This class has been very rigorous, and while I’ll be glad to lessen my workload, I’m sad to see it go. I’ve had fun with the material and seeing what my classmates have to say about the same things. For this, I’ll just focus on one presentation at a time.
Jen: Her presentation was about the difference of sexually explicit in games in the US and Japan. I know quite a bit about Japan, so what she found didn’t surprise me all that much. Still, it makes me sad. Really sad. I’m not even sure how to describe it. I know that people have their own tastes, but degrading women in such a fashion should never be condoned, especially by so many game makers. The real life treatment of women is not much better, and women are refusing or not even looking to partner up and get married because of the conditions. As for the connection to things we have studied already, I think the idea that video games is a male dominated hobby really strikes a cord with this topic. Because games are seen as male oriented, then people are almost less shocked that there would be such sexually explicit material available.
Jessica: Jessica’s blog was about horror game (a topic which I love dearly) so I was very excited to read it. I was also excited to see that she had taken an idea that I had previously written about, the uncanny in video games, and talked about it. She even referenced the same game that I did. She mentions me, and links to a blog that I did on the subject. Her presentation went into a great more detail than my puny blog did, and it’s really worth the read.
My own presentation was about the reason people may feel that games are worth decrying. Some reasons were social, others were psychological. But there are many reasons. Both of the blogs above may show some of the reasons, actually. With Jen’s topic, many parents may feel there is too much sexual content in video games to allow their children to play (although it’s not nearly as bad here as in Japan). With Jessica’s topic, horror or rather gore might be the deciding factor in not letting children play games, or dismissing them altogether.
Thanks, Allyssa. I appreciate your complements. I, too, share a love for horror, especially with the power the films have to frighten. That power fascinates me. I was impressed with the work you did this semester, and I always enjoyed following your blogs for their depth of analysis. Good luck this spring!