Top 5: Get Up, Stand Up
by Kaes Delgrego 
{ Nov 17th 2008 at 11:48AM }
Coming off perhaps the longest election of all eternity, one aspect that stands out for me is the relentless demand for voting. Particularly for young people, the act of voting transcended the realm of obligation and became more of a societal requirement. 2004's "Vote or Die" campaign resurrected itself as "Don't Vote": a series of videos where celebrities tell us to be apathetic about voting ... and then hit us with a psych! You just got sarcasm'd! In reality, the "Don't Vote" videos are giving the viewer a wink which nonverbally says "we're messin' around; go vote, you moron!"
Inarguably, such campaigns have been successful. The youth turnout was very large in 2004 and even larger this year. 24 million of them, in fact, aged 18 to 29 showed up, which is an increase of 2.2 million from 2004. While it's great to see participation in our political process, one wonders about the old newspaper to voting question, which goes something like this: "About half the population vote and about half read the newspaper. Let's hope it's the same half." Indeed, I question who is the better person: an uninformed voter, or an informed abstainer. On the other hand, perhaps pressuring us into the voting booth is justified: by voting for or against a candidate, we're investing ourselves in those individuals. Thus, we follow their progress and learn as we go. Whether the ends justify the means is for someone wiser than me to decide.
Which leads me to gaming. Gaming is both entertainment and an art-form. It's evolved from an experiment by college researchers to a hobby for electronic enthusiasts to a distraction for bar patrons to a culture for children before finally reaching its final stage of metamorphosis: a global juggernaut larger than film and music which appeals to an incredibly diverse group of folks. And as it becomes more relevant in our society, those of us who follow it closely should feel a responsibility to stay informed and take action when appropriate and/or necessary. Last week I presented a list of items that divides gamers. Here's the Top 5 issues that should leave you standing shoulder to shoulder with your gaming comrades.
The Top 5 is a weekly feature that provides us with a forum to share our opinions on various aspects of the video game culture, and provides you with a forum to tell us how wrong we are. To further voice your opinions, submit a vote in the Wii Fanboy Poll, and take part in the daily discussions of Wii Warm Up. 
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
patrick @ Nov 17th 2008 12:04PM
give us the weekly releases!!!
MowDownJoe @ Nov 17th 2008 12:53PM
Look down.
Or here: http://nintendo.joystiq.com/2008/11/17/retail-and-download-releases-for-the-week-of-november-17th/
patrick @ Nov 17th 2008 4:28PM
I bring a change of pants to work every monday in anticipation of that post.
Nigeria @ Nov 17th 2008 4:41PM
Well, judging from the amount/type of comments -so far - I guess rage is an easier emotion to exploit than solidarity. I liked the article anyway.
The greater scope of gaming nowadays is a real boon. People who felt a little awkward about gaming now happily join in the fun; and as more people game the easy ignorance will dissipate into the ether, or maybe not. I'm sure the growing informed won't put too much stock into the rabblerousers, if they don't already.
There's a real acceptance of our hobby that I don't remember from when I was a kid. But at the same time, I miss the secretness gaming once held. Where once only I, and a select band, knew the release date of Game A, I've now got old aunts and uncles saying: gettin me some Marios next week.
Kaes Delgrego @ Nov 20th 2008 12:02PM
Yes, to be honest, I wasn't expecting nearly as much feedback as in previous weeks. As is often said, it's easier to divide people than unite them. But at the end of the day, I have faith that most gamers know and understand these issues and will take action when necessary. After all, whose blood doesn't boil a bit at the mention of Jack Thompson? :) The important part is just to examine that negativity and try to turn it into a positive.
I know what you mean about how gaming is much more acceptable today. It does take a bit of the mystique away, but it's better than the onslaught of GAMES DESTROY YOUTH news stories. I think we're over that hill and that was just a bit of a transitional period for gaming, but it's still something we should keep in mind.
Either way, thanks for reading & writing, Nigeria! :)
Matias @ Nov 17th 2008 11:19PM
Well in my country (Chile) games aren't that important for society, there are lots of casuals gamers, but the hardcore bunch is still a really obscure group,mostly in the console area, because most gamers here play PC MMORPG's. The problem is that the society have a stereotype of a gamer, wich is a fat kid (or inmature adult) that would starve to death if that means playing an hour more. That makes hardcore gamers really rare, they aren't likely going to reveal themselves (people looks me weird when I speak about a game that nobody knows, or when they listen that I'm hearing the zelda theme). I say that while in my country videogames aren't that important for society, they still have a lot of prejudice for gamers (wich makes hard for me finding import games or those low selling/ cult games, I mean, in most stores I find the videogame for highschool musical, but finding, say, baten kaitos for the GCN, was a pain, I bought it at almost new price, at it was used!). Also beign a gamer here is hard, because games cost the double than they do in the states (say, a wii game is 40-50 dollars there, and here, converting my money intodollars, a new wii game cost between 80-90 dollars, and let's not speak about the consoles prices, because it almost 900 dollars for a 80 gb PS3, or 600 for a XBOX360).
I think that even if in the states the videogames are blamed for everything, you're still blessed by the gaming goddess.
Kaes Delgrego @ Nov 20th 2008 12:06PM
You bring up an excellent point, Matias. We should be sure to appreciate what we have ... especially those of us who don't live in countries with really harsh censorship laws. Most free countries still have a good amount of nonsense that needs to be cut through, but it is refreshing and important to take a step back once in awhile and count your blessings.
It's nice to hear from a South American gamer. I hope the hardcore gamers in Chile (and elsewhere) are able to come out of their shells a bit and not feel the need to hide their hobby. Keep fighting the good fight! :)