News Intro
0 (0 Likes / 0 Dislikes)
One in three Dutch between the age of
10 and 30 plays computer games.
Giving Utrecht University a reason to
host a conference about this phenomenon.
At the start of November
scientists from over the whole world
will consider the many aspects of gaming.
Strikingly, games about war
rank amongst the most popular.
Something for the scientists to investigate.
Experiencing The Longest Day daily,
be part of the largest battles in history,
but an assault or
a capture are also possible.
Wargames are mostly
played by boys and men
and are unbelievably popular.
You'll know that
what you play has really happened
That you're sort of part of history,
but then on the computer.
I think these kind of games
are comparable to a good film
Jeroen Jansz of the University
of Amsterdam is one of the scholars
who researches the causes
of the great popularity of these games.
It's rushing, competitive and it
offers you control over the situation
to a certain extent
because there's return fire.
It contributes to the feeling that
you're doing something serious
It contributes to the idea that you matter.
The Defense industry and the army
are highly interested in these games
and follow the developments closely.
There are examples of American research
linked to large companies like
Lockheed Martin in which the magnitude
of the exchange between the war
and games industries is emphasised,
that the war industry benefits from
funding the developments of games
for they can use what is technologically
develloped in their own tracking systems.
The historical relevance
is negligible according to specialists.
The images may be based on historical
material but the battlefield is too empty.
None of these games show
how the ordinary civilian fares in this.
All those elements remain
unaddressed in the game.
This gives a distorted image
in which war is only a battlefield.
It is of course much more than that.
The gamer can enter
the battlefield without fear
because he possesses many lives.