A month without alcohol

The Wrong Side of the Bar

The Glare of the TV.
Can barely feel me,

Heads stuffed brains numb
fingers arthritic,
lifes a fuckin critic

not eyes water and cries,
just ice water and sighs

So this is the price
of another late night
spent facing the taps,
but not tasting a drop

Four days ’till christmas
and I’m workin like a sap

Just so you no-I now do poetry, its a slippery slope now. Bring on alcoholism, pretentiousness and all the other shit that is now happily expected of me

Ode to Dutch Gold

This is my ode to Dutch Gold
Royal blue, wrapped in gold,
Tall glistening and cold
You are my favourite
Dutch Gold

Dutchy, you are so good to me,
Dutchy, you are so kind to me,
Dutchy, if only it could be
just you and me
oh Dutchy

Pretentious?

Blank screen blues, and tired eyed truths.
A sudden realisation of my beautiful situation,
blocked up it flows out cryptic contagious.
Its outrageous how we do this, lose this and abuse this right
to write free, forsaken so easily is
the inescapable inexplicable truth
that threatens the liars and tests the saints;
Democracy’s infallible propaganda

Ag Stealladh Báistí

Lá fliuch don file bocht,
Ach nach file achainn duine,
i dtír mar seo

Ní thuigim cén fáth, i dtír
gan difríocht idir an solas agus an dolas
a mbeidh siad tógthadh inár measc

Tír gan sioc is gan ghriann,
Idir an ghaoth fuar
agus an fharraige mór

Tír fuair, fliuch is míchimpórdach,
Spéir liath os cionn sráidenna liath
faoi foirgneamh liath taobh istigh do saol liath

Ach scríobhainn siad fós,
Feiceann siad dathanna Dé
sa spéir folamh grey

Je n’ai ecrire pas en Francais pour combien du temps? trop de temps, je pence, parce que mantinane il ya beaucoup des faux sur la texte-c’est terrible et ennoyez

Commentators treat gaming as part of the leisure industry and often view it with
suspicion. It could be stated that the games industry is over-valued and over
feared; it generates revenue and largely ‘green’ employment creating a no-lose
situation.

It is my intention to investigate why the computer games industry is regarded with
suspicion and ask if it really is over-feared. By the same token I intend to
discuss whether or not the games industry is over-valued/over-priced by its
advocators and the
companies who create these games.
I also want to gauge how much revenue exactly is created by this industry and what
if any are the effects of such economic activity. Does the games industry really
create a utopian ‘no-lose’ situation?
It is stated above that commentators often view the computer games industry with a
certain degree of suspicion. This is true of computer games as it is of all new
forms of media and technology; it is an inherent part of human nature.
Plato regarded the written word with a similar suspicion. It was the same suspicion
again which greeted early cinema (ref: Jonas Heide Smith, Computer game
research101). This is due to the simple fact that as people grow older they become
less open to new
ideas. This is in essence why generation gaps form, why rock’n’roll is the devils
music, why films today are too graphic etc. To that end it is perfectly natural for
computer games to be regarded with a certain degree of suspicion so there is no
need to b
e over concerned. If anything this suspicion acts more as an indicator of the
generation gap than the potential dangers of gaming.
And what of the potential dangers of gaming? All research into the area is
consistently inconclusive. There are those who say gaming has no negative affects
whatsoever [Egli and Myers (1984), McClure and Mears (1986), G. D. Gibb et al.
(1983)] and those wh
o claim quite the opposite [Ellis (1984), Mehrabian and Wixen (1986), Schutte et
al. (1988), Irwin & Gross (1995), Funk & Buchman (1996) etc.]. I am of the firm
opinion that if similar studies were done of alcohol results and opinions would be
equally div
ided.
Games (like drink, drugs, broccoli and everything else on Gods green earth) can be
engaged with in a myriad of different ways. Excessive gaming definitely has negative
results (by definition) in the same way that excessive alcohol has negative results.
Tha
t said studies show gaming to relieve stress among frequent gamers (Kestenbaum &
Weinstein, 1984) in the same way that a glass of wine a day is of great benefit to
the human digestive system. It is for this reason that I believe gaming studies are
so inco
nsistent.
Also, many of these studies seem to be stating the obvious somewhat. It was Jeanne
Funk who stated that people who prefer violent video games seem to have lower levels
of empathy. It’s a gross understatement to say that such a discovery is not going to
win
her the Nobel Prize. People who lack empathy or have violent tendencies are
naturally going to be attracted to violent video games. It’s a statement on par
with saying ‘during wartime; soldiers are more likely to kill people than
civilians’.
Other studies Schutte et al. (198 and Irwin & Gross (1995) found that young
children would imitate themes from games in subsequent play-well obviously, they’re
children. If you read a child a story about Cowboys and Indians they’ll play cowboys
and india
ns. Young children absorb pretty much everything around them and often reflect this
in play. Games will obviously be reflected in their play just like every other form
of media and human interaction.
Egli and Myers 1984 study showed that gaming could not be considered addictive-we
now know this to be wrong. Gaming is addictive; this is a well established fact as
every year a handful of gamers die as they ignore the needs of their bodies in order
to kee
p on playing for days at an end. How then can a study be conducted to show the
opposite?
One theory that has been put forward by Jonas Heide Smith (Computer Game Research
101) is that the studies themselves are often lacking in theoretical backing and
hence fundamentally flawed from the outset. Most of these studies set out to find
the effects
of media exposure and most of them seem to contradict each other. So we must
ask ourselves if it is possible for computer games to have no effect at all? Is it
possible that they have a neutral effect?
Some of the strongest anti-gaming voices have been parents groups and censorship
boards who say games are too violent and this leads to violent acts. One case study
that is brought up quite often is that of the Columbine killers; it’s well
documented that
the two boys in question spent hours every day playing Doom. Doom is a game where
the player sees the world literally over the barrel of a gun. The logic is simple:
the game is violent, the boys liked the game hence the game transformed innocent
church go
ing boys into violent monsters who listen to heavy metal. Simplistic nonsense

This violence is reflected constantly in other forms of media, especially in film,
but for some reason games are singled out. Why? In his paper ‘Computer Game
Aesthetics and Media Studies’ Rune Klevjer engages with two very different points of
view.
On the one hand games are much more likely to influence our thoughts and behaviour
than films or books. This is because we, the players, are actually acting out the
role of the main character in the game as opposed to passively watching the
narrative unfo
ld. This forces us to engage with the ethics of the narrative because it is us who
carry out the actions on screen-not the character in the story.
On the other hand games like chess and monopoly are equally dubious when it comes
to questions of ethics and motivations yet they are embraced by the same people who
would have ‘Doom’ banned. Why make a distinction between digital and analogue (for
lack o
f a better term) games?
The reason the distinction is made comes down to realism. Despite being laden with
symbolism a game of chess is very far removed from actual conflict where real human
lives are at risk. You have to work hard to imagine a battlefield on a chess board.
Modern computer games with good graphics, on the other hand, do all the work for
you. Take something like ‘Medal of Honour’ a simulation of the Normandy landings.
The game starts as your boat approaches the shore. The men around you are gibbering
nervousl
y, some are silent and focused while others get sick over the side of the boat. You
crash into shore disorientated with no real instructions. Your heart is beating
like a double bass drum. It feels real. The wounded are screaming the living are
barking ou
t commands or asking for guidance. You are immediately attached to the characters
on screen and you want to help them. This just plain doesn’t happen in Monopoly or
Chess
The engagement with the subject of most action games forces us to make decisions of
life and death albeit within the confines of a virtual world. The fear is that as
games become more and more realistic human life will seem cheaper and cheaper.
I was confronted with a perfect example of this fear just last week. I was playing
‘Metal Gear Solid 3′ in the living room. It is a game based on stealth and
espionage. One of the games features allows you to sneak up behind a guard and
shout ‘freeze’ whi
lst holding a gun to their back. I did this and the guard started begging for mercy
and sobbing. Naturally, I shot him in the head without hesitation. To my absolute
dismay my father turned around in horror and said ‘you killed him in cold blood!’
He was
shocked, genuinely shocked. It’s only a game isn’t it?
Apparently that’s not how they see things in Germany. According to a report in the
Guardian (Bobbie Johnson, technology correspondent Tuesday December 12, 2006);
players and creators of games could face imprisonment for “cruel violence on humans
or human-
looking characters” within the confines of a game.
The proposed law is in response to a recent high school shooting near the Dutch
border in which 37 people were wounded. The bills sponsor minister Günther
Beckstein is quoted as saying “It is absolutely beyond any doubt that such killer
games desensitise
unstable characters and can have a stimulating effect,” No doubt this is an extreme
if not emotional opinion but it is not an uncommon opinion.
Unfortunately for minister Beckstein there is infact considerable doubt over the
relationship between games and actions in the real world. As I stated above, nobody
can agree on what no test can prove. The only system that proves a connection
‘beyond any
doubt’ is of course the ‘Columbine Logic’. This particular method of argument can
be used to ban anything and so should be discounted immediately (e.g.: Making toast
involves using a knife, boy likes toast hence boy is subliminally trained into a
vicious
axe-murderer)
He is completely right when he says games can have a ‘stimulating effect’. Great,
that’s probably why so many people like them. I’m going to guess that this is down
to either the wrong choice of words by the minister or the translator but as I
don’t speak
German we’ll never know.
‘Games desensitise unstable characters’ this is the greatest fear of all among
anti-gaming lobbyists. Maybe they do, maybe they don’t-the tests as I have stated
to the point of exhaustion are inconclusive. I don’t think that’s the real issue
though. Unsta
ble characters are easily led astray by other vices, if its not computer games it
will invariably be something else. Maybe the new bill should look more into caring
for these unstable characters instead of skapegoating games. This is especially
true of a
country such as Germany where existing laws regarding games are quite strict anyway.
Violence of one form or another has always been at the heart of computer games much
like cinema. If you compare early computer games to early films there is a striking
similarity. Both make use of slapstick cartoon violence.
Take a comparison between say Charlie Chaplin and Donkey Kong. Both of them are
incredibly violent. Charlie Chaplin regularly subjects his body to abuse that would
kill most men while Donkey Kongs early adventures(with Mario the Zookeeper) reflect
not only
shocking cruelty to animals but what many would consider an unfair representation
of the Italian-American community.
As both these disciplines grew and developed the capacity for realism increased
giving us Quentin Tarantino and ‘Metal Gear Solid’ respectively. Real violence was
not an option in early games (though attempts were made) or cinema so the narrative
culture o
f violence was allowed to grow unhindered and undetected into what we have today.
It is for this reason that modern films and computer games bear such a strong
resemblance. The resemblance is so strong in fact that there have been a few,
woeful, crossovers from both sides (Mortal Kombat, every bond film since Goldeneye,
Super Mario Bros
, Lawnmower Man etc.). Most of these crossovers have amounted to little more than
glorified merchandising (which is why most of them are terrible).
My point is that computer games and film have a strong connection and have had a
strong connection for a number of years now. The relationship between the two has
changed drastically over this time however. Traditionally blockbusters get changed
into cheap
ly made unspectacular games in order to cash in on the films success. It is slowly
but surely turning the other way round as successful even iconic games (e.g.;
Resident Evil, Final Fantasy) get turned into films.
This change is as much due to the financial as cultural changes within the
respective industries. Games are bigger than films. Tokyo is bigger than
Hollywood-much bigger. Time Warner is one of the larger studios; they are currently
trading at $21.28 on the
New York stock exchange (Yahoo Finance). Nintendo are part of the big three (Sony,
Microsoft and Nintendo), they are trading at $30.30. This is a huge if not
shocking gap between the two industries. It also begs the question if games are
over-valued or o
ver-priced
There is no question that games generate revenue but the Technology sector is
notoriously volatile. It tends to go in booms and crashes. Games companies charge
more for their games in order to compensate themselves for this risk which is
perfectly fine fro
m an ethical point of view as long as it’s done within reason.
However games are still expensive with new PS2 games retailing around €60 and the
next generation of consoles looking to be in and around the €700 mark. Is this a
fair price for the work put in?
Yes and no. Music is expensive to produce, film is considerably more expensive but
games dwarf them both. It takes years to create a game as complex and interactive as
the next Grand Theft Auto and its taking longer and longer each time. This is
because of
the shear scale of operations and range of specialists needed. In terms of price
it’s just not fair to compare games to other forms of media.
There is also the notion that eco-friendly companies should be rewarded for, well,
being eco-friendly. Computer game production should have, theoretically, little or
no impact on the environment. All you need to design a game is a few computers,
enough ele
ctricity to run them and a whole lot of brain power from the right people. There
shouldn’t be much by way of paperwork and most console games have fairly minimalist
packaging. Is this reputation for being environmentally friendly deserved though?
Playstation and Nintendo both manufacture a large number of there produce in China
(e.g.: http://www.sulekhab2b.com/Sell/Search/playstation.htm). As a general rule of
thumb there are only two types of factories in China; 1)dirty sweat shops or
2)filthy s
weat shops. Although it’s impossible to gauge how their individual factories are
run I think it’s a safe bet to say that they’re less than ideal from an
environmental point of view. Are the environmental costs of production big enough
to erode the relativ
e benefits of design?
I don’t think so. Industries that generate so much employment at such a low
environmental cost are few and far between. I wouldn’t call it a no-lose situation
but it is certainly preferable to say, the oil industry.
In summary, the games industry is viewed with suspicion. This is true but in reality
it’s somewhat of a given with any new technology especially those that have a
cultural influence (e.g.: writing, the electric guitar, the internet etc.).
Computer games are definitely over-feared by certain groups within society. This is
especially true as there is no proven connection between games and acts of violence
or criminality. That said, there isn’t any real evidence to completely advocate
games ei
ther. The jury is divided and we may never get a conclusive answer.
Computer games may be slightly over-valued but given the risks of such a volatile
industry I think it’s justified. It’s down to personal opinion and I have to admit
that my own personal opinion has been swayed in favour of games companies by
Playstations c
ut price platinum collection (iconic games at a fraction of what they should cost).
The games industry, relative to other industries of similar size, is reasonably
clean. It’s not perfect but few things are.

On the whole the games industry comes as close as any industry (bar industries that
are actually environmentally geared such as tree nursing) to a no-lose situation.
This no-lose situation where economic and environmental concerns are perfectly
balanced is
an unattainable myth in the heavily populated modern world.

I got my hate back! Went a bit mellow for a while there, you may have noticed, but the fires back! Raw unabashed impulsive drunken rants as gaeilge about everything that you could possibly think off without really caring about!

I would like to thank the following people for rhiling me up:

DOMESTIC DISPUTES
-Michael MacDiabhail(is it misspelt or is it a subtle jibe at satan himself)
-Fianna Fáil
-Enda Kenny
-The entirety of Sinn Féins southern representitives
-The entirety of Sinn Féins northern representitives
-The entirety of Sinn Féins international representitives
-Estate Agents
-Insurance adds
-D4 heads
-Gailgore fundamentalists

INTERNATIONAL DISPUTES
-The EU
-The UN
-Kofi Annan personally
-The old favourite…. Israel!
-The United States of hypocracy
-George jnr/snr/lomg lost/grandad
-Palestine, I’m disappointed more than anything else
-The war on terror as justification for bypassing human rights
-fucking left wing dreamers
-evil right wing scaremongers
-the way nobody cares about Kyoto anymore
-The Swiss, for no apparent reason-I just don’t trust them
-Iran, North Korea and China
-Bible bashers
-New age celts-suck my fuckin dick yez bleedin’eejits, there is no reason for you to exist you annoying hippies
-Whoever put Che Guevera on a t-shirt
-Vlad the impaler Putin-I’m comin for you!
-Hulk Hogan and his retarded family

PEOPLE WHO ARE STILL COOL
-Hugo Chaves and uncle Fidel-just look at them, living legends
-Joe Dolan
-Mr. T, for keepin it real and treatin his momma right
-Mexicans, Canadians and the Welsh
-Mandella, even though he doesn’t look so sharp lately
-Salah Haddein, even though he’s been dead a few hundred years
-Frank Aiken, died in the early 80’s
-Ghandi, also dead

NOTICE A PATTERN?