Battletoads Double Dragon: 3HN Violence

A few months ago, I wrote a relatively lengthy post about violence and how Christians must assess the violent content of any game. Recently, I borrowed Battletoads Double Dragon for the SNES, and by the standards of 1990s videogames, this game is pretty dang violent.

Battletoads Double Dragon is basically a beat-um-up side-scroller that combines two NES games: Battletoads and Double Dragon. Battletoads involved three anthropomorphic toads and Double Dragon featured two muscular dudes. Combined, you can choose from any of the five characters; and, like both predecessor games, you can team up with another player.

What's the point of the game? To kick enemy butt -- that's it. You (and another player) run from left to right punching, kicking, and throwing any foe that crosses your path. From a gameplay standpoint, this game is a disappointment. Out of the six possible buttons, there are only two buttons used for unique functions: attack and jump. It's like Tradewest ported an NES game directly to SNES and upgraded the graphics, but retained NES gameplay. In this way, the game is lackluster.

Otherwise, Battletoads Double Dragon is mindless and oddly cathartic, though it is disturbing that dudes beat up on whip-wielding ladies, as skanky as them may be. I can say with certainty that this game does not exemplify Christ, but if it's any consolation most of the foes are robots and alien creatures... I will be returning this game to the coworker from whom I borrowed it. I am thankful I didn't buy it.

What Defines a (Iron) Man?

Yesterday, I pondered that which defines a man. I started off from the dangerous standpoint of what I cannot or do not do: I can't fix a car, plan a camping trip, program my own website, engage in martial-arts beatings, use a firearm, kill game with my bare hands, ride a mechanical bull, lasso a real-life bull, drink alcohol, or urinate for great distances. There were many guys at my old church that could do many of these things and they formed a nice group of men that could band together in the end times to form a viable commune and defend it with an acumen for survivalism and shotguns.

I then thought about what I could do: I can speak Japanese, teach linguistics or history or English, fix my computer, cook dinner, clean my house, iron my clothes, connect and configure electronic equipment, use an SLR camera, play most sports okay, run five miles, and write reviews, blog entries, and/or academic essays.

When I compared the lists, I became despondent because my skill set really does not correspond with what most men (even men in our churches) equate to masculinity. I began to ask myself: if the poop were to hit the proverbial oscillating fan, could I protect myself and my family? Could I stand up for myself? As the self-questioning questions flooded over me, I grew even more distraught.

But, this morning, I kept in mind the best answer I could muster -- that answer being to look at Jesus. He was indeed the Man -- self-sacrificial of his time and health, wise to always ask for His Father's help, courageous in the face of an inevitably painful crucifixion, and loving of humanity enough to reach out to both the masses (from the Mount, feeding the 5,000 with two fish and a loaf of bread) and the individual (Zacchaeus, Martha, Mary, and so on).

Thus, I was reminded that my yardstick of comparison should not be the guys at church, but the Man who is the head of the Church. Of course, I fall short of that yardstick as do us all, but I have to believe that I can do all these things in He who strengthens me. If I can strive to do those things, I could indeed protect my family and ensure my own safety with much more God-given strength than just being able to pummel any foe.

Then again, even David had a sling. :)

Violence and Video Games: A RETROspective

Hello Everyone!

Anyway, I wanted to open up on my views regarding violence and video games by stating that I don't believe I can aptly discuss such a subject with one brief blog entry. So, I will start off with this primer and then continuously augment my views as I write more posts. In other words, you, the reader, will surmise my views on violence and video games as more and more posts come out.

All of that said, here's my very basic view on how violence can be defined in video games: violence is largely defined by the depicted act and the intent of the act. Much is made of the results of violence: the gore, the blood, death. Of course, the aftermath of violence is important and all too prevalent in many of the video games made today. Heads being blown off, body parts strewn about, and other graphic depictions of the aftermath of violence are more often used to define how "bad" violence is. However, I think that violence is more about how it is committed and, more important, why it is committed.

Take an NES game like Contra. You've got two guys with big guns (upgradeable, mind you), shooting up bad guys and alien creatures. I break it down like this: each act of violence is depicted by weapon fire hitting a foe and the foe falling into oblivion; and, ostensibly, the intent of each act of violence is "saving the world," or "getting the bad guy out of the way," or "to get out your aggression on a virtual foe," or whatever. At a glance, Contra is admittedly violent.

Now, take any recently released military or action-themed game. You've got a big guy (or gal) with many weapons. Each act of violence is depicted with relative anatomical accuracy. The intent: could be anything. At a glance, these games are also violent.

But, let me ask: which is more violent? Contra or, say, Halo? We have to ask certain questions:

• What is my intent for playing the game? (e.g. to vicariously save the world)
  
• What is my approach to the game? (e.g. to relieve stress)
  
• How are acts of violence depicted?
• Does the realism of the act and the aftermath of the act make a game "more" violent?

Beyond these questions, as a believer in Jesus, I have to ask:

• By playing a violent game, how is the violence influencing me?
• How does it affect my witness as a believer?
• Does the violence of this game glorify or defame Jesus? (the answer is not easy, trust me)

I hope to explore these questions as I go. In the meantime, feel free to offer input. Thanks!