Comments on: Rejecting the Free Pass http://microscopiq.com/2007/07/rejecting-the-free-pass/ art • games • change Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:04:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Jason http://microscopiq.com/2007/07/rejecting-the-free-pass/comment-page-1/#comment-11012 Jason Wed, 04 Jul 2007 15:45:01 +0000 http://microscopiq.com/2007/07/rejecting-the-free-pass/#comment-11012 Interesting point on seeing the whole spectrum of life play out. Certainly, seeing everything as connected is essential to feeling that you can and should attempt to impact that balance. It would be great to see a game that highlights the strength of collective action and the breakdowns that happen when folks turn off because they don't see anyone else bothering. I know the SimCity games (and their ilk) have a good deal about garbage collecting but I wonder if other games have gone further. And I certainly agree that interactive entertainment can play a powerful role in helping folks reflect on their actions. <a href="http://www.afmpgame.com/" rel="nofollow">A Force More Powerful</a> is a game that teaches about about methods for non-violent social change -- turning popular opinion, and the like. Maybe some of the ideas there could be adapted. Another place technology (social software, in particular) could help is by enabling and encouraging activism. One way to do this is by helping folks find causes that they can connect with and using social incentives (connections with others who have similar interests) to encourage their continued participation and pull in new folks as well. Peer pressure isn't always a bad thing. Thanks for the pointer on the game dress-up article in the Times. Entertaining stuff. In-game ads and product placement is one of those things that folks have been expecting to take off revenue-wise for some time but it hasn't happened yet. Still, the fashion marketing professor's point that kids' real life choices may ultimately mirror choices they make in a game is an interesting one. I imagine there can be some good in that if parents take the opportunity to teach their kids about the consequences of certain choices. Personally, I'm more interested in online worlds where players can make items and sell (or give) them to each other. I find it endlessly entertaining when the little guy can design clothes and items that are more popular than what those high-end designers create. Something about sticking it to The Man, I guess. :-) Interesting point on seeing the whole spectrum of life play out. Certainly, seeing everything as connected is essential to feeling that you can and should attempt to impact that balance.

It would be great to see a game that highlights the strength of collective action and the breakdowns that happen when folks turn off because they don’t see anyone else bothering. I know the SimCity games (and their ilk) have a good deal about garbage collecting but I wonder if other games have gone further. And I certainly agree that interactive entertainment can play a powerful role in helping folks reflect on their actions. A Force More Powerful is a game that teaches about about methods for non-violent social change — turning popular opinion, and the like. Maybe some of the ideas there could be adapted.

Another place technology (social software, in particular) could help is by enabling and encouraging activism. One way to do this is by helping folks find causes that they can connect with and using social incentives (connections with others who have similar interests) to encourage their continued participation and pull in new folks as well. Peer pressure isn’t always a bad thing.

Thanks for the pointer on the game dress-up article in the Times. Entertaining stuff. In-game ads and product placement is one of those things that folks have been expecting to take off revenue-wise for some time but it hasn’t happened yet. Still, the fashion marketing professor’s point that kids’ real life choices may ultimately mirror choices they make in a game is an interesting one. I imagine there can be some good in that if parents take the opportunity to teach their kids about the consequences of certain choices.

Personally, I’m more interested in online worlds where players can make items and sell (or give) them to each other. I find it endlessly entertaining when the little guy can design clothes and items that are more popular than what those high-end designers create. Something about sticking it to The Man, I guess. :-)

]]> By: Aparna Pappu http://microscopiq.com/2007/07/rejecting-the-free-pass/comment-page-1/#comment-10901 Aparna Pappu Tue, 03 Jul 2007 14:07:28 +0000 http://microscopiq.com/2007/07/rejecting-the-free-pass/#comment-10901 I think one of the reasons for rampant consumerism is suburban living. Since we moved from the city I have realized that not having the whole spectrum of life played out in front of you on the streets every day can leave room for feeling empty, disconnected from 'everyone else'. One way to make yourself believe that you are doing something, that you are connected to other people is through buying. You go to the mall/shop/whatever. You buy your trinket/lawn mower/shelf/tv as seen in a magazine/tv etc and feel like you are participating in 'life'. Instead of seeing a play. listening to music. going for a walk and seeing real live people. When you live in the city a) your apartment is too small for too much consumerism b) flippancy aside i do believe that actually seeing the homeless guy on the corner, seeing people from all income levels (the super, the guy yelling jesus on the street corner, the guy selling bootlegged dvds) makes you realize how fortunate you are to have as much as you do. maybe on a subconscious level. theater, art plays a vital role in feeling your smallness too. so if we can get technology to make you realize your incredible smallness in this world maybe you can realize that buying that 52 inch tv is NOT going to make you feel any better its just going to postpone the inevitable. i would love to see a game that visualizes (like the brilliant human ball clip) the impact of a single person not recycling/reusing for instance. lets say you throw something out. neighbour sees it and says well if he's not bothering. and so on and on. maybe that will make people realize that every little action has its consequences and everything is interconnected. no idea. random early morning ranting. PS was fully expecting to see commentary on the NYTimes sunday article on the amount of time gamers spend dressing their avatars - what do you make of that? I think one of the reasons for rampant consumerism is suburban living. Since we moved from the city I have realized that not having the whole spectrum of life played out in front of you on the streets every day can leave room for feeling empty, disconnected from ‘everyone else’. One way to make yourself believe that you are doing something, that you are connected to other people is through buying. You go to the mall/shop/whatever. You buy your trinket/lawn mower/shelf/tv as seen in a magazine/tv etc and feel like you are participating in ‘life’.
Instead of seeing a play. listening to music. going for a walk and seeing real live people.
When you live in the city
a) your apartment is too small for too much consumerism
b) flippancy aside i do believe that actually seeing the homeless guy on the corner, seeing people from all income levels (the super, the guy yelling jesus on the street corner, the guy selling bootlegged dvds) makes you realize how fortunate you are to have as much as you do. maybe on a subconscious level. theater, art plays a vital role in feeling your smallness too.
so if we can get technology to make you realize your incredible smallness in this world maybe you can realize that buying that 52 inch tv is NOT going to make you feel any better its just going to postpone the inevitable.
i would love to see a game that visualizes (like the brilliant human ball clip) the impact of a single person not recycling/reusing for instance. lets say you throw something out. neighbour sees it and says well if he’s not bothering. and so on and on. maybe that will make people realize that every little action has its consequences and everything is interconnected.
no idea. random early morning ranting.
PS was fully expecting to see commentary on the NYTimes sunday article on the amount of time gamers spend dressing their avatars - what do you make of that?

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