Video Games

I am biased, I'll admit, but this is still an opinion that needs to be heard.

Video Games are important!

In literature, it is possible to tell the difference between a well-written book and a poorly written one. A classic can be distinguished from a weak effort. A novel truly written from the heart should be distinguished from one written purely as a commercial venture. Certain works of literature have stood the test of time and become an accepted part of our culture, history, and education.

Visual arts, cinema, music, architecture...any of the creative pursuits of the human mind can be examined for excellence (or lack thereof) in the same way. Video games are no exception to this, but they are often overlooked as mind-numbing wastes of time, petty entertainment for the generation with the shortest attention span in human history.

These criticisms may be valid, and they may explain the uniqueness of video games as compared to other creative efforts, but I forbid you to overlook them as valuable creative works. If time, energy, and mental effort is put into making an excellent video game, not as a simple commercial venture, but in an attempt to create a unique experience, then excellence can be derived from playing said video game, and it is as worthwhile a pursuit as reading a great novel, viewing a classic painting, or watching a time-honored work of cinematic genius. Alright not quite as worthwhile, I'll admit. But way more worthwhile than public opinion will allow.

And I don't think one should play video games who sole purpose is senseless violence anymore than one would read a book entirely about serial killing or watch a movie devoted to the same subject. There can be some value in these works, but one must also draw a line as far as what is acceptable to take in - this is a personal choice so if you would like to watch Son of Sam and play Grand Theft Auto I will not fault you. Grand Theft Auto is an incredibly well-made video game and deserves respect for that, but like the music of Metallica, that excellence carries with it some serious baggage that may be unacceptable to many. But just like you would be foolish to judge all music (or even all heavy metal) by the measure of Metallica, you would be blind deaf and stupid to assume that all video games are anything like GTA3.

Mega Man 2. That's what I'm talking about. Go find an old NES 8-bit system (not the Gamecube you 12 year old n00b, not the Super Nintendo even - the old gray and black rectangle, with an equally boxy controller, only two buttons). And find Mega Man 2. This is the greatest video game ever created. Yes the entire purpose of the game is shooting and destroying enemies. But they are bad guys. They are not cops or innocent pedestrians or prostitutes. They are menacing robotic enemies sent to threaten humanity's future by the evil Dr. Wily. And only Mega Man, half-robot half-human creation of the inherently good Dr. Light, can save the world. Mega Man's right arm consists of a GUN from the elbow forward. This gun shoots relatively simple energy blasts until you complete one of the 8 levels. Not only can you select to complete the levels in any order you choose, but when you get to the end of a level, having passed all its unique hazards and relentless enemies, you are locked into a room for some one-on-one, toe-to-toe, mano-a-roboto combat with the Robot Master of the level. Air Man, Metal Man, Crash Man, Wood Man, Bubble Man, Heat Man, Flash Man, and Quick Man (yes that was from memory). Each with a unique weapon that you earn upon defeating them. Then you can switch the capability of your Arm Cannon from one weapon to the other. And each Robot Master has a weakness to one other Robot Master's weapon. Heat Man is easily defeated by the weapon you win from Bubble Man. Quick Man's health slowly drains if you stop time using the Flash Stopper from Flas Man. So you have to know the right order to take on the levels, to collect each weapon in the order you need to use it to beat the next boss, so on and so forth.

I could literally go on all day about this game, but you need to go play it for yourself. The controls are not hard, there are only two buttons and a four-way cross directional pad to deal with.

Let me also say that if you like racing games, you should be playing Initial D. Based off a japanese manga (comic book) and anime (animated tv show) by the same name, the game revolves around japanese teens who race their souped-up cars up and down twisting mountain roads. This game is far more technical than most race games out there. You will actually use the brake pedal, and downshift several times during the course of a given race. Or you will lose pathetically and get frustrated and look like an idiot. I will say this game has a steep learning curve but it's totally worth it - and if you like it at all, you can purchase (for the price of an extra game) a memory card that keeps track of your progress and any modifications you make to your car. I own four of these memory cards.

Annnnyhow, take a second look at video games as worthwihle mental and cultural pursuits. If you need help getting started in this venture, I'd be more than happy to discuss it with you. My e-mail address is fizxwestcott@gmail.com