Kotaku points us towards an interesting Ted Talk in which David McCandless, a self-proclaimed “data journalist” discusses overcoming information overload by visualizing and designing information so we can focus on what’s important.
After showing a graph a “landscape of the world’s fears”, or a chart showing off popular scares over the last decade, which included Swine Flu, Bird Flu, SARS, the Millennium Bug, Asteroid Collisions and Killer Wasps, McCandless pulled up a slide charting the landscape of violent videogames.
McCandless stated, “As you can see there’s a kind of odd, regular pattern in the data… twin peaks every year.” Those peaks were in November and April. November is easily explainable in advance of the release of the Christmas slate of videogames, but why April? McCandless theorized that since the Columbine school shooting took place in April of 1999, “That fear has been remembered by the media and echoes throughout the group mind.”
Interestingly, McCandless notes a gap in violent videogame coverage or interest in the subject that occurred around September of 2001. Of course that’s when the World Trade Center and Pentagon were attacked, or as McCandless explains, “When we had something very real to be scared about.”
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Understanding the Cycle of Violent Videogame Stories
August 31, 2010 -
Shout box
Matthew Wilson: http://imgur.com/XzpWeWw here is the twiter exchange in question.10/19/2014 - 1:39pm
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Andrew Eisen: I either don't remember or didn't see it. Still have a link?10/19/2014 - 1:38pm
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Matthew Wilson: its the twiter exchange I linked too a few days ago.10/19/2014 - 1:29pm
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Andrew Eisen: That link doesn't work. Browsed the Twitter feed but couldn't find anything. Did find someone claiming a Gawker writer advocated bullying but didn't say who or where.10/19/2014 - 1:05pm
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Neo_DrKefka: Gawker loses advertiser MERCED ES https://mobile .twitter.com/TheRalphRetort/status/522813815260733441/photo/1 after Gawker writer advocates bullying of nerds with an anti Gamergate rant10/19/2014 - 12:32pm
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Matthew Wilson: https://soundcloud.com/totalbiscuit/weaponised-charity a interesting audio log.10/19/2014 - 12:04pm
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prh99: Also there is no story in rational and respectful discussion (where you can find it).10/19/2014 - 10:44am
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prh99: Well they are probably doing it on Twitter and probably the GG hashtag so any voice reason gets drowned out by idiocy. Also it's far easier to broad brush a group.10/19/2014 - 10:41am
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Wonderkarp: dont fool yourself, Technogeek. Remember Mass Effect 3? How about the ferver against Phil Fish?10/19/2014 - 10:18am
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MechaTama31: None of which is the fault or responsibility of the people who are not trolling, harassing, threatening, doxxing, etc. So why is their opinion hostage to the people who are?10/19/2014 - 10:06am
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Technogeek: If the developer were male there wouldn't have been a "conversation" in the first place.10/19/2014 - 2:27am
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Monte: trolls are just at their absolute worst when it comes to women and feminist. You could bet good money that if the developer were male the trolls would be silent and the conversation would actually focus on the journalism.10/18/2014 - 9:18pm
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Monte: Papa: Not the first time we've had a journalism scandals before, but the harassment never got close to this level; the difference with this scandal is that feminists are involved. Without the feminist angle, their would be A LOT less harrassment10/18/2014 - 9:15pm
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Papa Midnight: Monte: That's honestly rather short-sighted. As has been proven with other persons who have been targeted, if it wasn't Quinn, it would be someone else.10/18/2014 - 6:26pm
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Avalongod: I think that's part of what gives an esoteric news story like this real life...it taps into a larger narrative about misogyny in society outside of games.10/18/2014 - 3:29pm
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Avalongod: @Monte, well the trolls made death threats that came to police (and media attention). I think this is tapping into a larger issue outside of games about how women are treated in society (like all the "real rape" stuff during the last election)10/18/2014 - 3:28pm
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Wonderkarp: Zippy : Havent tried the PS4 controller. might later.10/18/2014 - 2:37pm
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Monte: Seirously, If Quinn was not involved and GG was instead about something like the Mordor Marketing contracts, the trolling would have never grown so vile and disgusting. There have been plenty of movements in the past that never sufferred from behavior..10/18/2014 - 1:57pm
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Monte: We have seen scandel's before but the trolling has never been as vile as what we see with GG. Trolls usually have such a tiny voice you can barely notice them, but its like moths to a flame whenever femistist are involved.10/18/2014 - 1:53pm
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ZippyDSMlee: Wonderkarp: You might be able to if you had a PS4 controller.10/18/2014 - 1:00pm
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Comments
Re: Understanding the Cycle of Violent Videogame Stories
TED is pure awesomeness! I have been a supporter for nearly a decade now. Since it launched its website I watch one short lecture a day.
I said it before and I'll say it again:
There should be a link on this site to TED.
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"The most difficult pain a man can suffer is to have knowledge of much and power over little" - Herodotus
Re: Understanding the Cycle of Violent Videogame Stories
It's an interesting small bit of information to extract and extrapolate on, but I think we ought to watch and understand the entire presentation within its context.
Re: Understanding the Cycle of Violent Videogame Stories
Interesting that it was around September 2001 that GTA3 was released (after some last minute editing due to 9/11).