Obama: "Turn off the video games and pick up a book."

[Nathan Allison]

This guy already made tons of great changes to the US.

HA! I couldn't type more of that without laughing.

Time to read a book all day...

Isn't that like, exactly the same as playing a video game? I can't remember the last time I learned from reading a book that wasn't a text book.

Hooray for no mentioning any-sort of physical activity! It's not like that's helpful.

 

[Kroden]

this is just so wrong.

 

[Jaime_Wolf]

It's not like he said "don't play videogames", he's just saying to exercise some moderation.

Nothing wrong with that.

The rampant attempts to always stretch statements in the worst possible way on these forums never ceases to amaze me. He said to pick up a book occaisionally. He didn't say "READ FOREVER AND DO NOTHING ELSE", he didn't say "READ INSTEAD OF PLAYING VIDEOGAMES", he didn't say "NEVER PLAY VIDEOGAMES", and he didn't say "READ INSTEAD OF DOING PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES". Everyone is acting like by saying that kids should be encouraged to read he was claiming that reading is the ONE thing parents should do and the fact that he didn't explicitly mention other activities means that he must disapprove of them.

And the people using this thread as a platform to voice their disatisfaction with him as a President make me sad. Especially the the attempts at doing so with "humour", which are generally more reminiscent of sixth grade playground insults than anything else: "...Obama doing something useful? Yeah right.". It's embarassing to read.

 

[peruvianskys]

If you have watched Extra Credits and truly listened to what they had to say, you would know that games are more than entertainment, the same way movies are more than entertainment. There will always be bad examples, and if you think there are no books that are purely made for entertainment, you're a deluded individual. Some games are made simply to occupy time, but others are MUCH more than that. Perhaps you don't examine life because of games, but I do. I've learned more from video games than I ever did from books, and I've read the classics. 1984, Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, Catcher in the Rye, Of Mice and Men, all taught me lessons I had already learned from video games. There are so many times I was reading and thought "This is like the choice in Mass Effect 2 with the Geth" or "I remember making that decision in Fallout 3" or "Metal Gear Solid talks about that aspect of war as well." I learned about greek tragedy from God of War.

Duke Nukem is obviously not going to have any redeeming qualities. Neither is Epic Movie or the Twilight series. Nor screamo indie crap bands, nor those inspirational poster parodies, nor drawing a troll face over everything. EVERY medium has shit as well as gold. If Every Day The Same Dream doesn't make you re-examine your life, you are ignorant. If you believe every book is art, you are ignorant. If you believe games have nothing to teach us about life and that it is anything less than a form of art, you are ignorant.

There's shit in every medium. Isn't that Sturgeon's rule? "90% of everything is crap?" There are terrible books out there as well as terrible video games but the flipside is that a great book will always have more to it than a great video game. That's just the nature of the medium. Even in games like Fallout with interesting morality system, the fact that you as a player are playing a GAME makes the morality weightless, just like if Of Mice and Men had a choose-your-own-adventure ending; the fact that you're removed from the material means that interactivity will never have the weight that it strives for.

As for learning from video games, of course you can. I remember playing the first age of empires and getting really into ancient history from that. I'm not disparaging video games; obviously if I didn't love them I wouldn't visit the Escapist so much. All I'm saying is that I love video games for entertainment and I love books for more emotional/intellectual reasons. Seriously, it would be absurd to argue that Requiem for a Dream is more entertaining than Mass Effect and it would be equally silly to say that God of War trumps The Sound and the Fury in terms of emotional power. Games and books do different things and I just happen to think the goal of books (emotional stimulation and enrichment over entertainment) is far more valuable.

I loved Every Day The Same Dream (and other cool indie games like that) but I loved them because they weren't about entertainment; they were about emotion, which is why I said that unless there is a big shift in how video games are presented and what they are made to do, they will continue to lack the same power as books. As long as something is entertainment first, substance second, it will not match the emotional impact of good literature. I don't think video games have nothing to say or nothing to teach us and I don't think every book is good or even that every book is art. All I'm saying is that literature aims towards a more noble goal.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Here's the full quote:

"And every father can encourage his child to turn off the video games and pick up a book; to study hard and stay in school. Every father can pack a healthy lunch for his son, or go outside and play ball with his daughter."

What is so terrible about that? Video games are not and never will be as good of a story telling medium as the humble book, just as film never took that spot. A book can be 10 or more hours of pure story, with every last word being a part of it. Film dilutes that by being shorter and having to take time away from dialogue to show things, not to mention the fact that internal monologues don't work anywhere near as good in film as they do in written fiction. Videogames have the same problems with the exception of length, but with the addition of the need for actual gameplay. Even Final Fantasy has gameplay sections between the cutscenes. These are sections where the story isn't being told so much as padded out. Books don't have that problem. What's more, neither movies nor videogames are going to help children develop literacy, aside from a very basic level involved in videogames. If you read the quote, that's why Obama was talking about reading instead of playing videogames -- he wants to make sure the next generation is literate.

And you people think bronies have a persecution complex.

 

[JWAN]

I love Obama, I love video games.
He makes a fair point though
I just hope he doesn't become anti games

you hope he doesnt? Look at who he put in his cabinet.

 

[War Penguin]

A little off topic, here, but did anyone else see this thread above the "and you call yourself a gamer" thread?
"Put down the video games and pick up a book."
"And you call yourself a gamer!"
Sorry, just thought that was hilarious.

I'd just like to point out that the majority of the people commenting on this thread clearly have not read what Obama said, it was half a sentence regarding gaming: "...to encourage[children] them to turn off the video games and pick up a book".

If you take offence to that, then you are stupid.

Thaaank you! A lot of people don't seem to realize that he's not attacking gamers. He's only trying to get parents to encourage their kids to read! KIDS! To READ! Why is that being portrayed as a bad thing?!

Also, I'm seeing Twilight being mentioned a lot. Why? He's not telling you to read Twilight. Your saying it like there's only Twilight and you have to read that. There are plenty of other great, fantastic books out there! But I digress, this isn't about Twilight.

Not a lot of kids read, these days, which is a damn shame. Hell, not a lot of adults read, these days, which is even worse! I've caught myself playing more video games than I have been reading books! I've been trying to read more, I really have, and I value reading, I really do, but I have trouble putting down a controller. If I, your average teenager, have trouble, then surely kids do, too, maybe even worse. Obama is trying to get parents to enforce proper reading habits, which I applaud.

Obama is not attacking video games. Obama is attacking bad parenting.

 

[Normandyfoxtrot]

They do realize just how much text is in video games right?

 

[LuckyClover95]

I love Obama, I love video games.
He makes a fair point though
I just hope he doesn't become anti games

you hope he doesnt? Look at who he put in his cabinet.

I don't know, I don't know too much about American politics. I'm in England, so who he has in his cabinet tend to fall under my radarrr

 

[DarklordKyo]

Well, least he's not saying that games are the spawn of satan or anything.

 

[Darth_Murmeltier]

So video games don't act as fiction? When I read Great Gatsby, I think this is a worthwhile story, but I learn nothing from it. The thing about that is it's a required book in High School where I am from, so why read a book that offers nothing more than a nice story?

How are games in any way different from them? To be honest I find that a game can be a far more effective story than a book can be since there is little room to miss the scene being conveyed.
Games are more efficient story telling experiences than books, I see nothing wrong with them.

Yes, I have to agree with you. There are some pretty smart games out there and the potential of storytelling in games is just mindblowing if you think about it. I mean interactive storytelling! How fucking awesome is that?! I believe that you can learn way more from games than from books, for example about yourself, in a game like mass effect or just a game where you have to make some tough decisions.

 

[BNSNightshade]

everything in moderation...
but I do both, so what's the fricken problem?

As do I, and I'd assume most people here.

However I think his comment was more directed at the kinda dads who play COD, (and games like it), while barely registering the existence of their own offspring. It does happen.

http://images.cheezburger.com/completestore/2010/10/14/6f38488c-e82f-4de8-afc4-fcebc5f710ab.jpg

 

[Cat Cloud]

I'll read more books when they start sucking less. Seriously, almost everything fantasy or scifi is badly written these days.

 

[Crimsonshadow66]

Screw him. I read as much as I game and I love doing both equally as much. Shit id say for the most part all the gamers I know are the same way. Be it comics, manga, novels, or even fanfic *shudders* they still read and are enjoying it. Forcing a kid to read wont make him like reading, it will make him hate it. The way to get kids to read is to give them a book they absolutely love, then you cant seperate them from books.

 

[Deskimus Prime]

Hah!

I play visual novels. See this Obama? This is my cake. I am having it, and eating it too.

 

[WorldFree55]

He never said he hates video games nor does he encourage it, just don't spend all day on it, which i agree. Anything involving technologically entertaining should not used 10+ something hours a day. Not saying that you should get rid of it at all, just don't spend so much time on it.

Which has been a pretty repetitive statement by now so i think we get the picture and have the common sense already.

 

[JWAN]

I love Obama, I love video games.
He makes a fair point though
I just hope he doesn't become anti games

you hope he doesnt? Look at who he put in his cabinet.

I don't know, I don't know too much about American politics. I'm in England, so who he has in his cabinet tend to fall under my radarrr

well the people he put in his cabinet are supported by constituents in California who are trying to ban all videogames deemed violent. For example Hillary Clinton is in his cabinet and has been behind the scenes in several states trying to get violent video games banned of course once she wanted the hipster vote she cooled he attempts but she is just as guilty as Jack Thompson, she just remains behind the scenes but if you look up proposed bills you can see her name or the names of her constituents and their organizations.

Im not trying to be glen beck here (not in the slightest), Im just saying.

 

[emeraldrafael]

oh no, someone dared to say we shouldnt play videogames (no matter the reason) clearly hes the anti christ. hurry, we must over react immediately.

Though he has a point, and while he's said some things against videogames, he's probably been the most easy going president about them, and understands that its not gaming's fault (specifically). And really, in today's day and age where things like the Jersey shore are running rampart as the popular show of the generation, it wouldnt hurt any human being to pick up a book.

 

[Cheery Lunatic]

Leave mah vidya games alone, mofo.

I read a lot AND I play video games.

I actually agree that plenty of teens don't read enough, but the problem is that listeners (i.e. parents) will overreact and treat video games as creation of the devil and COMPLETELY eliminate the amount of video games in a child's life (my parents did this for a long time with television).