane was a fun-loving, kind, and very talented young man whose friendliness was only outweighed by his humbleness. Always smiling, he'll be missed by all who felt his warm presence and by the skaters of the world who were dazzled by his abilities.

Ali Boulala survived the accident that killed his good friend Shane Cross, but he's badly injured. His skull is fractured in two places and doctors in Melbourne have placed him in a medically-induced coma to help him deal with the severe trauma. Although he's stabilized, he still has a long way to go. Keep your fingers crossed and think good thoughts for Ali as well as his friends, families, and doctors.

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United By Fate: Episode One Review

The UBF: Episode One was released today and I waited a good month or two for this online short film. The online film is approx. 10min long and it focused mainly on Paul Machnau even though there were other Globe Team riders in the film. Pro-Skaters like Chris Haslam, Mark Appleyard, Jake Duncombe, and David Gonzalez. David Gonzalez only performs two tricks in the entire film (which he doesn't even land the first one), so I dont think he counts as an appearance but whatever he was there. Some Team Riders weren't seen such as Rodney Mullen, Matt Mumford and Greg Lutzka.Paul Machnau was taking care of business with the rails, but what stood out to me was the kickflip to lipslide, the hip gap to lipslide, and the huge gap he ollied at the end his first part of his episode. I guess Paul's favourite trick for this video were the Lipslides and the Bluntslides since he did them quite a bit. Even though this Episode was focused on Paul Machnau, Chris Haslam had some great tricks in this episode. Like the One-Foot Tail Grab and the (Ride-in?) 50-50 to wallride. And Mark Appleyard's Heelfip Body Varial and Heelflip 50-50 trasition trick was dope!The Cinematography in the Black/White segments felt somewhat post-modern with a slightly vague but interesting and creative concept. There was smoother transitions and I found it to be captivating aside from the skateboarding. The Filming of the skateboarding itself was very well done. Good framed shots, camera angles and camera movement. There were some shots that were quite unique at to the positioning of the camera and the movement. I also liked how the was a part at the end that ties Chris Haslam's Episode to this one. It hooks you into anticipation for the next episode if you haven't already after watching this episode.

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Save the Princess! No? Save the Prince?!

The video game equivalent of a "Chick Flick". Could it be a "Dame Game"? So cute & sweet that you can't play it if you're diabetic. I am often saddened by the fact that the general impression of gamers is that of a bunch of guys with no social life who never really outgrew adolescence. I know that it's not the case, but in a market that produced such hits as "Tomb Raider," "Fear Effect," and "Danger Girl," I can see how really bad it looks to the world at large.

Which leads me to rejoice whenever I see a video game that wants to break out of the usual mold of gaming. Thus, when I saw "Rhapsody," a game which advertises having a "pancake" attack on the back of the box, I knew I had to give the game a try. But, of course, what if I got mislead by the promise of food? It wouldn't be the first time, which reminds me: I ought to stop thinking with my stomach.

"Rhapsody" starts out with Cornet, a young lady who is hoping to find her perfect match. She is also trying to figure out how to deal with Kururu, the animated puppet that follows her around. Obviously, this is not the usual set-up for a video game. What, playing a female main character? Without a centerfold's body? What a novel idea!

Well, Cornet does get to meet her prince, Ferdinand, and even dance with him, but on a switch from the normal way games go, this game features the handsome prince getting kidnapped, and Cornet having to chase after him. Meanwhile, the witch that kidnaps the prince turns out to have more up her sleeve than just making off with royalty. Oh, the trials of youth.

The game's story is not that complex, but the characters are rendered fairly well. You get a fairly strong impression of all the personalities of the characters, from the degenerate Minister Golonzo to the 'mature' foolishness of Marjoly, the witch. Moreover, you are accompanied by many puppets, who all have their own side quest which adds a little more to the story.

Yes, I did say puppets. It turns out that Cornet carries around a magical horn, which can make puppets become animate and do her bidding. This is how you'll get most of your party members, the other way being to defeat monsters with your horn, who then may join you. Which an astute gamer will note as being shades of the Mediator class from "Final Fantasy Tactics." Which also makes sense, if you consider Cornet can also raise the stats of her puppets.

Actually, the game also owes one more large debt to Final Fantasy Tactics: the battle system is a simplified version of Tactics' system. You are placed on a map, although this map is not two-dimensional. You and your party then face off against a group of enemies, with a range of attacks available based on each character's specialty and element, which is similar to "Chrono Cross." While derivative, the battle system is easy to understand and get into, and it does work rather well for the game.

The game also does a fairly decent job with the graphics. They are pixelated, and the game looks like it could have been done back on the Super Nintendo. And there is nothing wrong with that; if it looks good, then why nitpick about what level of graphics it has? You can easily discern everything on screen, and the graphics have a bright, clean look to them. You won't encounter eyestrain on these graphics, even if they aren't Rembrandt level art.

The music of the game is rather strong, as the title suggests. At several points in the game, one or more characters breaks out into song, and you can even select whether the game gives you the original Japanese with anglicized lyrics or a translation. Of course, some of the songs can get annoying, but for the most part, they are fairly strong. You'll just really have to be in the mood for a more melodramatic score. Odds are, you'll even appreciate the soundtrack CD that comes with the game.

Ultimately, what sets this game apart from other games, though, is that the game is made in the shojo tradition. In short, this is the 'girly' subset of modern Japanese pop culture. This means that the characters are more into emotional concerns such as love and fufillment, rather than the tired 'rescue the kingdom/continent/world/glacial drift' plot motion. You also get some traditional anime-style shenanigans, such as Kururu getting slapped by Cornet with a fan after the former suggests that the puppeteer starts wearing her underwear on the outside.

The game is kind of interesting, as well, in that I can't really point to a flaw, per se, in the game. Mind you, that doesn't mean I think this is the most wonderful game that has ever graced my presence. It's just that while it's fairly strong in all areas, it's not a mind-blowing game. It's graphics are good, but I've seen better. Same with the sound, the story, the battle system, the whole ball of wax.

Ultimately, though, the fact that it doesn't have any glaring weaknesses, as well as having a fresh concept, means that "Rhapsody" is one of the better games to have come out in quite a while. the game is definitely not for the excessively macho, or the insensitive lout, or the person who just doesn't get "Oh My Goddess!" On the other hand, for someone looking to see what shojo is all about, or for a gamer looking for a small change of pace, this is the kind of game that you're looking for.

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Valentine Day

Ok So yesturday was Valentine Day and I never really gave a sh*t about that holiday really. I mean it was a good reason to get a gift outta your bf/gf or even to jus get laid... like you couldn't have done that any other time? lol but it was a w/e holiday to me.

I do however am amazed at how many people requested me to be there "Valentine" so me being the person i am accepted ever request. lol so i was a valentine to atlest 7 girls. I didn't give one valentine present or anything like that, but i got quite a bit of things from the girls even tho i told them i didnt care if i got something or not, but w/e i was a valentine to 7 girls but i got like 5 extra valentine gifts from secret admirers

Secret admirers actually creep me out, like damn can't you come and talk to a person face to face lol. I'm not going to reject you.. in a mean, cruel way atleast, but what ever they have their own insecurities to deal with and/or just being too scared to do something.

But yeah Valentine Day is jus weird and it's a not holiday not needed, if people wanted to be romantic, passionate, loving etc.. they will be and they dont need this day to put pressure on them to do so on command. That's just me and my opinion though. Thx for reading this Blog btw. :p

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