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Multitap #7 - Learning & Blackouts

July 14, 2003 By Glenn Turner

Each week unitdaisy and peccaui take a sarcastic glance at the gaming world within the span of three questions. Why? That's just the way we work.


Sega is trying to drum up support for ESPN Football 2k4 by creating a website about the beta testers having blackouts and tackling people. Is this genius marketing or another failed attempt by Sega to drum up interest?

unitdaisy: I don't get it.

peccaui: I don't get you. What's to get? Sega corrupts your mind!

unitdaisy: Sega makes me blackout and become a football player?

peccaui: That's just how hardcore they are! Madden can't do that!

unitdaisy: Oh.

peccaui: Yeah. This is a lame publicity stunt that we really shouldn't bother wasting our time on. We've always said that Sega has had horrible marketing, and I fail to see how this 'meme' bucks the trend.

unitdaisy: Are we sure Acclaim didn't put this out?

peccaui: If it were Acclaim, it would force women to blackout and flash strangers.


Japan's half-year console sales statistics have just been released. How are things looking over there?

unitdaisy: It'd be really cool if the Dreamcast were outselling the Xbox.

peccaui: They were like, six months ago.

unitdaisy: Those stats are really sad.

peccaui: Rather pathetic that the GBA outsells both the GC and Xbox combined.

unitdaisy: Everything outsells the Xbox!

peccaui: And now that Square is Square/Enix, I highly doubt that we'll see any other software vendor hitting #1 anytime soon.

unitdaisy: Nintendo is pretty close. And they're only developing for their own platforms.

peccaui: Well, the same can be said for Square/Enix - at least until the GC and GBA FF's come out.

unitdaisy: I can't believe Pokemon is listed on there.

peccaui: I think if you combine Pokemon with Nintendo, that would overtake Square/Enix. Yep. Why they kept them separate is a mystery to me. At least things are a bit more exciting in the Western Hemisphere!


Are games learning machines as Professor James Paul Gee theorizes?

unitdaisy: I think games can be learning machines but I don't know that I agree with the author that having children playing games will bring about a new generation of higher thinking ...people.

peccaui: Yeah, most of what he presents sounds like hyperbole to me. And the main problem is that you have to be 'thinking' about the game rather than playing it.

unitdaisy: The game ceases to be simple fun and becomes education. Not that the two are mutually exclusive.

peccaui: I do think that by having kids play (appropriate) games at younger ages can lead to them thinking more about the world around them and that will reflect on how they play games in the future, but you can't 'force' anyone to actually think about level design while they're playing. It's something that is learned and you realize it when it's fucked up. Like a bad edit in a film - your attention will be drawn if someone violates the 180 degree rule.

unitdaisy: I disagree with his rationalization of GTA3 - most people won't take his 'goody-two shoes' crime route or see it as a 'challenge' to make the game their own rather than the designers, instead they will revel in bloodshed and mayhem.

peccaui: So? That wasn't his rationalization - that was just the way he decided to play the game. Sure, others may use it as a violent outlet but some of us just like exploring.

unitdaisy: Exploring how many bullets it takes to shoot down a pedestrian?

peccaui: Don't knock it if you haven't tried it.

unitdaisy: Whatever. Maybe he finds games to have educational potential because that's the kind of person he is - not every person put in front of a game will take away the same benefits.

peccaui: That was my point earlier - people will only get what they put into anything - be it game, TV show, book - whatever. If they decide to go deeper into GTA, that's fine - that's great. But I'd say the majority of the populace just wants to play the damn game, have a bit of fun and not scrutinize every detail.

unitdaisy: Well, his theory ends as just that - a theory. Because the populace can't be forced to view games as anything other than entertainment.

peccaui: Suckers.

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