RJ Ramblings

And now Uvalde, Texas .... and this time it's kids ... AGAIN! To paraphrase Pete Seeger in his poignant "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?": When will they ever FUCKING learn?

jester59388

I agree Larry. And as a black man, I found that I actually had to leave all of that behind some years ago. I'm not much of a prophet, but I could see the writing on the wall in some of the earliest "angry" posts that I found myself reading and trying not to respond to. I disconnected years ago and only share in much smaller circles, as we used to do. Of course this is all easier said than done at a time when all these companies want to do is suck you in and make money off of you. Racial, lifestyle and political hate are all you see and as long as a few people are getting rich off of the advertising, they aren't going to do anything to change who they are or what they do. Without a strong public movement, I don't know how we can do anything about that. On the FPS note: I used to play a game called War Thunder on Steam. It is essentially and MMO FPS that runs tanks, ships and aircraft through history from WW I to current Russia against NATO and the world scenarios. While I found it fun to play, recent events have caused me to stop and ultimately remove the game from my computer. The company the makes it is based in Russia. In a note to them, I have chosen not to support them (after what was probably thousands in Premium content purchases), since they have not come out against the war (or any war for that matter), and I will not take a chance on putting money into the pockets of anyone that may be supporting a war machine. Direct or indirect. Will it cause Russia to pull out of Ukraine? No. Do I sleep better knowing that I have made a choice not to support violence in any way? Stone cold yes! I am glad to be in the company of people who want to make a difference. As a guy who lately walks around feeling like a sitting duck, it does give me some hope. Hope that has been missing far too often lately. Thanks R.J. and everyone else for sharing your thoughts. Much love to everyone and stay safe out there no matter who you are!

dctoe

Well said.

dctoe

To go on a bit of a tangent... there's that scene in the movie Predator when after one of the platoon is killed, his friend sees the Predator (cloaked) and starts firing at it. The others show up, and it's a big firefight - all of them just unloading an insane amount of ammunition, mowing down the jungle in hopes of hitting "the enemy." Then, it goes quiet, the soldiers check... and they find that "We hit nothing!" On the DVD commentary, the director remarks about how he was trying to appease the producers who insisted on more action and gunplay (even after the huge battle that preceded this scene), while also trying to show a certain level of impotence in their weaponry, which is why in the end, they hit nothing. Then he says, "And they've repeated this scene in other movies, but they keep putting people in the way... and then they act shocked when something like Columbine happens." Of course, it is more nuanced than that - just as violence in movies and video games doesn't create violent people, I do agree that there is a certain level of responsibility on the part of producers and developers to realize the impact of such things. Naturally, we can't expect them to alter their products for fear of the small percentage in the audience that might react or be affected in such a way that it does incite them to violence... but societally and culturally speaking, I think they - as do we all - have to think about what we are doing to help prevent those awful things from happening, how we are addressing violence, how we address mental health, what are we doing for the greater benefit of people at large. It's difficult for sure, and I don't have an answer. I'm grateful that my parents helped to teach me certain values, while also allowing me to enjoy things as entertainment separate from reality; I was able to differentiate the two, but I know that there are those who can't (or won't). Same thing with porn; one can enjoy rough sex and violent fantasies, but when it becomes an issue of consent and abuse, then I think it's up to adult content creators to determine what they can do about that - having a disclaimer is a start, for sure. Brazzers removing certain scenes with certain performers due to allegations of actual misconduct, or even removing a whole series (Pornstar Punishment) that was devoted to these violent scenes... good on them, but again, it's only a start. I find myself not liking a lot of movies or TV shows these days because of the characters being reprehensible. My ex-girlfriend loved the show Nip/Tuck, but I couldn't watch it with her because after the first two-and-a-half seasons, I realized that I genuinely hated everybody in that show; so few redeeming qualities in any of them, and I couldn't stand that. We ultimately need more positivity in the world. Life should be fun, should be enjoyed. I enjoy Come Home because of its positive attitude and the fact that the characters are all good people. Thank you!

Ilker Yucel

I do have to say that I TRULY appreciate the fact that MC is an actual likable character. Come Home is one of the first adult games I started playing and it is still one of my favorites because of how likable MC and all of the other characters are. I can't even begin to count the number of promising looking games that I have put about 20 minutes into and went "Nope, MC is an asshole. I'm out." So thank you, RJ, for not making MC a bigger dick than the one in his pants. :D

Xiofett

Agree completely RJ. Any game that is tagged "shooter" or "FPS" is an instant pass for me. NOT INTERESTED. And I've felt that way since BEFORE Columbine. I've never understood the appeal. (I'll even avoid RPGs if I see there is a significant "combat" component.) The fact that easily 50% (or more) of all video games are shooters (based on my experience) is a sad commentary on our society. These games don't create these monsters, but I do think they validate their twisted evil perspective that mass slaughter is "fun". And a nod to @Larry Rau: Spot on, man! I learned the hard way a LONG time ago that being on Social Media is dangerous because there are some seriously evil f*ckers out there who take great glee in destroying your life. Just one reason (of many) I ONLY play single-player games. I DON'T want to "know" these people.

jester59388

Here's another thought: Twitter and the social media sites provide a vehicle for these sorry individuals to glorify their actions. One could always stop using said media. The world managed for a long time without TicTok, Twitter, Facebook etc.

Larry Rau

I am from Buffalo, it has impacted our community hard, we don't need something so tragic to look at each other and be nicer. It's shameful he drove from the other side of the state to here. I agree certain games cause desensitization toward killing people, some are way overly graphic. Our governor is now talking more gun control, but that's not an issue here, it's mental health. I don't want to rent but to see one of my favorite creators making a comment about it made my day thank you

I don't know what I can can add to the conversation , except to say I agree with what you said about FPS games and just avoiding them. Interesting also what you said about the Far Cry games-- brilliant artwork and design but what would happen if they designed a game without all the violent content, just an open world with things to do, but no body counts? I watched someone play the one about the Cult, and sometimes was just fascinated by the world-building, not the gratuitous and cartoonish killing. Positive energy, thoughts, etc.. are healthy for us (Immune system etc.) -- Best to you RJ! -Peace

Wowser6466

Hugs RJ! Being able to vent/ramble is a good thing. I can understand what you are saying as I have done that as well with books, games, films. As we grow older things change, it happens. I am from Connecticut and I have seen how people can be on both sides of atrocities like what recently happened in Buffalo. This was during the aftermath of Sandy Hook here. It is scary how desensitized we are as a nation to something like this because it happens so often now. I hope things get better soon for your sister, and that everything in your life keeps being positive, even with the hiccups that come along testing us daily! Peace and positive energy RJ

Shane Ducharme

Thank you for sharing this with us, I imagine it may have been a tough decision to talk about, especially knowing how sensitive a topic it can be. I've found myself in a similar boat on occasion, where real life events have turned me off a particular flavor of escapism (whether a game or movies/TV/books) if it hits too close to home. I'll even move away from games that deal with a particular illness if it's something a friend or loved one has recently been dealing with. You have to decide what your brain and heart can or can't handle in a given moment and act accordingly. Anyway, I'm sorry to hear your week was so stressful and I hope your sister will be okay.

Troy B.