105 GOT GAME Introduction Planet of the Rotting Minds? Computer Space 1970 Magnavox Odyssey 1972 Pong 1972 A Brief History of Video Games - Part 1 Death Race 1976 Atari Space Invaders 1978 Asteroids 1979 Pac-Man 1980 Donkey Kong 1981 Vectrex D Imager 1983

106 GOT GAME Introduction Planet of the Rotting Minds? Nintendo NES 1985 Nintendo GameBoy 1989 Mortal Kombat 1991 A Brief History of Video Games - Part 2 Doom 1993 Entertainment Software Rating Board 1994 Sony PlayStation 1994 Pokémon 1996 The Sims 2000 Grand Theft Auto 1998 Nintendo VirtualBoy 1994 Sony PS2 2000

107 GOT GAME Introduction Planet of the Rotting Minds? A Brief History of Video Games - Part 3 Metroid Prime 2002 Microsoft Xbox 2001 Halo 2001 Guitar Hero 2005 Nintendo DS 2004 Sony PSP 2005 Microsoft Xbox Sony PS Nintendo Wii 2006 Bioshock 2007 Worlds of Warcraft 2001

108 GOT GAME Introduction Planet of the Rotting Minds? Do Video Games Rot The Mind? The Mind-Rotting School of Thought Video games... Confine children to game rules that deprive children of independent thought and experimentation Promote social isolation Divert attention from more productive activities, such as studying, exercise, and work An Alternative Interpretation

109 GOT GAME Chapter One Space Invader Who Plays Video Games?

110 GOT GAME Chapter Two Sex, Violence, and Stereotypes Game Violence Does violence in games cause violence in real life? Concern is expressed… The game industry responds… 1993: Congressional hearings decry the graphic violence in video games like “Night Trap” and “Mortal Kombat”, with threats to impose federal regulations on the industry. 1994: The self-regulatory Entertainment Software Ratings Board is set up to apply and enforce ratings, advertising guidelines, and on-line privacy principles. Video game revenue has doubled in the past decade, demonstrating the pervasive influence of games. Violent juvenile crime has decreased by half during that same time interval. Federal, state, and local attempts to regulate video game access have greatly increased in recent years. Courts have overwhelmingly ruled that such regulation violates free speech & lacks supporting evidence.

111 GOT GAME Chapter Two Sex, Violence, and Stereotypes The ESRB Ratings EARLY CHILDHOOD (EC) Titles rated EC have content that may be suitable for ages 3 and older. Contains no material that parents would find inappropriate. EVERYONE (E) Titles rated E have content that may be suitable for ages 6 and older. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language. EVERYONE 10+ (E10+ Titles rated E10 have content that may be suitable for ages 10 and older. Titles in this category may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes. TEEN (T) Titles rated T have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language. MATURE Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language. ADULTS ONLY Titles rated AO (Adults Only) have content that should only be played by persons 18 years and older. Titles in this category may include prolonged scenes of intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and nudity.

112 GOT GAME Chapter Two Sex, Violence, and Stereotypes Game Addiction What is the distinction between excess, dependence, and addiction? Excess: Playing games beyond a reasonable limit (e.g., late night marathon sessions) Dependence: Continuing to play despite clear detrimental effects (e.g., falling grades, missing work) Addiction: Physiological craving that goes beyond mental or psychological dependence

113 GOT GAME Chapter Two Sex, Violence, and Stereotypes Game Diversity: Who Makes The Games?

114 GOT GAME Chapter Two Sex, Violence, and Stereotypes Game Diversity: Who Are The Game Characters?

115 GOT GAME Chapter Two Sex, Violence, and Stereotypes International Censorship Some countries are more restrictive than others, banning certain games. Australia Any game that cannot receive a rating of MA15+ or lower is banned. Violence and sexual explicitness are the principal problems. Banned games have included all Grand Theft Auto versions. China The lack of computer ownership makes online gaming at Internet cafes popular. The government restricts gamers to three hours of consecutive play, followed by five hour breaks. Germany The “Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young People” reviews games for indecent, violent, crime-inducing, or racist content and restricts or bans their sale. Japan Objections are raised about violent games with no ethical rationale. Recently, the main problem has been games that depict violent sexual acts.

116 GOT GAME Chapter Three Not The Real World What Needs Do Video Games Satisfy? Physiological Safety Social Esteem Fulfillment A recent medical study (Archives of Surgery, 2/2007) indicates that surgeons who played video games in excess of 3 hours per week made 37% fewer errors and were 27% faster in laparoscopic surgeries. A recent psychology study (Psychological Science, 10/2007) indicates that females who played action video games in excess of 4 hours per week significantly closed the gap with males with respect to spatial cognition skills (such as the mental rotation task above).

117 GOT GAME Chapter Four Want ‘Tude With That? Game Genres Action Games Known as “twitch games” because the skills that are tested are reaction time and hand-eye coordination under pressure, they include shooters as well as such non-shooter games as Pac-Man, Sonic The Hedgehog, and Frogger. Strategy Games Offshoots of traditional board games, strategy games tend to be turn-based and to have a set of straightforward rules. Adventure Games An adventure game is an interactive story about a character who is controlled by the player.

118 GOT GAME Chapter Four Want ‘Tude With That? Abstract Games By using abstract geometric shapes, some games permit the user to escape reality completely, rather than entering a virtual reality that is analogous to the real world.

119 GOT GAME Chapter Four Want ‘Tude With That? Casual Gamers Vs. Core Gamers What distinguishes the casual gamer from the core gamer? As the core game market becomes saturated, game companies have begun to look beyond their traditional audiences and to target casual gamers.

120 GOT GAME Chapter Four Want ‘Tude With That? Gamer Attention Span