Revisitation: Violent Video Games

(There are a number of posts I've made on this site that I don't like, no longer agree with, or just outright hate. Deciding what to do about those has been a difficult process. My skin starts to crawl when I think that people might still be finding and reading thse posts, but at the same time simply deleting them feels somewhat. . .disingenuous. After all, what about those who've already read them? As such, I've decided to instead revisit the topics of those posts and clarify, edit, or add to what was already there.)

     About a year ago, I wrote a piece on why I felt one very specific, but incredibly common argument against violence in video games was invalid. I don't intend to spend more time on that exact subject, because I feel it somewhat missed the deeper point. That's why this time I want to write not on the ramifications and consequences of having violence in video games, but the inclusion of violence itself.

     That's a very broad topic, because there are many, many variations of "violence." What's important is not to eradicate all traces of this component, but rather to include only the "right" kind. I recognize that the phrase "right violence" has a bit of a controversial ring to it, so allow me to explain.

Not too far off. (As an aside, I'm finally playing Shadow of the Colossus and the aggression of this boss was terrifying.)

Intrusion 2 Review

     Intrusion 2 (henceforth simply Intrusion) is a 2012 sidescrolling run & gun game made by Aleksey Abramenko. In it, you play as a ninja with various guns and a massive red scarf. I personally think he kinda looks like Professor Oak from Pokemon.

     I still not quite sure what it was that inspired me to buy this game. I mean, I'm always up for a good 2D platform shooter, but beyond the awesome sprites there was nothing that really grabbed me about the game's trailer. Nonetheless, either by capriciousness or some twist of fate, I found myself with a few hours on hand, bought the game, and. . .

Finishing Anime - Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen

     For those needing some context, Rurouni Kenshin is a fairly popular shounen series from the mid-late 90's about a swordsman who has sworn to never kill again, after serving as an assassin in the Bakamatsu.

     Let's talk about it, shall we?

Closing the Loop

     Life has been rather stressful for the past several weeks. I'm easily the busiest I've ever been, with a school schedule that has me on campus for around 30 hours a week taking some remarkably difficult courses. One period that stood out in particular was the third week of the semester, in which I had three tests and one equally-weighted lab, all one after the other. On Friday afternoon, I staggered home, pulled myself to my chair, and collapsed, thoroughly exhausted and defeated. I already had plenty to do for next week, but I needed to do something that wasn't homework. What was it I did before school started, again? No, it wasn't video games - I had no time for them, either, but that wasn't it - so what was it?

     Ah yes. Anime.

     I didn't have the willpower to think of an alternative to my own suggestion, so I feebly glossed over my list of shows to watch, hoping inspiration would come from some unexpected title. No, not Penguindrum, I'm not mentally fit enough to enjoy that right now. Definitely not Hana Yori "Makino-embodies-passivity-to-excruciating-accuracy" Dango. Maybe I'll fall asleep to Ghost Hou-wait. I could watch that show. Yeah, you know what? I think I will. Let's do this.

     And with that, I resumed my journey through an anime series I'd started years ago but never finished: Inuyasha.

Comedy, Quality, and Synthesis With Kamisama Kiss

     There's this theory I've always held about visual media: comedy equals accessibility. Comedy is simply the universally appealing genre. Whether you're a horror buff, an action connoisseur, a psychological fan, someone who doesn't even watch things, or whatever else, chances are you still enjoy some kind of comedy, at least from time to time. You certainly don't like all comedy, no, but still; you like laughing. You know you do.

Turtle eating humor, truly the best kind.