Mapleaxe
First Post
Go to http://www.npr.org/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=2&prgDate=5-Jan-2004 and check out the story "Commentary: Gamers Make Good Soldiers".
NPR Commentary about gamers as soldiers
- Thread starter Mapleaxe
- Start date
Silver Moon
Adventurer
I heard it yesterday on the radio. She made some rather interesting points, I especially liked the comment about how people who role play knights saving the world are a natural fit, but felt that she went way over the line after that in ways that I can't talk about here due to the no-politics rule.
Alzrius
The EN World kitten
Without being political, I can say I didn't particularly like that segment.
For one thing, this woman makes the erroneous assumption that just because gamers play "knights saving the world," that that's actually what we all want to be. Wrong. Her attitude there is another facet of this idea that the masses seem to have: that people can't really differentiate whats inside their head from whats outside of it.
I was downright insulted to hear that she thinks we're all wearing our +1 magical armor. Does she really think we think that just because our characters survive in the game (three words for you lady: Total Party Kill) that we won't be killed in a military conflict?
The entire tenor of that article was that gamers are intelligent enough to have the tactical mindset and planning to be soldiers, but too dumb to realize that fighting in actual combat was different from a game.
For one thing, this woman makes the erroneous assumption that just because gamers play "knights saving the world," that that's actually what we all want to be. Wrong. Her attitude there is another facet of this idea that the masses seem to have: that people can't really differentiate whats inside their head from whats outside of it.
I was downright insulted to hear that she thinks we're all wearing our +1 magical armor. Does she really think we think that just because our characters survive in the game (three words for you lady: Total Party Kill) that we won't be killed in a military conflict?
The entire tenor of that article was that gamers are intelligent enough to have the tactical mindset and planning to be soldiers, but too dumb to realize that fighting in actual combat was different from a game.
Last edited:
Flyspeck23
First Post
Those are bound the become terrorists, not soldiersViehl said:What about the people who play drow necromancers?
Honestly, this commentary is total crap. How young are these gamers she's talking about? 11??? (Ok, she tells us about a 19 year old, but still...)
"Ready for adventure"... yeah, sure...
shilsen
Adventurer
Krieg said:
Wow! That is totally the opposite of my experience. 6-12 maybe, but IMO you'd have to be a pretty dumb 16-22 y/o to fit that description. And I'm basing that on all those I grew up and studied with in India, and the ones I now teach in the US. Maybe I'm just meeting really smart ones.
Henry
Autoexreginated
I haven't seen the article yet, but based on comments here it seems she misses the most important point: Most gamers I know who are in the military are more interested in tactical and simulational games (a la wargames) and RPG play is another extension of this interest.
They don't play wargames to bone up on war, they play them to express their interest in tactical thinking & logistical exercises. It's an intellectual hobby that expresses both real-world interests and relaxation in a creative way. It's not a cause, it's an effect.
Most military and ex-military I've spoken with (both on the boards and off) have anywhere from a passing interest in logistics to full-blown hobby obsession. Comments about a group of players' lack of tactical sense are more likely in my experience to come from a military person who games than a gamer who is not associated with the military. One of my favorite quotes from fellow poster Arcady was, "I'm suprised that some players' characters ever made it to first level..."
They don't play wargames to bone up on war, they play them to express their interest in tactical thinking & logistical exercises. It's an intellectual hobby that expresses both real-world interests and relaxation in a creative way. It's not a cause, it's an effect.
Most military and ex-military I've spoken with (both on the boards and off) have anywhere from a passing interest in logistics to full-blown hobby obsession. Comments about a group of players' lack of tactical sense are more likely in my experience to come from a military person who games than a gamer who is not associated with the military. One of my favorite quotes from fellow poster Arcady was, "I'm suprised that some players' characters ever made it to first level..."
I liked it
I liked it, though even while listening I imagined an insulted response on ENWorld. But it's not a piece about gamers, and shouldn't be looked at that way; it's a piece about young men willing to go to war, <i>told through their interest in gaming</i>. The few jabs at gamers are done fondly, from my perspective; the speaker even describes herself as an 'aging gamer girl' (IIRC) and seems to know what she's talking about.
And it certainly portrays the 19-year-old in a positive light, knowingly going somewhere he might die so he can help his friends in a war he doesn't believe in.
I liked it, though even while listening I imagined an insulted response on ENWorld. But it's not a piece about gamers, and shouldn't be looked at that way; it's a piece about young men willing to go to war, <i>told through their interest in gaming</i>. The few jabs at gamers are done fondly, from my perspective; the speaker even describes herself as an 'aging gamer girl' (IIRC) and seems to know what she's talking about.
And it certainly portrays the 19-year-old in a positive light, knowingly going somewhere he might die so he can help his friends in a war he doesn't believe in.
Similar Threads
