Of Bald Men and Bears

I had forgotten about that game. Although I think that the Omaha Beach D-Day game is still probably over the line (I haven't played it), I suppose that it has a redeeming quality (only in direct contrast to JFK Reloaded) that it probably uses fictitious soldiers (albeit at a real event) rather than gunning down a specific person--a U.S. president.

Playing devil's advocate for a bit, their justification for the game (to prove that the assassination was possible by Oswald alone) seems to redeem it a bit, if only that it might shut up some of the conspiracy theorists.

That said, conspiracy theorists never seemed much like the rational type and will probably not be persuaded by a video game. Also, the whole "game" element seems completely unnecessary, since a video reconstruction could be done without it.

Aaron--
Perhaps it's somewhat of an arbitrary (and perhaps even incorrect) line in the sand I'm drawing here, but I really don't think anyone needs practice assassinating a president of the United States of America. Although the Osama bin Laden game would probably be beyond my personal limits of violence in general, I have far less sympathy for him than I do JFK. Maybe that's an unfair distinction, but I feel that it is a correct one.

The Custer game sounds disgusting (as does the manhunt game), whether or not it is on Atari, and I certainly am not arguing that we are only now seeing despicable video games, but, for whatever reason, JFK Reloaded just seems to be a step too far in my book. Perhaps I have a warped view of the importance of authority figures, but I just do not think that there should be games where the goal of the game is to assassinate the president.

Furthermore, I see very little distinction in killing for fun and killing for fun with accuracy. I will admit that Goldeneye was fun, largely because I had to do quite a bit of training ("training" sounds better than "wasting time") in order to kill guards quickly, silently (sometimes), and efficiently. That didn't bother me, because all the characters were ficticious. JFK, though, was a real person, and, moreover, he was a president of this country (as opposed to a terrorist).

Like I said, though, my line in the sand might be completely arbitrary and (even more likely) incorrect.

seems you're both arguing "lesser of two evils" here.
is ANY violent video game a worthwhile use of time?
(furthermore, doesn't this argument parallel the legendary "die hard" dispute?)

the answer to this question is complex, because, firstly, we must define "violence," and secondly, we must define "worthwhile." also, one must consider what motivations might be involved in playing one of these games. i think that ultimately the answer is that there is no "right" or "wrong" video game. playing minesweeper or solitaire (supposedly "neutral" games) for three hours can be just as damaging as playing JFK reloaded, depending on the person, and what you learn/gain from the experience. thus, you must ask yourself what you are personally gaining from the game, and whether the result is positive or negative. the same applies to other matters of personal freedom--as paul said, "everything is permissable, but not everything is beneficial." (I Cor. 10:23)
that being said, i think that what jacob is getting at is that JFK Reloaded is more than a personal moral choice, because it involves the virtual killing of a simulated person who is an historical figure. thus, this virtuality takes a rather large leap toward reality, creating proven harm to others (see Kennedy quote). thus, because others have been involved, this video game has become more than a "personal" moral decision. "everything is permissable, but not everything is constructive. nobody should seek his own good but the good of others." (vs.24)
i know that there is rarely going to be an instance--especially in these greyer areas--when you will "please everybody," as paul calls us to do in vs.33, but that does not mean that we should lower the standards.

(you'll also notice that in certain biblical manuscripts there's an added verse--vs.34--that states, "and if all else fails, my brethren, play ZELDA.")

except that zelda promotes witchcraft and must therefore be boycotted along with harry potter.

-andrew (who absolutely loves zelda and is currently reading harry potter and the sorcerer's stone.)

andrew, i saw ron weasley at the union the other day. i'm serious--he was even wearing gryffindor colors.

bethany, tetris got me through pre-calculus class.

here's to tetris! i got my calculator taken away in calc senior year because i'd play tetris through the whole period. he gave it back when i began sleeping through class instead.

did you ever get abby to play zelda, aaron? i know that was one of your life goals or something..