A more impressive HD version | The YouTube version for iPhone | If you own an Xbox 360 and an HDTV download it from Live for the best version
The trailer above shows off the breathtaking dynamic beauty of the upcoming fantasy action title Prince Of Persia, just one of many games today that showcase how far this media has come aesthetically, intellectually, conceptually, culturally, socially, politically, and commercially. As a medium games today command a projected $62 billion dollar global market, directly competing with other industries like movies, music, and television. But games and the technology they use can also move beyond their value as entertainment to such realms as medicine and military use, and are steadily revealing potential psychological, physical, emotional and intellectual benefits (EDIT: link added 8/19/08).
Video games have been getting such a bad rap for years. The stigma, I believe, has much to do with misunderstanding, and an ignorance of what such a media represents in terms of cultural, social, political, and commercial possibilities, progress, and benefits. It also has a lot do with generational gaps, which influence often perceived associations of video games with useless juvenile preoccupations, irresponsible behaviour, obesity, and violent crimes. Interestingly there have been as of yet absolutely no conclusive scientific evidence of direct connections between games and delinquency and crime, most accusations are based anecdotally.
Those who grew up in the 40s, 50s, 60s and sometimes as recently as the 1970s often forget that the things they themselves enjoyed as youths also suffered the contempt of a previous generation that didn't understand and hence feared those things - jazz, rock n roll music, miniskirts, the hippie movement. Even television and radio, once upon a time, was vehemently looked down on by staid types who would rather inform and entertain themselves reading books and nothing but. And yet even books and literacy themselves were once disdained.
A 15 minute developer walkthrough of Bioshock explaining concepts, ideas, philosophy | Here's the iPhone friendly YouTube version | Again, you can view this in its most glorious downloaded from Live to your Xbox 360
I can just imagine a quick witted 20-something geek playing the philosophically and ethically inquisitive Bioshock on his Xbox 360 in the living room when his grandfather or uncle walks by and gives him hell for it.
"You're wasting your time playing those video games. You should be reading or something instead of screwing around with a murder simulator."
"Grandpa, what can you tell me about the philosophy of capitalism according to Objectivist ideas? What about morality and individual choices and self betterment at all costs versus altruistic obligations?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Well, this game I'm playing actually explores all those ideas and forces you to think. Didn't you study those things back in school? You know, political philosophy, individual rights and freedoms and how far they can extend in terms of ethical boundaries?"
"Are you serious? A video game can do that?"
"Well, yeah. Now it can. By the way, grandpa, I think I know why you don't know anything about what I've been talking about. You were too busy dancing to rock n roll music back then and getting yelled at by your parents for it. Let me guess, they said something like, 'You're wasting your time listening to that crap. You should be reading or something instead of screwing around with the music of the devil'. You were, like, my age or younger, right?"
"......."
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