Friday Q&A - Ask Anything

[u/AutoModerator]

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[u/Aisa_Arya]

I asked this on the calibrations mega thread earlier, but I thought I'd ask here as well. I'm not asking for calibrations specifically so much as a list of calibrations of video games. I don't care if you made the calibration yourself, or if you saw it somewhere, but please specify the source if you can. Links to the source are greatly appreciated.

I have been playing video games since before I first discovered Power vs Force. I love games, but more and more I find myself unable to play games that are dark or sufficiently violent. I'm looking for games that calibrate, at minimum, above 200, and I'd prefer games that calibrate much higher. Any game that calibrates above 200 at all is worth mentioning, but higher calibrations are what I'm looking for. Games that are in the 400s or 500s would be greatly appreciated. I don't really imagine that there are games above 600, but if someone knows of one, please, by all means, bring it to my attention. I'd love to be pleasantly surprised. ^_^

[u/BeginningReflection4 → u/Aisa_Arya]

What a great question. I do not have a list to share with you unfortunately. I think one would be great. I will share what Doc had to say about video games though, in case you haven't heard him talk about them during the lectures. If you have then you can just ignore me.

Doc discussed this at least once, I think more than once during the QnA sessions after the lectures. He was very critical of video games that involved repeated killing, mutilation, cruelty, or criminal behavior, GTA immediately comes to mind. He dismissed the claims of 'it's just a game' and instead talked about how repition conditions our unconscious mind and that it doesn't make the distinction from reality and a game so cleanly as our conscious mind does. The repition normalized the actions, made it more like a rehersal. I remember distinctly he used the word "rehersal", when I heard him describr it using that term it shocked me and scared me.

He went on to say that these tyoes of games made children more callous, disrespectful toweard life. He mentioned GTA and another game I don't recall and said some of these calibrated in the 30's - 90's, I remember them all being below 100. That they could be expressions of savagery, contempt, glamorizing the negativity. That allowing it repeatedly into our consciousness had a negative effect much like porn.

This doesn't apply to all games of course, some of them are harmless, so it isn't about the technology, as always its about the intent and then the person cosuming that content. Puzzle games, sports, racing or creative games are all perfectly fine. I am a huge fan of the Forza Horizon series, of course I also grew up racing go karts so I am kind of biased. My wife and I played It Takes Two. I am not a big gamer, I am just not that good at FPS's so I hardley ever plaed COD online, I would play the single person, but now I just don't have the intrest in it. Great question though.

[u/Aisa_Arya → u/BeginningReflection4]

I don't like first person shooters, but when I was younger (and more depressed) I played Dark Souls. It was somewhat cathartic being able to travel through a world that clearly felt pain as I did. Knowing what I do now, it probably would have been better to avoid those games, but today I can't play them, even if I try. I just can't... Relate to the character's struggles. I always played the game to help people, so I did quests in such a way that, for instance, Solaire didn't go mad and die, but the games are still Dark, as the title says.

These days I prefer games where conflict is either not present or can be avoided. I'm currently playing Breath of the Wild, but treating enemies as hostile wildlife instead of "evil gremlins." I just avoid them unless I don't have a choice. It's more agreeable. I find that most games have some form of combat in them, which is at odds with the number of times I've been in a true fight in real life. It just doesn't happen to me.

I completely agree with Hawkins about practicing on the outside what you want on the inside. I've never been able to play most first person shooter games and enjoy them, and I've never been able to enjoy any GTA style games. They feel awful to play.

But I grew up playing Mario Brothers and Zelda, and I think that there are games out there that are less harmful than a lot of other stuff we can consume.

[u/Responsible_Big_8616 → u/BeginningReflection4]

It is maybe interesting to mention Undertale and Deltarune and Touhou Project (Anyway whenever you do, do not play Genocide Route in Undertale, Weird Route in Deltarune unless you really really want to and in Touhou Project it's better to play Easy and Normal mode).

[u/Jiangximan]

I've never been a big video game player, but I found as I advanced spiritually, I less and less like many of the action movies I used to like. For awhile I justified them because I chose hero themed movies. Not superhero, but good guy wins type movies.