A Week In Comments

Kinect Immerses You In Advertising Like Never Before
Comment by: mindsale
Nominated by: Kobun

So with Kinect, I can test-drive Chevrolet cars standing up, without the ability to brake, and with the car constantly gaining momentum?

Sounds more like test-driving a Toyota.

Religious Games Maker Rakes $200K In Half a Year
Comment by: Walking Eye!
Nominated by: D-K

The confused grandparent demographic is a big market.

Check Out Kirby's Epic ... Uh ...
Comment by: TeamBlacula
Nominated by: kicking222

If gameplay lasts longer than 4 hours, please contact Dr. Mario immediately.

Talk Amongst Yourselves
Comment by: AgentSmithAndWeston
Nominated by: madammina

(Forgive me Kotaku, if this is too preachy / sappy to some, but this is my view on the matter. I've got salt grains if you need 'em)

This was my morning devotional, and it struck a chord with me, mainly for how government tries to attribute society's evils to a cause, or a scapegoat, to an extent. To quote my devotional:

" "In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent." Psalm 4:4(NIV)"

We need to understand that there's a difference between sinful anger and legitimate anger; between appropriate anger and inappropriate anger; between helpful anger and hurtful anger.

Anger is not necessarily wrong. It's not always bad. What makes it different is why you got angry and what you do with those feelings.
Ask yourself, "What am I angry about? Why am I so upset?"

It's very important that you understand this: Anger is never the root problem. There is always a deeper issue. Anger is simply an emotional reaction to one of three primary emotions. If you want to understand your anger you've got to find out which of these three you are feeling, and maybe it's a combination of all three. It's important that you know this because it's much easier to deal with the roots than it is to deal with anger itself. When you get angry it's either because:

You are hurt - either physically or emotionally.

You are frustrated - Things don't seem to be turning out the way you want them to.

When you're angered by frustration, ask yourself two questions: Would getting angry change the situation? Is it really worth being upset over?

You fear something - you feel threatened or insecure.

When you focus on the real cause, it's easier to control your anger.
The fact is, you can't eliminate hurt and frustration and fear from your lives. They're inevitable. But you can learn to deal with these things without becoming upset.

Anger is a choice. And when you get angry is because you've chosen to be angry. "

Video games are not the cause. Some of my funnest moments as of late were playing Worms with my 12 year old little brother, and we have a blast, and he's no different than he ways before we play. It's because we realize it's a game, just like moviegoers realize it's a movie - it has no bearings in reality, or to it, because we don't want it to. We want to have other worlds to explore, to play in, to be different in than we are in our day-to-day lives. And if there are some people who can't make the distinction between what's appropriate in a game versus real life, then yes they should be punished for their actions - but not the rest of us.

Video games can be an influence to an extent, but it's really not the highest type. Politicians need to look deeper and see the underlying problems before attempting a vendetta against what they believe will plug the moral leak, in order to garner votes, when it will just cause a whole new set of legal issues and conflicts.

It's not the game, it's the player.

