7:08 - 7:59 He could not have explained the issue any more clearly. This is no different than any other generational dispute. What the older generation does not understand they try to suppress because they have the power to do so. There is no better evidence of this than the fact that Hollywood and TV are getting almost no scrutiny from the media despite their material being more violent than ever. Every form of media now has advisories about violent or mature content, and yet only video games are being crucified for having that content. The hypocrisy of the media is really getting tiresome.
Also, I am not deceived by Katie's challenge. It is a trap to ensnare the unwary. She can just cherry-pick the comments that will best support the conclusion she has already made - "video games make our youth violent and dumb" - and then air them to prove the point. If someone should make a compelling argument against this assertion, it will be buried. That's how this kind of "news" works. The house always wins. Best not to play that game.
The issue with depression, and why it is such a vexing problem for so many, is that there are as many different kinds of depression as there are people in the world. Everyone is different, and no one expresses sorrow or dysfunction in exactly the same way.
Societies and governments are always looking for the quick and easy fix for whatever problem arises. It is what they are expected to do. They categorize. They look for consensus. And then they act in the interests of the perceived majority to solve the problem. That is why the United States, up to this point, has thoroughly failed to understand, much less solve, the mental health crisis that is gripping the nation. There is no cure-all. There is no "take this pill and see me in the morning". There is no cure of any kind, as it is traditionally understood. Dealing with depression is a process. First you must define what it is that is making you depressed. Knowing that, you must then determine if changing your particular circumstance will address the depression. Then you must determine if you have the means or the power to actually change your circumstance without outside help. Lastly, you need to take steps to ensure you do not re-enter the undesired circumstance whether you had outside help or not.
It is easy to say that everyone who has depression-like symptoms should go see a doctor and simply have them tell you what you should do. This is not a practical solution for most people. Doctors are not cheap. They can help you overcome the initial depression, and then you may find yourself suffering from depression again due to diminished financial circumstance and increased workload from the expense.
One of the useful things about games is that they are a coping tool that can help you determine for yourself the nature of your depression. They allow you to step out of yourself, as it were, and analyze your condition from an emotional distance while playing. Trying to deal with your issue without that emotional distance can be overwhelming and counterproductive, increasing stress and decreasing your chances for self-healing - or at least self-diagnosis. Half the battle is knowing whether or not you need professional help.
@Suaron_x I couldn't agree more with what you said. Final Fantasy Online would have been a completely suitable name for the product. I think maybe Square-Enix thought that the MMO model would come to dominate the way RPGs were played and so decided to make it a numbered entry. The way Final Fantasy XII was done suggests this manner of thinking - a single-player experience that played more like an MMO.
Riding Magitek armor? That's a step in the right direction. I also really like the music I'm hearing here. Actually, I'm encouraged by everything I'm seeing here. The one exception is that the Playstation version appears to have a choppy framerate. I hope they'll address that before general release.
Seeing that this is almost a completely different game from the original FF XIV, I wonder if Gamespot is considering a new review? I think it's warranted.
It's really too bad this game sucks. Not that I'm surprised, but it's still a shame. The interiors looked interesting, and having the entire movie cast do the voices suggested a development effort beyond the usual movie tie-in crap. Oh, well. I'll just wait for the movie.
@MidnightMeteor As I recall, that game came out years after the last Riddick film. That's why it was so much better than the other movie-based games. Another example of this was Goldeneye on the Nintendo 64. Neither of these games were rushed to make a certain release date, and it showed.
@Megavideogamer It's not a question of them listening at this point. Microsoft is committed to whatever they've planned. It's too late for them to change course. That's why so many of us are worried.
JRLennis' comments