ideo games don’t need to be violent in order to be successful

It is an everlasting debate (more like 20 years), since the 1990s video games have gotten noticeably more violent and gory. Politicians, parents, and gamers argue the effects that they are having on youth, however there may a more simple approach to all of this. Have we ever really considered the possibility of going without the violence? Games without slaying and pillaging? I am writing this article to provoke the idea of these games without violence taking over.

Who doesn’t love a good shooter game, it gets all of that adrenalin going through your body, and real life can just be so slow. Ya, that’s nice when your 10, but oddly enough a good section of the video game market is women, of course the video game companies never consider them and cater to a younger male audience. Women often find these games offensive or just too gory when they want to play games. And so ya, because of how much of the market they represent I think that the companies would do much better without the violence.

If we took it to an extreme and completely eliminated these games non-violent games would emerge, taking over. Still games like Sims or Pong (I know it’s old but there are a lot like it) are very popular and cater to all audiences (not just what some guy thinks they are). Make me a game with no violence, a good story, good graphics and good handling I’ll buy it. But no big companies really go to complete the mission. Some companies will have a non violent, good game but then they’ll come out with some absurd murderous game. If the creators of some of the major games really just stopped they could focus on how to make games that have a good message and a good plot.

Since video games began to get more and more violent starting in the 1990s the sales have spiked by billions in revenue. Then again maybe there are many, many different ideas that could sell that haven’t been thought of yet. There are over 11 countries with sales at or over 1 billion dollars, if that doesn’t make you quiver maybe this will, 1 billion is 1000 million, 10000 hundred thousands, 100000 ten thousands, 1000000 thousands, 10000000 hundreds, and the number itself is 1 000 000 000  and that’s at least. 

There are a lot of violent video games that are very unpopular, some include: lone soldier, clay fighter, and rise of the robots. Just because you stick some violence in there doesn’t make a good game. And losing a tiny fraction of the market to gaining about a third more customers isn’t such a bad trade off when it’s on this level. In conclusion I’d like to say that video game companies could definitely survive without the violence and still get a very high revenue.

Work cited

Staff, videogamer Top 10: Most horrifically bad video games.  2007   may 3 2011 videogamer.com/features/articles/01-11-2007-180.html     

Ford, Allison Gaming Without Gore: Four Non-Violent Video Games. 2006-11 may 2 2011 http://www.divinecaroline.com/22316/72078-gaming-gore-four-non-violent-video

wikia video game industry. 2008 may 2 2011                                                               http://vgsales.wikia.com/wiki/Video_game_industry

reading response

title:We need to talk about what we shouldn't do
author: Mr. Tucker
genre: response
URL: http://tuckerteacher.wordpress.com/2011/04/20/we-need-to-talk-about-what-we-shouldnt-do/


This post was created in a sudden response to 2 twitter posts, one of those by our old friend Mr. Lee. They both stated that we should be focusing on the positive points of using social media tools like twitter for learning. Mr. Tucker However was not so positive with this. He immediately responded saying that instead we should preserve the 5 year old brains of children, not letting them be exposed to anything other than bunnies. This person's point is that they ended up doing poorly in using these tools due to unpreparedness.   Now that he has decided to give up at the beginning stages of his quest, he is discouraging the use of a great tool for learning to other educators who could make something of it.


I found this post while trolling through Mr. Lee's blog, the spicy learning blog and have spent a good portion of my weekend debating this topic with Mr. Tucker via his blog. It's quite fun actually, you can join the conversation at the above link. I hate when people take risks as a bad thing because they are how you succeed, in fact that's the only way (comment if you can think of another way). 


I also think that it's a bit annoying that he seems to think that the fact that he couldn't pull it off means that others can't. Look, if you didn't like school, no that 's a bad example, if you didn't do well at hockey practice but then said to a future hall of famer that there's no point, he may never aspire to that point.


I wonder why this person is so against technology in the classroom and what could of been so bad about using it that he won't even consider it.


No connections, but it does kind of remind me of the learning conferences that I do to where I act as a missionary and try to convert minds.


Go ahead and read the post and comment if you like, use different points of view to join in on the forever argument/conversation.

glog

http://yellow99.glogster.com/glog-9898-2650/

really was getting sick of the movement and stuff on the other glogs

reading response

title: The Maestro
author: Tim Wynne Jones
genre: novel
book


This book is about a 14 year old boy named Burl who grows up with his abusive father Cal. He really controls the household with his mother on drugs and him only a kid. One day Burl finally snaps for various reasons and runs away from his home and Cal. As he is running he witnesses a piano flying over him carried only by a rope and helicopter, he is curious and carries on. As he gets farther and farther away from his home he realizes that despite his survival knowledge he cannot survive out in the wild. While he is contemplating whether or not to go back he comes to his senses and hears a piano, then sees a cottage on the lake. He peers in the window to see a man playing the very piano that flew over him. Nathaniel Orlando Gow meets him and says that he has ruined his sanctuary but is surprised to find out that he has no clue to who he is. Turns out he's a huge super-star(I also did a little research and found out he's based on Glen Gould) who just wanted out of stardom. NOG as Burl calls him soon realizes that he must leave to go back to Toronto. But one fateful day Bea (who delivers supplies via plane) informs Burl that the Maestro has passed away (yet another nick name). Bea takes him in and hires him, in an attempt to get the cottage and save it Burl goes to Toronto claiming that he is the Maestro's son. He meets a friend of the Maestro who tells him that he should focus on saving the song that NOG was writing instead and then sadly you must read it for yourself.


I can guarantee that this section of parts I liked will be the shortest. Ya I liked hearing the fishing parts and the descriptions of the waters but who are we kidding that was just because I like nature.


Everything puzzled me, here's a short list:
- Who were the women in the first part of the book, they were mentioned and then never came back to them?
-Why did the maestro pay the last load with his credit card?
-How had no one discovered the abusive habits of Cal before?
-When did this take place?


I absolutely hated this book! It seemed to drone on forever, it had a thin and entertaining storyline with no meaning whatsoever. I appreciate what the author was trying to convey but this was just a poor way to write it.

reading response

title: Jonathan Livingston Seagull 
author: Richard Bach
genre: Philosophy


As you read last week I've now read Jonathan Livingston Seagull in it's entirety. By now Jonathan has met two gulls who seemingly transport him to "heaven" as Jon calls it. There he meets an elder gull named Chiang, Chiang explains to him that heaven is not a place but rather perfection in itself. Over weeks to come he is taught how to use is mind to transport him rather than his wings. When he returns he meets Fletch, a young, eager, ready to learn gull. Over weeks of training Fletch other gulls come to learn who have also been outcast. One day they all return hoping that others will see perfection and make it a quest of their own. A few gulls take the chance and are quickly and swiftly outcast from the flock. Soon there are new groups showing up all the time. And in the end.....?


My favourite part is probably the part when... seriously you want me to choose one? All of it is my favourite! I guess it was pretty cool considering the theory of just being pure thought and being able to go anywhere your mind wanted to, not being limited to just your body.


The only part I still question is why he actually left the flock? But now I think I have the answer, he realized that while they were contemplating whether or not to trust him he could be lifting the knowledge of others and learning, becoming closer to perfection himself.


I made a connection between me and Livingston's teaching. You see his whole thing is that it doesn't matter about your limitations just as long as you can believe in yourself and work. And that's kind of like me in the way that I am in constant pain in my legs and arm but I try my hardest in school and sports, I also don't tell a lot of people about it because I don't like them taking pity on me because then they try to stop me from doing things that I like since they don't understand.


Again I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for an inspiring, quick read.

poster

untitled

Untitled:

Chorus:

you don’t preach what you teach, how do you look in that reflective surface you call a mirror? speech don’t mean nothin’ now, you can say whatever made up words you want the teleprompter is just a guide and I don’t even think the truth is in your vocab,

verse 1:

you stole my soul away in the night, telling me that I couldn’t be anyone but somehow you could   oh I’m sorry did you just forget what words came out of that hole in your face you preach about as much as that atheist down the lane the world is crawling with you people you’d need Sherlock Holmes to find one who’s memory’s good

verse 2: 

I trust you now next minute I’m not too sure, people surround me I just can’t imagine what would happen if I trusted any of them maybe I’d end up as a hat on their pretty little head, hey you want to come over for dinner, hey did you hear that goats in the back row

verse 3:

you ruined my hopes and dreams and now they’re swimming in my now destroyed pool a rat has a better future than me, I don’t see a shiny future for you either now what was that chrome plated biography cover for again you see now I’m better than you and your gonna fade into non existence, no-one remembers that name of yours





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