Obama: "Turn off the video games and pick up a book."

[Saltyk]

I love Obama, I love video games.
He makes a fair point though
I just hope he doesn't become anti games

I've noticed that he has a tendency to use games as a whipping boy. It seems he is always referring to video games as something that people need to do less of. I don't think I've ever heard an actual positive remark towards games from him. He may not be anti-games like say a certain disbarred Florida attorney is, but I don't think he sees them in a positive light, either.

In the long run, I couldn't care less about what he thinks on games and the like as long as he doesn't do anything to hurt the industry. But I feel that way about a lot of other issues, too.

 

[Samson5090]

Ok then *Turns off Gears Of War 2, picks up Gears of war Jacinto's Remnant*

 

[ddq5]

Pah, who even reads strategy guides anymore? Oh, wait... he meant book... books. Oh. Uh, alright Mr. President.

 

[XaVierDK]

I don't think it's fair to say it's an anti-video-game statement... But the fact is that many video-games today don't require higher level brain functions, whereas a book both acknowledges and improves your ability to read (despite what some people might say, this is still quite handy in modern society), and improves your imagination (games do this too to a lesser degree, but books require more active thinking in making your own images and enviroments). He isn't pointing out specific games, I think he is as much thinking of the time-sink games (Zynga, PopCap etc.) as he is of the games trying to tell a meaningful and deep story...
Also, as someone else pointed out, I think he is also thinking in more traditional terms of books as learning tools... Pick up your school work and do it before you play your third playthrough of whatever your favorite game is... Education is very important, and the ability to take in more traditional forms of learning and story telling is still something everyone should do once in a while (IMHO)

Best regards

 

[StereoMike]

I play games about 3 hours a day. Per Obama's advice I am going to moderate that to 1.5 hours, and then spend 1.5 hours reading. But I am going to read Paris Hilton's autobiography followed by Snooki from the Jersey Shore's book. Because as Obama implies, books are better by virtue of being books, and videogames are bad by virtue of being videogames.

Why do we have such a strict hiearchy of art?

 

[joshuaayt]

I don't like this. He's not saying anything unreasonable, but to someone who gives only a passing shit, that statement looks a lot like "Listen, mate, stop playing stupid videogames, alright? Now, go lift some weights, you girl."

Then it becomes "President Obama agrees: Videogames are poison"

Oh, yeah, this is how it begins. This right here. It's only a matter of time before they throw the lot of videogames into jail.

 

[deserteagleeye]

All well and good, but I just know someone is going to this the wrong way, twisting the president's words to justify their stupid ambition against the gaming community. Or maybe I'm just being a bit pessimistic. :/

 

[Deathninja19]

Wow, he must have really hated the Witcher 2.

 

[freaper]

He didn't like the Witcher.

OT: I'm reading a book about a game's lore, that's ok, right Obama?

(Captcha: sacred cow, that's the first captcha that ever made sense to me)

 

[Torrasque]

I get what he is saying, and I think its important for people to just read a book once in a while, but I'd rather read a book than watch TV.
I still go outside and bike alot, but most of the time I am inside playing games.
Obviously, I don't think Mr. Presidente is directing this at me (I have to read through dry text books for 8 months out of the year, and my grades depend on how well I memorize those damned expensive things >.>) but I will take it into consideration.

And with that, I have another chapter of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter to finish.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

I've been playing video games since I was 4 and I had a 'reading age' of 15 when I was 7. These two things, in my mind, are interchangeable. Most geeks play games and read. Right?

 

[NoNameMcgee]

But books are boring...

 

[Abedecain]

I do both, shock horror!

Then again, I am British....

 

[Hristo Tzonkov]

Books aren't just about storytelling.Linking stories and references in games are handled much like movies - just a reference.It would involve you to go on wikipedia and look it up.Whereas reading a book provides story and some subject matter most of the time.While I do both and have done both in balance as a kid I'm inclined to agree with him.My little brother and most of my colleagues in university haven't read as much books as me combined and I consider I haven't read as much as I'd like(I know how much time I've spent playing games and other stuff).That doesn't make them any less smart but most of them can't write properly.

 

[Polaris19]

*sigh*

Well now I know what my new blog post is gonna be. Guess I'll save my real points for that. I'll just say this: People really need to sit down and try it before the knock it.

 

[Ninjamedic]

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/308151/news/barack-obama-turn-off-the-video-games-and-pick-up-a-book/

Hard to disagree with him. I mean, he just wants to encourage parents not have their kids play video games all day long.

Well I did order the Ciaphas Cain novels.........

OT: I agree with Obama, so much as reading the Horrible Histories/Science books can improve their performances in school tenfold.

 

[GeorgW]

I think he played that Witcher 2 copy that Poland's PM gave him and either fell in love and forgot to work or gave up at the "tutorial".
But if you read the article, he really only says it about kids, and I can agree that a lot of American kids play too much. I think Video games can be imaginative and educational, but the kids these days don't really play those kinds of games.