Glenn Beck thinks Watch Dogs teaches you how to hack the real world

"I can teach you to cook"
"I can teach you how to cook"

Did I communicate the same idea here? Or are they "two totally different statement"? If yes, how is that different from what he said? If no, what makes it different?

All those talks about being careful about what you read/hear and you fail to properly read what I said earlier? I never mentioned he used the word "how", but how he didn't have to because he used to word teach which I kindly gave a definition of it. The way he talks about it is how we are meant to perceive it. As I said, it is directed to everyday people who gets the basic idea, and not English majors who will read between the lines and get into technicality.

Honestly, you are just 'trying' to make this man look better for some reason that I am unaware of... when what he said is clear as day.

 

That's not what we're talking about here. That's apples to oranges. A better comparison is between teaching someone they must cook their food before eating it versus teaching them how it's actually done. Watch Dogs and what Glenn Beck said is a perfect example. He said that the game teaches you to do certain things, he didn't say it teaches you how. People are dismissing him because they're putting words in his mouth and then calling him names for it. The mud slinging in his direction is based on the idea that he believes the game teaches you how to do these things, not that he believes that these things are wrong and the game is encouraging them. They're two totally different statements and two different arguments.

If someone wants to jump in and argue about how they disagree with Beck because they don't think video games influence behaviour, go for it, but name-calling and mud-slinging against someone for something they didn't actually say is just childish. It's purposeful ignorance.

I listened to what he said, and the way I see it was he's saying that it teaches you that these things are OK and he disagrees with that message. He didn't say anything about how easy they are to do or that the game enables you to do it. I'm not trying to make any one loo any way, but fair is fair. Your prejudice against him manifests itself with your last sentence.

 

I think that games can teach you certain thing about real world scenario's and how to best deal with them.

For instance, by playing action games, you might get a better understanding what would be the best way to defend yourself in a gun fight. It can teach you certain tactics, some of which you would also learn if you were in the army.
That's also why the army uses games to teach combat tactics.

Now the other side is, that every normal person should be able to distinguish between right and wrong, the only things games teach you is how to do certain things, and what the best approach might be.

This doesn't mean that I would like to get in a gun fight, because I play an FPS game, or whatever kind of game. Or that I would kill someone because I know that a headshot is the fastest way to do it.

I also watched the video, but the guy has severe tunnel-vision.
He talks about, how Watch Dogs shows you how to hack the ipad that's docked next to you bed when you go to sleep, so someone could spy on you.
But he forgets that his own goverment (NSA etc) is hacking everyone :bang:.

 

True, but I also think it has a cultural impact. It does have an effect on the perception of right & wrong. It may not convince an otherwise sane person to go on a killing spree, but an otherwise less sane person may react differently. Then again, what's sane and what isn't is a whole discussion on it's own.

If we go from Hero-Hero's who simply do right to fantasizing being a stalker who kills people for revenge and is considered a "good guy" things become a little blurrier, especially for those less sane people. If the character can justify his violent, illegal actions as vigilantism who is to say a player of the game won't be inspired to adopt the same philosophy.

It's definitely a worthy conversation if you ask me. Especially for the philosophical among us.

Furthermore, games can teach us to do things and some do teach us how to do them. You'll never meet an airline pilot who didn't learn to fly through a video-game. That's a pretty good example. Repetition and muscle memory to situations are pretty effective. Pretty much any simulation can be considered a teaching tool.

Watch Dogs isn't teaching anyone to hack, but it can be perceived as teaching the player that hacking is OK, or stalking is OK, or violence is OK, as long as you're justified.

 

He didn't say that it teaches you how to do it. He said it teaches you to do it.

I don't see how the NSA hacking is relevant at all. Do you think he endorses that? You don't think he would disagree with NSA hacking? Did you just make that part up? Or did he really say that's it's OK for the NSA to do it... or can't we talk about something without exhausting every possible facet of the discussion, such as talking out against killing of innocents while someone's government is doing it. I'm not seeing the connection. I can disagree with something even if my Government does it. Why can't he?

 

"Reading books makes people do this"

"Watching movies makes people do this"

"Listening to music makes people do this"

Am I doing this right?

 

Of course right and wrong are very subjective also, some things that we see as "wrong" might me "right" in other cultures.

But still, there some things that everyone knows are wrong or bad.
Like killing and stealing. Although you could kill someone in self-defense, but the circumstance would have to be very dire, for this to be deemed right.
Although some cultures think differently about this, killing for revenge or religion is allowed.
In their view what they do is right, but still most other will view this as wrong.
So does right and wrong really exist?
But that's not the discussion here it think.

Although it's easier just to blame games for wrong behavior, because it would be much scarier to admit that anyone can go crazy at any moment, circumstances allowing, and go on a killing spree.

 

Yes, he shows that it is possible, but the NSA bit was a bit off topic.
Still like I said, he has severe tunnel-vision, as how bad it to show people that it is possible to hack an Ipad that docked next to you bed.
Like no one realized this before.

Actually Watch Dogs, is a good wake up call for allot of people to think about their security and privacy.

 

What happened in here, i thought i was on the Above top secret website for a moment. lol

 

Exactly - I watched a dog take a sh1t on the grass outside in front of loads of strangers.... what did that teach me ?

I watched a bird jump off a 100ft building and it didn't die, what did that teach me?

I`ll tell you what it taught me, it taught me that I know better and have common sense, not that I should take a sh1t in front of loads of people outside and then jump to my death

 

And your logic is? It's a two way thing. You can't be so certain.

 

If the video in the OP and his believers are to be taken seriously, then we all need to sell every single piece of "entertainment" (see how I highlighted that word) hardware

Never watch another film, never play another game because even Mario teaches you it's ok to steal coins, never listen to another song unless the lyrics are "Go to work, eat some food, don't play games, la la la la"

There are 2 differences between games and real life

Fantasy / Reality

If you can't differ between the two, the problem is in your brain, not the game

 

You're trying to defend this idiot on a technicality. The guy struggles to read a line of text ffs, he struggles to pronounce words so your argument that the way he means it is different is invalid. If what he says was put down in writing, sure, I'd double think about the meaning of his words, but your defence fails because these words are coming from someone who actually struggles to put a sentence together and just blabbers along.

At the end of the day, I've been gaming for over 20 years and I haven't killed anyone, in fact I've only ever been in one fight in my life and even then I was not even trying to land a single punch, I was just trying to dodge incoming hits. If someone kills another person, the issues are far deeper than those stemming from playing video games.

 

see ^

 

yeah, all of my mates that have played W_D are now walking around streets hacking bollards and traffic lights. They're doing it. Bad W_D.

Did I name call you?

 

Mm.. ok, but anyways guys, let's stop this. No one is bashing no one and blablabla, everyone is in peace and harmony lol. Cmon.

Everyone's logic is different so let's just agree to disagree lol. Or whatever..

 

^^Yeah, you would like us to drop our guard wouldn't you, then BANG!!, you hack us, well not through my anti hack device you won't, and the voice's in my head agree with me.

 

I don't agree with him, but I would like that devs will took their game seriuosly.
On the final outcome devs want to sell their product. Game has potential to make the gamers more intelligent. After and during ,gamer asks questions and he's not mindless clicker. That must be the purpose.
Neuroscientist discuss video games:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FktsFcooIG8

 

Finally, someone understands that games can have messages in them relative to the real world. I play Watch Dogs and it absolutely does address the idea of Security, Privacy and Liberty and how they're all intertwined. The game also has a heavy hand on vigilantism as well. Music, Books and Video Games may not be brainwashing the masses, but it's undeniable that they're influencing our culture.

 

It isn't a topic about people who can't distinguish. It's a topic about the influence of the art. Like music and it's influence on people. Video games are another form of artistic expression and it's totally reasonable to see their influence on culture.

Apparently the person with the inability to distinguish is you. Mario isn't teaching you to steal coins, Mario isn't stealing anything. He isn't in a game designed to target real world issues. Watch Dogs and Mario aren't the same thing, or are you unable to distinguish the two?