Death is a Sweet Relief...to FPS Games

A study was recently conducted by a group of college students in Finland about killing and death with first person shooters (commonly known as FPS). The students were told to play two games: James Bond 007: Nightfire and Super Monkey Ball 2, with the former being a FPS and the latter being non-violent, filled with minigames (commonly called party games). All the participants were given a personality test to determine the level of psychoticness among the participants. Those who scored higher were deemed more psychotic than those who scored lower, according to the test.
The study found that those who killed became very tense while those who died were actually relieved. It is interpreted that those who killed actually were under tension due to finding their next target, which puts stress and tension upon the player. Meanwhile, the person who died actually is relieved of all the stress since they do not have to identify the next target.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080225-study-fps-deaths-provide-sweet-relief-to-victims.html

This study just proves what gamers have been saying all along, violence in video games does not make us violent people. I find it funny how when someone states they have proof that links violence in video games and people, they can't show us the details, or the proof is very generic(*coughJackThompsoncough*). I've played almost every violent game there is and one of my favorite games is the Unreal Tournament series, and I am not violent, nor do I have the urge to go on a rampage.

Until next time, play fair, and when all else fails...Kirbycide!!!

- Zero

Image Source: http://www.trustedreviews.com/images/article/inline/3413-ut1.jpg

The One Minus One

Zero is defined in the dictionary as "naught; nothing" (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/zero) and that is exactly how the name originated for me. Playing video games is more than just passing time or escaping to a virtual realm. It is about finding a group of people who share the same interests, in this case video games, getting together, and enjoying each others company. However, video games allow people the rare opportunity to show off your abilities in multiplayer games, and see who emerges the best of your group.

I, at the beginning was that guy who didn't stand a chance when he picked up a controller. People actually said "Why bother playing? You know you are going to lose." , which eventually lead to "You have zero chance of winning." I am a very competitive person, so I took it as a challenge to get better, to show them that the guy who has "zero chance" can win. I got better, actually started giving them a run for their money, and was winning, but I always held the name "Zero" close, since that is how all this started. The rest, as they say, is history.

Until next time, play fair, and when all else fails...Kirbycide!!!
- Zero