Shagz
New Member
Rap, parents, co-opting gamer culture, etc...
Original thread
Figured there was enough to talk about under this topic that we could break it out into another thread...
Problem is I had this big post to continue the discussion but I hit a link by mistake and I've lost it all. Ah well, it'll force me to be more concise this time around.
re: Rap...why do you think MCs are always talking about trying to save the soul of hip hop?
That section of the music and culture has certainly gone down a dark, violent path, away from where it started in the Bronx as good time party music. Rock and Roll did that, nothing new there. What gets me though is that rap has become the dominant form of pop music and pop culture in the world today, and the artists that are part of that machine aren't taking responsibility for the power that they hold. Instead of doing good stuff and trying the change the world, they're rapping about violent, hateful topics, lost in a bling bling fantasty gangsta world that the suburban kids who eat stuff up love but have no real knowledge of. Ugh. Give me my K-Os, Tribe, Digable Planets, Pete Rock, Dialated Peoples, People Under the Stairs, The Streets, Soul Providers, The Roots, Blackalicious, Jurassic 5...at least those guys are putting some positive thought over their beats.
re: parents...I'm not one, but in defense of parents, I'd say it's pretty hard to be a parent these days and protect your kids from outside, negative influences. Marketers are a crafty, insidious bunch (no offense meant, but their job really is to get inside people's heads and sell them stuff), and they're better armed, financially and media savy-wise, to influece someone's kid then a parent would be...*if* the parent isn't involved with the kid. I don't think it's hopeless, but I definitely think a parent has to work harder today then they did several years ago because they're competeing with several communication points that they don't have much control over (cell phones, internet, etc.) and a marketing machine that's had years and years to sharpen it's weapons.
From a different angle, yes, parents, take responsibility for your kids and get involved in their lives, but everybody else, HELP parents do their job. If the video game industry is going to self-regulate, then take it seriously. There should be proper fines in place if a store sells an M-rated game to someone who's under age. The stores and the industry shouldn't do the job of the parent, but they should certainly abide by the rules that they've set out for themselves.
And developers should take responsibility for the content they're creating. If violence/sex/whatever serves the story, that's one thing, but if it's just violence for violence's sake (ex. Manhunt)...come on. Will the world be any richer because you've made that game?
Totally agree. All of my friends think that it's gotten right out of hand with the amount of sex that's being plastered around, and this is regardless of their religious beliefs. Just like the violence in video games, it's one thing to use sexiness to sell product because it actually makes sense, but using sex just for sex's sake, in a place where it doesn't belong, it's just being socially irresponsible, or at the least, unimaginative and lazy. (See those "Go Daddy" super bowl ads) Even when it does make sense, they should pull it back. Great ok, if I use Axe body spray, the ladies won't be able to resist me. You don't have to use a jackhammer to illustrate that point. (Although I have it on good authority that Axe "smells cheap" and won't be getting you within 10 ft of any girl )
As for the sexifying of video games...where the heck did that come from? Who's bright idea was that? I suppose it has to do with that statistic that said that 18-34 males (the oh so coveted slice of the populace) has stopped watching TV in favour of video games and the internet. In order to get males back to TV, they go the quickest, laziest route they can go, and that's to use sex. Just showing game movies and screenshots 'n whatever on the TV...not good enough. You can get that on the internet, you need something on TV that's bigger, better, so you get celebrities, music, sexy good looking people who are models, not gamers, etc. Multiply that thinking by the general "Maxim"-izing of male-centric media/ads/products and you have what we have today. (Not that Maxim is entirely to blame - they actually started out as a very cool men's magazine with really interesting articles - but then somebody upped the anty and it just became all about how little the girls were wearing )
hmmmm...think I ranted on too long there. If you made it this far, congratulations!! +1 to your patience attribute.
Original thread
Figured there was enough to talk about under this topic that we could break it out into another thread...
Problem is I had this big post to continue the discussion but I hit a link by mistake and I've lost it all. Ah well, it'll force me to be more concise this time around.
re: Rap...why do you think MCs are always talking about trying to save the soul of hip hop?
That section of the music and culture has certainly gone down a dark, violent path, away from where it started in the Bronx as good time party music. Rock and Roll did that, nothing new there. What gets me though is that rap has become the dominant form of pop music and pop culture in the world today, and the artists that are part of that machine aren't taking responsibility for the power that they hold. Instead of doing good stuff and trying the change the world, they're rapping about violent, hateful topics, lost in a bling bling fantasty gangsta world that the suburban kids who eat stuff up love but have no real knowledge of. Ugh. Give me my K-Os, Tribe, Digable Planets, Pete Rock, Dialated Peoples, People Under the Stairs, The Streets, Soul Providers, The Roots, Blackalicious, Jurassic 5...at least those guys are putting some positive thought over their beats.
re: parents...I'm not one, but in defense of parents, I'd say it's pretty hard to be a parent these days and protect your kids from outside, negative influences. Marketers are a crafty, insidious bunch (no offense meant, but their job really is to get inside people's heads and sell them stuff), and they're better armed, financially and media savy-wise, to influece someone's kid then a parent would be...*if* the parent isn't involved with the kid. I don't think it's hopeless, but I definitely think a parent has to work harder today then they did several years ago because they're competeing with several communication points that they don't have much control over (cell phones, internet, etc.) and a marketing machine that's had years and years to sharpen it's weapons.
From a different angle, yes, parents, take responsibility for your kids and get involved in their lives, but everybody else, HELP parents do their job. If the video game industry is going to self-regulate, then take it seriously. There should be proper fines in place if a store sells an M-rated game to someone who's under age. The stores and the industry shouldn't do the job of the parent, but they should certainly abide by the rules that they've set out for themselves.
And developers should take responsibility for the content they're creating. If violence/sex/whatever serves the story, that's one thing, but if it's just violence for violence's sake (ex. Manhunt)...come on. Will the world be any richer because you've made that game?
Shagz, a lot of research (and not just Christian research) has shown that people are sick of seeing sex where it just doesn't belong. If you lurk the G4 forums as I have, you will be pleasantly surprised at the number of people complaining that there is too much sex and not enough games on their channel, and I agree with that totally
Totally agree. All of my friends think that it's gotten right out of hand with the amount of sex that's being plastered around, and this is regardless of their religious beliefs. Just like the violence in video games, it's one thing to use sexiness to sell product because it actually makes sense, but using sex just for sex's sake, in a place where it doesn't belong, it's just being socially irresponsible, or at the least, unimaginative and lazy. (See those "Go Daddy" super bowl ads) Even when it does make sense, they should pull it back. Great ok, if I use Axe body spray, the ladies won't be able to resist me. You don't have to use a jackhammer to illustrate that point. (Although I have it on good authority that Axe "smells cheap" and won't be getting you within 10 ft of any girl )
As for the sexifying of video games...where the heck did that come from? Who's bright idea was that? I suppose it has to do with that statistic that said that 18-34 males (the oh so coveted slice of the populace) has stopped watching TV in favour of video games and the internet. In order to get males back to TV, they go the quickest, laziest route they can go, and that's to use sex. Just showing game movies and screenshots 'n whatever on the TV...not good enough. You can get that on the internet, you need something on TV that's bigger, better, so you get celebrities, music, sexy good looking people who are models, not gamers, etc. Multiply that thinking by the general "Maxim"-izing of male-centric media/ads/products and you have what we have today. (Not that Maxim is entirely to blame - they actually started out as a very cool men's magazine with really interesting articles - but then somebody upped the anty and it just became all about how little the girls were wearing )
hmmmm...think I ranted on too long there. If you made it this far, congratulations!! +1 to your patience attribute.
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