A Contradiction in Adult Terms

My wife's best friend is very strict about what games her kids, who are 11 and 13, play. I am okay with this for the most part, because I believe you should know what your kids do and play. My issue is that she goes strictly by the ESRB rating, and makes no allowance outside of that.

I understand that without knowing a game's content it is difficult to make an informed decision about what games one should let their children play, but I think there is some room for discussion, and the need for flexibility in that process. After all, by severely restricting the games they play, I think she is driving the kids to play those particular games elsewhere without her knowledge, and they are less likely to pay attention to her rules than if she said "I will allow you to play THESE games, but THIS one I find very inappropriate because of X, Y, and Z, and I ask that you please not play it."

Perhaps I am naive, and the kids will play whatever they want at their friend's places anyway, but I think respect and communication go far.

This brings me to a game I have been playing lately called Persona 4. This is a 'Mature' rated game, and for good reason. The list of content has such things as Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Alcohol References and Violence, all of which it has. (What is partial nudity, though. Isn't that like being a little bit pregnant?) I have no problem with the rating. It is a rather mature game. But what does that really mean?

I pulled some relevant definitions from Dictionary.reference.com:

–adjective
1. complete in natural growth or development, as plant and animal forms: a mature rose bush.

3. fully developed in body or mind, as a person: a mature woman.

4. pertaining to or characteristic of full development: a mature appearance; fruit with a mature softness.

7. intended for or restricted to adults, esp. by reason of explicit sexual content or the inclusion of violence or obscene language: mature movies.

8. composed of adults, considered as being less susceptible than minors to explicit sexual content, violence, or obscene language, as of a film or stage performance: for mature audiences only.

–verb (used with object)
13. to bring to full development: His hard experiences in the city matured him.

–verb (used without object)
16. to come to full development: Our plans have not yet matured.

I realize that 'Mature' in this sense is intended as in definition #7, that is 'intended for or restricted to adults', but let me tell you something about Persona 4...

P4 is about a high school student fighting monsters and saving the world, which is typical RPG fare. Where it deviates is in the inclusion of elements from Japanese dating sims, where one talks to people and develops relationships with them over the course of the game. Typically in a dating sim, they are female, but here there are people of all types, and while there are love interests in the mix, many of the relationships have no sexual aspect in the slightest.

What makes this more interesting is that over the course of developing these ties, you discover... depth. There's the class clown who hides his anxieties beneath his jocularity. There's the punk who, because of how sensitive he is, and the fact that he is good at 'feminine' tasks, questions his sexuality. There's the teen Idol (actor/celebrity) who wonders who the real person is behind the acting. There's the young wife who is having trouble relating to her stepson, and the flirtatious nurse who can't remember why she chose her career, and on, and on.

This is a game about finding out who you really are, and how much of who you are is what you decide to be. This is a game about finding out that everyone else has the same hang-ups and worries as you do. This is a game about growing up... about MATURING.

Despite this being a Mature rated game, this is a game I think I would want my teenagers to play. Hopefully they would see and understand the themes presented in the game, and relate to them, and mature a little from the experience. Compare this to a typical shooter, where the whole game is 'Kill X' or 'Don't BE killed by X'. Isn't there a difference? Is it fair to rate both 'Mature'?

I don't blame the ESRB for this, for they have an impossible task. Play a game and rate the content, that is their job, but to themes have an mitigating or occasionally detrimental effect? Would parents see the difference, or even care?

For now, I'm glad I don't have kids, so that burden is not yet mine, but when I do, I am in a better decision than most to do actual research, and not just look at the rating.

I hope I always take the time.

Some Simple Updates

I appologize again, to the zero people reading this blog, that I haven't been updating. Really, there hasn't been all that much going on. That is not to say there have not been a few points of interest:

I've attended my first seminar/session/whatever at with Right Management, a transition service that my previous employer contracted to help those that were laid off. The first session was Career Assessment. Prior to attending the class, I had to take the Myers-Briggs, and do a value assessment exercise. The result were rather interesting. I have taken the Myers-Briggs before, and the results changed since the last time I took it. Previously, I came up as a classic Engineer. This time, I tested as a ISFJ, "The Protector", most apt to health care, and LEAST apt for Engineering and Computers. I think it is a reflection of the issues I had with my previous employment, and not an indication that I am not fit for my chosen career path.

Also interesting, is that my wife, who was four credits short of a Master's in Clinical Psychology, had never heard of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. There were other tests that she specialized in, which I understand. Certain schools will prefer different tests over others. What I find confusing is that she had never had the test discussed in class. Even if you didn't want your students to use a particular test, wouldn't you at least cover the test to discuss its weaknesses, and explain why you don't want them to use it? Odd.

I am finally playing along with the Game Club at Eat-Sleep-Game, previously 1UP FM's backlog. I've been meaning to play for some time, but this time I actually ran across a copy of the game for a bargain before they started discussing it. The game, which is Rockstar's Bully, is pretty much, from what I can tell, classic GTA formula in a different setting. I'm not big fan of GTA. I haven't played a GTA since the first one, where I had fun torching Hari Karishnas with a flame thrower, and watching my roommate going on a cop-killing spree till here were none left in the city. (Don't think I don't know how bad that sounds, but the first GTA was pretty abstract.) I've seen people play others, but they never really appealled to me.

Some thoughts on the game:
1) I'm not sure how I feel about the mission-based structure yet. I've not been a big fan of it in the past, with other games. Jak 2 was partly the reason for this. Jak and Daxter was a competent platformer, and 2 had such an artificial grafting of mission based structure and dark, angsty story that I stopped playing really early. We'll see what happens here.
2) Save Algie. Dear God, why an escort mission? I hated them in X-Wing, I hated them in Tie Fighter, and an escort mission was the OTHER reason I stopped playing Jak 2.
3) Why is every person in the school a psychopath? I'm walking along, minding my own bi'ness, and some jerk hits me from behind, out of the blue. What did I ever do to you? Why do people try to beat me up for no apearant reason, even in the middle of the school, with prefects standing right there?

More later, as the game progresses.

Sometimes Ups out-number the Downs, but not often.

The halls are emptier at work, but it's not yet very noticeable. That will change in the coming weeks when the rest of the cuts happen. It is going to change for me sooner, though, as two of my friends have accepted the buyout. It is a strange feeling. I've worked in this company for going on nine years, and most of that time has been in the same job, the same group, and doing the same basic things. Now, in the space of a few months, my position in the company has changed, people I've known for years are leaving, and my job has turned out to be not nearly as safe as it once seemed. It is a very unsettled and unsettling feeling.

Some random thoughts to take my mind off things:

I've finished Dragon Quest 8, and it's fair to say I like it. I am so used to Final Fantasy's style that the different monster designs and old school feel really stand out, but in a good way. I really like the cel-shaded animations on the monsters. The edges are smooth, and don't have the choppy or polygonal feel of some of the earlier FF games. It is pretty to look at.

I love games, as you can probably tell. Casual and free games have made a bit of a buzz with the gaming press lately, and for good reason. Sites like Kongregate and Armor Games have sucked away so much of my free time, and kept me from doing constructive things, that I probably need to have an intervention. Most of the games I really enjoy and keep going back to are by Armor games, and also playable on Kongregate. I recommend the Shift series of games, Hedgehog Launch, and Sonny. Try them, and see how fun free games can be.

Phillip Koller of Rebel FM mentioned Gravity Bone in a podcast, and I downloaded and played it. It is interesting. The game is all of twenty minutes long, if that, but is fun, innovative, and manages to convey a story with no actual dialogue.

More later

Chillin' on a friday night.

I mentioned 1UP in a previous post, and mentioned how all the podcasts have resurfaced, but there was one missing. I omitted it not so much because it had not resurfaced, but because it had not officially ended. Obviously, from the fact that I"m bringing it up, things have changed.

Earlier today I listened to the final 1UP Yours podcast. At three and a half hours, it was a whopper, but it was well worth listening too just for the emotion. Garnett Lee, the host of 1UP Yours, has said that the podcast will continue, but with a different name to reflect the changing of the era. I will listen to whatever comes next, but it will be different; Different faces, different format perhaps, different feel, different.

On a different but related note, I'm sitting here alone, because my wife works nights on Fridays. I'm thinking about my friends, whom I miss. I was never very good at making friends, and I don't really have any close ones here in Michigan. I miss my friends. I miss being able to hang out without really needing to speak. I miss bonding through video games.

I was thinking about this as I was listening to the podcast this afternoon. I was listening to Garnett loosing his voice, being overcome with emotion, because these were his friends who he would not see regularly anymore. Going to work with missing faces, and empty desk can't be the easiest thing to do, and I may find out first hand very soon.

I'm missing my wife tonight, and I miss my friends.

...and Breath.

There are few things nicer than a free evening when the seem to be scarce. Some video gaming, a simple dinner with my wife, and the ability to stretch out on the sofa are just a few of the simple pleasures I've been missing lately, but not tonight. Check, check and check.

I've been playing Dragon Quest VIII. I know I'm a few years late, but better late than never. I think it is a pretty decent JRPG. It isn't groundbreaking or mind blowing by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a solid, enjoyable game, which I look forward to finishing. Next on the list is Grandia III. I am a fan of 2, even though the PS2 port has some issues, so I'm looking forward to 3 despite the fact that it did not review well.

100, 200, 400, 800, 1000, 2000, 4000, 8000, 1UP, 1UP, 1UP, 1UP....

I would like to take a moment to talk about 1UP.com . I started reading 1UP because I followed Jeremy Parish's website ToastyFrog (now GameSpite). When Jeremy began working at 1UP, I , being a fan of his writing, eventually followed his work over there as well. Like a gateway drug, this prompted me to read more of the site, and begin following other writers as well. Soon I was listening to three different podcasts, and reading reviews of various writers. The podcasts especially have helped me through many days of work over the past few years.

For those that may not know, shortly after the first of the year 1UP, which was formerly part of Ziff Davis publications, was bought by UGO, and half to two thirds of the editorial staff was let go. This included everyone that was involved in the creation of The 1UP Show, which if you haven't seen, I highly recommend, and the closing of EGM magazine, which was just shy of it's 20th anniversery.

I was down for weeks because of this. I know that I have never actually met any of these people, but after listening to their voices week after week, I feel like I'm watching this happen to my best freinds. Even so, as the former staff themselves said, this is not the end.

The last few confirmations of this have trickled in over the last week:
Philip Koller, Nick Suttner, and Anthony Gallegos have started the site Eat-Sleep-Game, and have reformed the 1UP FM podcast into the Rebel FM podcast.

A plethora of other former 1UP staff members have started the Geekbox podcast at geekbox.net.

Now, the final missing 'cast has resurfaced. All the members formerly involved in The 1UP Show have started Area 5, which has just launched with the new CO-OP videocast. At least for the time being, it is being offered for free.

All of the people involved in these projects are very talented, and their sites and various 'casts most definitely deserve a look. If you are interested in videogames, hardcore gamer or not, give them a listen (or watch).