Yes but I think that kind of battle of ideas have been what makes up history. Do you think there was one singular idea about how America should be ran?
Sent from my iPhone > On Jun 16, 2015, at 7:30 AM, Thomas Ward <thomasward1...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Hi Dark, > > Yeah, I know what you meant. However, I wanted to specify what types > of games would appeal to the blind organizations. Generally > educationally specific games would have an appeal to NFB, ACB, AFB, > etc because they would have none of the stigma and other issues > attached to them making them an ideal choice. > > The one thing you are not considering is that over the last couple of > decades or so many Americans have caught a mental disease called > political correctness. In our new politically correct world > businesses, organizations, and government agencies are hesitant to > adopt things that even smell like trouble. Anything and everything can > be considered offensive by somebody and that kind of craziness is > ruining America as a country because everybody is aloud to speak their > mind, have a right to be heard, even though what they have to say > might be absolutely insane. We are in many ways caught up in a culture > war where ideas are being battled out in courts and in the news papers > and TV over someone's ideas of what the right kind of society we > should have. > > For example, take a simple card game like Blackjack or Poker. A > non-Christian might find such a game as harmless entertainment. A > Christian fundamentalist might view that game as sinful, evil, and as > promoting the evils of gambling. So would take offense if they found > such a game on a computer at their local NFB, ACB, or AFB training > center. Thus what some might view as harmless entertainment another > person might find reason to complain and raise a stink over it. > Therefore an organization who doesn't want that kind of hassle would > forego all games and not deal with the pressures that go with a bit of > controversy. > If you think I am stretching things I've known people my ex and I use > to go to church with who didn't own a deck of playing cards because > they thought card playing was sinful. They had the Microsoft card > games like Solitaire, Hearts, etc removed from their computer because > they didn't want them around. To a non-Christian like me I found their > attitudes towards games a bit crazy, but once you understand the > religiosity that runs deep in this country you would understand how > passing out games to organizations could be a controversial problem > for them just because not all their clients are going to view those > games as harmless entertainment. Either they are going to dislike them > out of some religious sense of morality, or they may have this > attitude that gamers are over grown children. Thus games might not be > something organizations will want to per mote unless they are so > neutral and generic that they don't offend anyone's sensibilities. > > As to the stigma of gamers themselves being overgrown kids I think for > the most part that attitude is slowly falling off herein the states > too. For one thing games haven't remained the same and they are > growing up as the gamers have grown up. > > Back in the 80's games were basically toys. Games like Pac-Man, > Centipede, and Frogger were rather childish and if one's definition of > games is simple arcade games then yeah they would seem somewhat > childish to some adults. > > However, as I pointed out games have grown up too. We have the horror > games like Silent Hill which requires a more mature audience than your > typical kid. Silent Hill is in many ways pretty darn disturbing and is > designed for an older more mature gamer. Games like Grand Theft Auto > also are not designed for kids per se and are for an older age group > of gamers. > > I suspect those with the idea that gamers are lazy social outcasts, > nerds, or overgrown kids are people who have no connection with games, > are somewhat older people, thus have no idea how much games have > changed. All they know is games are just some expensive toys that > their children and perhaps grandchildren have not grown out of for > some reason. They have not educated themselves on how different gaming > is today than it was 20 or 30 years ago. > > Cheers! > > >> On 6/16/15, dark <d...@xgam.org> wrote: >> Hi Tom. >> >> I wasn't actually thinking of developers making specifically designed >> educational games to teach something (although it's obviously good when that >> >> happens as with the Looktell voiceover tutorial), just of presenting some of >> >> the games we already have as education exercises in pointing out what can be >> >> learnt from them. >> >> For example, many of the space invaders style audio titles encourage sound >> memorization and identification, several first person games like shades of >> doom require the player to learn techniques for navigating space from only >> audio information, while more recently on the Iphone we're seeing games like >> >> audio defense zombie arena that actually require movement in space. And that >> >> is not to speak of games that require use of a screen reader's standard >> functions. As I said, I learnt far more about how to use the internet and >> all of Supernova's navigation functions through playing online games than I >> >> ever did through direct teaching or through trying to use it for work, same >> >> goes for Vo on the Iphone. >> >> I think that would be a good way to present games to organizations, if their >> >> motivation is based on work and efficiency, particularly sinse these days >> sighted kids will be using the internet, social media and games on computers >> >> and learning far more than just what they're taught in Information >> technology classes in school. >> >> As to the stigma of gamers, I'd be interested to see that discussion, sinse >> >> while like a lot of group sterriotypes I suspect it's a bit more pronounced >> >> in the states than in the Uk the "gamer = lazy social outcast" belief >> certainly exists over hear as well and I agree is entirely irrational >> compared to other interests, ---- then again collective assumptions are >> rarely rational anyway, (if it were rational I wouldn't refer to it as the >> collective). >> >> In the mainstream world at least this idea of games as toys and gamers as >> over grown kids is falling off I think, particularly as the gamer generation >> >> grows up, although as usual I suspect this is where blindness organizations >> >> might be behind the times. >> >> Still all the more reason to think of having some sort of word out there. >> >> All the best, >> >> Dark. > > --- > Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org > If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. > You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at > http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. > All messages are archived and can be searched and read at > http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. > If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, > please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. 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