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Tuesday, May 22, 2007

New Chornobyl video game

I can't make up my mind about this new video game ...

Will it help the players learn a bit of Ukrainian history and maybe something about the consequences of not respecting the perils of nuclear energy?

Or will it just desensitize them by confusing the reality of human suffering (i.e., the consequences of such disrespect) with the stuff of science fiction and fantasy?

4 comments:

Brooke - Little Miss Moi said...

Dear pawlina. It does seem that making a video game will only trivialise the tragedy...?

Pawlina said...

That's how it looks to me, too.

It's sad that video game developers and players seem to see things differently, tho.

There's a fairly common mindset in that crowd that the violence in these games holds no danger for impressionable minds because players can tell the difference between reality and fantasy.

I once had a very heated discussion about this with my brother-in-law, who is a college professor. Needless to say, I disagreed with that position.

Not long afterwards a very convincing (and reputable) study was released showing a clear link between violent crime and violent video games...

The topic hasn't come up in discussion since.

Anonymous said...

eer, how long will UA be associated with Chernobyl??! aren't there other sellable associations around. Take our politicians, or Eurovision laureates, for instance.

Pawlina said...

That's all too often how western commerce works, Olechko ... take the well-beaten, easy path with no (apparent) risks. In other words, "monkey see, monkey do."

It's what we in the diaspora hope Ukraine will avoid doing. History has shown Ukrainians to be incredibly innovative, given half a chance. Our mutal friend Vasyl is seeing plenty of that in Ukraine's music industry, Eurovision and oligarchs notwithstanding. ;-)

As for Ukraine's politicians, about the only one recognizable to most North Americans is Yushchenko, because of the poisoning. Nice to know that nasty little trick backfired so well... Oh yes, I suppose the beauteous Yulia is widely recognizable as well, because of her glamour and political chutzpah.

So, keep doing what you do over there. I think the west is finally starting to notice, but is still struggling to understand and recognize, Ukraine. It will take time, but eventually there will be other saleable associations. Which may or may not be a good thing. :-P

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