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NPR Host Wonders if Gamers Read
I Wonder if Any Member of the Mainstream Media isn't Completely Ignorant
by Sarah
I really didn’t notice this trend so much before I started writing about video game news for a living, but man, the media is really, really stupid when it comes to video games. Either they’re printing ridiculously untrue stories, needlessly blaming things on video games, or just deciding that all gamers are unintelligent, illiterate apes who sit in front of our television sets drooling onto controllers while babbling incoherently.
The current example? National Public Radio’s Chana Joffe-Walt recently interviewed Joseph Staten, the author of Halo: Contact Harvest. Mind you, this book is a New York Times bestseller. Apparently, that’s not impressive enough for Joffe-Walt, who either hasn’t done her research of just doesn’t care:
Joffe-Walt: Yes, my fellow non-gaming Luddites, there is a story to Halo. I know, I thought the same thing. Isn't gaming all just shoot'em up? Why do you need story?
Staten: I think to understand why stories are important in games, you need to actually play them.
“Isn’t gaming all just shoot’em up?” Are you serious? At least Staten called her out on not knowing anything about video games, good for him. He was a lot more collected than I would have been at that point. You see, I am a gamer and therefore basically brain-dead, so my vocabulary consists mainly of curse words and disjointed noises. The sad part is, that’s not even the most offensive part of the interview.
Joffe-Walt: Which brings me to another frank and ridiculous question, 'Do gamers read?'
Nope, we don’t read at all. Most video games have no stories or even words, it’s true. That would get in the way of all the shooting.
Again, I have to give Staten props for not punching her in the face. Could she have been any more offensive? It’s time to stop being blissfully uninformed, mainstream media. After all, it is kind of your job to know what you’re talking about so that you don’t sound like rude, oblivious shrews. Video games are not a crime, nor are they a childhood hobby that should be grown out of. They don’t turn us into criminals or slackers, and we’re sick and tired of these stupid and untrue generalizations. Find something else to talk about, hacks. It’s getting really old.
SOURCE
The current example? National Public Radio’s Chana Joffe-Walt recently interviewed Joseph Staten, the author of Halo: Contact Harvest. Mind you, this book is a New York Times bestseller. Apparently, that’s not impressive enough for Joffe-Walt, who either hasn’t done her research of just doesn’t care:
Joffe-Walt: Yes, my fellow non-gaming Luddites, there is a story to Halo. I know, I thought the same thing. Isn't gaming all just shoot'em up? Why do you need story?
Staten: I think to understand why stories are important in games, you need to actually play them.
“Isn’t gaming all just shoot’em up?” Are you serious? At least Staten called her out on not knowing anything about video games, good for him. He was a lot more collected than I would have been at that point. You see, I am a gamer and therefore basically brain-dead, so my vocabulary consists mainly of curse words and disjointed noises. The sad part is, that’s not even the most offensive part of the interview.
Joffe-Walt: Which brings me to another frank and ridiculous question, 'Do gamers read?'
Nope, we don’t read at all. Most video games have no stories or even words, it’s true. That would get in the way of all the shooting.
Again, I have to give Staten props for not punching her in the face. Could she have been any more offensive? It’s time to stop being blissfully uninformed, mainstream media. After all, it is kind of your job to know what you’re talking about so that you don’t sound like rude, oblivious shrews. Video games are not a crime, nor are they a childhood hobby that should be grown out of. They don’t turn us into criminals or slackers, and we’re sick and tired of these stupid and untrue generalizations. Find something else to talk about, hacks. It’s getting really old.
SOURCE
Comments
I listened to the NPR cast just to see what it was about - and it seems that although she still holds some (albeit condescending) skepticism, I think the point of the interview was that she herself is surprised to discover that gaming these days does require literacy. I think her sarcasm bleeds through too much, though, even in the end where she tries to reconcile with some plot references that she says you wouldn't get unless you read.
I wonder what life is like for non-gamers? I bet it's boring.
It's always funny to see people make themselves look like idiots.
The fact that it is now 2008 and there are people out there that don't know that video games require thought blows my mind. This isn't 1983, games aren't 8 bits of mushrooms and pipes anymore. Video games have a rich history that spans decades and is a thriving industry that employs countless people, myself included. A member of the mainstream media should know this, at least just by researching the topic she was about to interview someone about.
this is rediculous. I might as well say well are all paintball players obnoxious and rude? (no, i happen to be a gentleman) Are all military personnel bloodthirsty savages? (no, just about everyone I know who is or was in the military have been some of the kindest, and humble people I know)
It's now the year 2008. Last year the gaming industry made more revenue then the Movie industry for the first time ever. People need to understand video games better. Everyone in my school has played games, and no matter what their like, they all love talking about them. Games are now part of our pop culture more then ever. How can someone be this condisending and ignorant (more importantly, how did Staten not punch him in the face)?
Lastly, I would like to say that I have read the book (!), and I thought it was actually pretty good. Tom clany and Chuck Palahmick are my favorite authors though.
joffe-walt's a hack anyway ira glass is the true god of NPR