The Dumbing Down of Video Games

[Beltaine]

I think you're confusing this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldur%27s_Gate_2

with this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldur%27s_Gate_Dark_Alliance

A console hack 'n slash (the design intent I'm fairly certain) instead of what is quite possibly one of the most immersive games (nevermind series) ever created.

Not confused. When I said Baldur's Gate 2, I meant Baldur's Gate 2.

I've played both, and while Dark Alliance was clearly more hack'n'slash, Baldur's Gate 2 still felt like, to me, a hack'n'slash game in a fancy wrapper.

The real issue here is nostalgia. People remember games they enjoyed playing, and forget those they didn't.

The ratio of Triple-A titles to shitty titles is the same now as it was way back when whatever you call "old games" existed. Some people didn't enjoy the Triple-A titles, and some people had fun with the shitty titles regardless of widespread opinion. Does that make them wrong or right, unintelligent or intelligent, dumb or smart, idiot or genius? No, not really.

 

[Space Spoons]

I love a game that makes me think as much as the next guy, but in my opinion, I don't consider society to be plummeting in a downward spiral if my game's dialogue isn't on par with Walden. Games are for fun. Stupid fun, intellectual fun, it doesn't matter to me.

 

[Erana]

Erana, even though you try to minimize it's importance and it's impact at least you recognize that genetics plays a role in intelligence with your admission that people are born gifted.

Like I said, several genetic factors have been identified that both positively and negatively effect intelligence. More negative genetic factors have of course been identified simply because they're more apparent a lot of the time and people started noticing them long before they knew what DNA was.

Erana, I would assume you wouldn't have a problem admitting that genetics plays a large role in a person's preferences. After all studies with identical twins have confirmed this and it's lead to very little moral panic. It's interesting that the moment the discussion turns to the role of genetics on intelligence people suddenly start to get uncomfortable. In fact, it often seems to bring to thought the image of nazis marching across the Maginot Line for some reason.

How many "gifted" people do you know? Do you look at these scientific studies in relativity to real-life situations?

 

[Blanks]

i blame the haloz

(very aware of the risk of this statement)

 

[Valentine82]

Hot'n'steamy: I never said that genetics was the only factor effecting intelligence, in fact I'm pretty sure I've already mentioned that the Flynn Effect owes a lot to the increased nutrition in developing nations.

Unfortunately, the Flynn Effect seems to peak out then reverse once a nation has been established for awhile. Studies showing that children tend to be within 5 points of either parent, studies showing that Identical Twins almost unfailingly have similar IQ test score, and so on, they all lead to the inescapable conclusion that intelligence is heritable.

In fact, if I ask you if children with gifted parents are more likely to be gifted, and I ask you if children with "special" parents are more likely to be special, chances are you have no qualms about answering yes. So why then is there difficulty accepting that a man and a woman both with an IQ level in the 90's are going to be more likely to produce children in that IQ bracket? Sure maybe they just had poor nutrition growing up and never got any schooling, but typically that's not the case.

 

[Beltaine]

We're beginning to get into the realm of tinfoil hats here...

 

[joystickjunki3]

Two words:
Console Tards

Why replies were necessary after this blatant win, I'll never know.

PC tards.

 

[Blanks]

Two words:
Console Tards

Why replies were necessary after this blatant win, I'll never know.

PC tards.

Handheld tards ^-^

 

[DragunovHUN]

What about [...] Assassin's Creed [...]

What? You can get through Assassins Creed by doing little more than holding the A button. Your idea of a challenging game seems to be out of line with mine and the OP's. I assume you already grew up in the era of 'dumbed down' games?

 

[joystickjunki3]

Two words:
Console Tards

Why replies were necessary after this blatant win, I'll never know.

PC tards.

Handheld tards ^-^

Forum tards. ...oh, wait

 

[Valentine82]

Erana, actually I know several but that's because I was in a class with the small hand full of them that were in my school, there aren't really all that many gifted students in the Tennessee population. The "Special Class" on the other hand (which by the way, likes to call their students Gifted also, and I have to ask "Gifted at What? Drooling?") is way over crowded.

To be honest Tennessee seems to be getting more enlightened, which would initially give me pause about the studies. Then I walk into Wal-Mart and see a 250 lb redneck in a USA #1 T-Shirt surrounded by her 5 blond headed children, each screaming and running around at random as she stands there with a blank look on her pock marked face trying to solve a basic math problem as she holds her money at the register.

The thing that's important, she has five children, the average person with an IQ above 110 has 0-2 children.

 

[Erana]

Hot'n'steamy: I never said that genetics was the only factor effecting intelligence, in fact I'm pretty sure I've already mentioned that the Flynn Effect owes a lot to the increased nutrition in developing nations.

Unfortunately, the Flynn Effect seems to peak out then reverse once a nation has been established for awhile. Studies showing that children tend to be within 5 points of either parent, studies showing that Identical Twins almost unfailingly have similar IQ test score, and so on, they all lead to the inescapable conclusion that intelligence is heritable.

In fact, if I ask you if children with gifted parents are more likely to be gifted, and I ask you if children with "special" parents are more likely to be special, chances are you have no qualms about answering yes. So why then is there difficulty accepting that a man and a woman both with an IQ level in the 90's are going to be more likely to produce children in that IQ bracket? Sure maybe they just had poor nutrition growing up and never got any schooling, but typically that's not the case.

But... if you gave the gifted child to the average family, and the average child to the gifted family, what would happen?

Erana, actually I know several but that's because I was in a class with the small hand full of them that were in my school, there aren't really all that many gifted students in the Tennessee population, and the "Special Class" (which by the way, likes to call their students Gifted also, and I have to ask "Gifted at What? Drooling?") is way over crowded.

To be honest Tennessee seems to be getting more enlightened, which would initially give me pause about the studies. Then I walk into Wal-Mart and see a 250 lb redneck in a USA #1 T-Shirt surrounded by her 5 blond headed children, each screaming and running around at random as she stands there with a blank look on her pock marked face trying to solve a basic math problem as she holds her money at the register.

The thing that's important, she has five children, the average person with an IQ above 110 has 0-2 children.

...You're not serious, are you?
Its official, Tennessee is the state of Smartass.
(Seriously, I know five people who started college at 14 from that state.)

And I didn't say nothin' about birthin' no babies.

 

[Halfbreed13]

Two words:
Console Tards

Why replies were necessary after this blatant win, I'll never know.

PC tards.

Handheld tards ^-^

Beat me to it T.T

 

[curlycrouton]

What about [...] Assassin's Creed [...]

What? You can get through Assassins Creed by doing little more than holding the A button. Your idea of a challenging game seems to be out of line with mine and the OP's. I assume you already grew up in the era of 'dumbed down' games?

No....

I assumed we were talking about the story and such, seeing as that's what the OP said. It does have a very complex and engaging storyline, there's no denying that.

 

[Valentine82]

Erana, if you gave a "special" child to a family of geniuses you wouldn't get a genius, that's for sure.

Yeah, you can give a gifted child to an average family and have that child's growth stunted as a result, but that child will still have a natural advantage over his adopted family. Some people are naturally better at learning and solving problems than others.

 

[MiserableOldGit]

Gamings become popular and there's money to be made-as such, games increasingly have to cater for the lowest common denominator.

I love this nonesense about 'console tards'- as if playing PC games somehow makes you more intelligent. Most PC gamers I've met are a bunch of social incompetents who's self proclaimed intelligence goes out the window the minute you stop talking about the latest 2xd-5 athalon uber drive they purchased in lieu of a personality, and start discussing something that requires actual perception and intelligence, like literature or experiences of talking to women.

 

[Valentine82]

Well, like I said, Tennesse has made great strides forward, it's become more enlightened and more progressive...

But when I look around me and see the types of people who are having babies and the types of people who are not, I become aware that this is temporary.

 

[Valentine82]

MiserableOldGit

Gamings become popular and there's money to be made-as such, games increasingly have to cater for the lowest common denominator.

I love this nonesense about 'console tards'- as if playing PC games somehow makes you more intelligent. Most PC gamers I've met are a bunch of social incompetents who's self proclaimed intelligence goes out the window the minute you stop talking about the latest 2xd-5 athalon uber drive they purchased in lieu of a personality, and start discussing something that requires actual perception and intelligence, like literature or experiences of talking to women.

I love you man... lol

curlycrouton, ummm Assassin's Creed story was pretty much "Go here, kill guy, come back, Ark Cliche, Illuminati" and, well, it wasn't even original in any thing but making you an assassin with magic DNA.

 

[Erana]

Erana, if you gave a "special" child to a family of geniuses you wouldn't get a genius, that's for sure.

Yeah, you can give a gifted child to an average family and have that child's growth stunted as a result, but that child will still have a natural advantage over his adopted family. Some people are naturally better at learning and solving problems than others.

You may not get a genius, but you could easily get a succesful, high-functioning person who could rival or surpass most gifted people.

 

[Beltaine]

Tennessee? *rolls eyes* Now I understand...


And I can say that, I live there.