September 2, 2007
Andrew Bub, aka Gamer Dad, held forth on the politics of video games at the recent Penny Arcade Expo.As reported by The Stranger (a Seattle indie newspaper):
Continuing the Expo's call-to-arms mentality, Andrew "GamerDad" Bub held court at the Politics In Gaming panel. Certainly, this was preaching to the choir at its finest, though his points were meant for an audience less hardcore than this one.
...Bub encouraged the crowd to do their part against lawmakers who badmouth the games industry: "Put aside the controller. Hell, it's wireless nowadays. Get out, educate yourself and vote."
He also pointed to the ECA, a lobby working to end the recent wave of anti-games legislation. Granted, he also was adamant, citing the First Amendment, that "no law will ever be passed that bans games," so...why bother? Perhaps the point isn't about the laws but about the reputation. Having been interviewed for a TV station's PAX coverage, Bub tuned in last night to find... no interview quotes about the changing face of gaming.
"They're reaching out to the old crowd that still watches late-night news," Bub says. "With those people, [to change the industry's reputation,] you have to be earnest..."
Andrew has a bit more news about his PAX experience on Gamer Dad.
Comments
Terry Pratchett put it best:
"People don't want news. News makes people uncomfortable. What they really want is OLDS."
They want to be reassured that the weather tomorrow will be nice, the war isn't directly affecting them, kids these days have no respect for their elders, and that new medium is still as "juvenile" as every other new medium.
EXACTLY!
They want to see the same stupid bullshit every day, and never see what is new and happening right now. They want reassurance in the form of an hour long newscast that tells them nothing about real events.
I think that EU-Capital post is spam...
To paraphrase Thompson from that book, most people would rather look at humorously shaped vegetables than read a lot of 'political stuff' or bother to go find things out for themselves.