What irks me most though, is not that the Witch in questions claim that the diocese does not respect her views, but that she’s essentially complaining because they refused to let her perform impious acts within a Catholic property. I cannot speak for everyone, but should any individual attempt to exercise any action which I consider to be in staunch contradiction to my own core beliefs within my home – such as displaying overtly their support for Man Utd or the Labour Party – then I would politely refuse as the Diocese did.

Even worse though, is that the High Priestess of the Cauldron Club argues that her small commercial enterprise of a cult is in fact a religion. Religions, whilst admittedly commercial enterprises, have followings of thousands and millions, not a handful of slightly eccentric middle-aged Mancunians. I recognise that paganism in itself is arguably a religion, but it is certainly not a coherent, organised one, at least not to the scale of any other major religion, eastern or western.

Anyhow, rant over.

Those of you who know me will recognise that I have a love of gaming. Whether it’s FPS, RTS, MMO, Beat ‘em Up or any other genre, I adore computer games. Furthermore I’m also part of a growing collection of people who believe that gaming is something far more personal than any other form of media; that gaming has just begun to realise the effect it can have on how we view the world, and that gaming can, and should, be used for significantly grander things than mere entertainment.

Already we are beginning to see this latest epoch in media communication arise through games like Shadow of the Colossus and the upcoming Heavy Rain; where the depth of play connects us to the characters, making us not simply a digital puppeteer, but becoming our avatars, empathising with them, and feeling passion for – as well as with – them. The recently cancelled Six Days in Fallujah had the potential to provide the first true interactive documentary, whereby we learn about the horrors of the usually distant emotional battlefield of war, taking us into a world we may otherwise never come into contact with.

GTA4 and WoW are two more games where we are essentially in another fully functioning world, and, in the case of WoW, where you can lead another life, living as you always wished to with all restraints lifted from the burden of ‘real’ life.

Project Natal and Milo are yet further examples of how powerful a message gaming can become, with Natal finally generating the emotional bandwidth that removes the final pane of glass – controller based interactions – separating gaming from reaching its apex.

And finally, we now have a game that can provide a realistic interpretation of what it is to be human, a game that shows us the desires, the hope and the evils of being a member of the human race. That game, is the Sims 3.

Admittedly I am not a Sims fan; controlling one or two individuals with a penchant for dying whenever I remove the steps to the pool was never as enjoyable as, unleashing a torrent of abusive UFO’s and allowing my hand crafted city to burn whilst I played my fiddle. As Mayor of Doomsville, or whatever apt name I designated my metropolis to be, in Sim City I relish destroying my city-come-domino chain, creating havoc on thousands of Sims, as opposed to a shamefully small smattering, but I digress.

I’m sure that many of you will be wondering why though it is the Sims 3 that captures humanity so ebulliently, and to that extent I direct you towards this blog. For those of you who have neither time nor propensity to read Alice and Kev, it is simply the story of two Sims, who, when explained through the blog’s author, become much more to the reader than simulated, digital pixellated avatars. These two characters – especially Alice – demonstrate what it is to be human, with hope, despair, homelessness, generosity and eccentricity all playing key roles in each individuals’ life. Allow me to show you an example: ‘I mentioned that Alice is feeling stressed out now that she’s a teenager. When she was a child, she used to always get her homework done on time, worked hard every day at school, and got constant A grades. She would often come home from school feeling strained, and the only way she could relax after working that hard was by cuddling her teddy. She’s too old to cuddle teddy now. All she’ll do is hold him, but gets no enjoyment from it. She can’t even pretend that somebody loves her any more’ . When extracted as coldly as I have from the remainder of the text, the effect is somewhat lost, and so to that end I challenge any of you to read through the entire blog, open-mindedly, and not become attached to Alice, it truly is that good.

The writing of the website is not brilliant, neither though is it terrible, and it nevertheless generates a quasi-instinctual set of emotions that, together with the photo-like screen-caps, produces an almost primal feeling of sadness. Despite being what would normally be called mediocre, Alice and Kev reaches an emotional level many books, films and other games fail to attain; it forces you to re-evaluate yourself, and if this can be done through a university students blog and a copy of the Sims 3, imagine what dedicated scriptwriters and game developers could achieve.

Gaming, as already mentioned, is just about beginning to realise its potential for changing and shaping us, and, as such, still has much to learn. However, should more games begin to talk to us, the puppets and puppeteers, on a philosophical level as well as an entertaining one, the gaming industry will evolve and out perform all other media. Games can spread a vision, changing what we feel by just viewing a film or reading a book, into something that can become a part of us; games change us from the third person into the first.

]]> http://politicalphilosopher.wordpress.com/2009/06/18/gaming-philosophy/feed/ 0 The Political Philosopher http://politicalphilosopher.wordpress.com/2009/06/13/preconceptions-mr-dale/ http://politicalphilosopher.wordpress.com/2009/06/13/preconceptions-mr-dale/#comments Sat, 13 Jun 2009 06:43:45 +0000 The Political Philosopher http://politicalphilosopher.wordpress.com/?p=49 ]]> Those of you, if anyone, who read this blog will notice that Iain Dale is on my blogroll, and admittedly, he is one of my favorite bloggers, third to Alix Mortimer and Daniel Hannan. His posts are usually interesting, thought provoking and at at times amusingly catty. However, watching Have I Got News For You last night his and Michael White’s bicker on Sky News was shown. For those of you who haven’t seen it you can view it here.

Whilst I tend to agree with Mr Dale on most things, I cannot help but disagree with him on White’s use of the term ‘hissy fit’. To describe it as sexist though is an incontestable argument: it is not a term used exclusively with men or women, and in all honesty I would associate it more with children than anything else. The only link that anyone could make between ‘hissy fit’ and gender is the preconception that resides within Mr Dale’s – or any other individuals – mind. We Tories are always arguing that it matters not what gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation etc. you are, only that you’re a half-decent human being. This form of identity politics, or at least affiliation with it is Leftist territory and is responsible for many of the perceived ‘PC’ problems that the public despise.

Are we not so civilised as a society that we can look beyond our predispositions of people and judge them solely on what they do, not what they are?

Apparently not…

Yet all of this is overshadowed by the monstrosity of the BNP gaining, as I am sure you are well aware of, not one, but two MEPs in the elections. As many others have already stated on facebook, we now share the shame of France, Italy and Bulgaria: being represented by the National Socialists and Fascists of the far left. A party that once had very little funding now has access to finances that may – worryingly – allow it to maintain its two seats in the European Parliament.

Repellent as this is, however, it is not this thought that ails me, but another: on the night of the European results, Nick Griffin was prevented from accessing the count for his seat in Manchester. Not by members of openly fascistic rival organisations, or any political party: instead, his entrance was blocked by Unite Against Racism protesters chanting, ‘Smash the BNP’. Do not mistake me: I abhor the BNP, detest the policies they hold, and despair for those foolish enough to vote for them. However, I am beginning to find it increasingly difficult to differentiate between the sponsors of fascism, and those who oppose it. The BNP, regardless of what they represent, are currently a legitimate political party attempting to gain a mandate by lawful means. Should the public – as unlikely and grotesque as the possibility is – ever vote for them in sufficient numbers to allow them to gain a parliamentary seat, then the BNP would be legally entitled to that seat.

Those who claim to oppose the BNP very often act in a manner reminiscent of fascistic groups of the past. Whether throwing eggs or claiming that everyone is entitled to speak their mind – with the exception of the BNP, naturally – these activities are oppressive in nature, grant more publicity to a party that doesn’t deserve it, and play into the hands of the supposed tyrants. For all the gains made in the last two weeks, the BNP has garnered no more support than it had five years ago (and actually acquiring 2000 less votes in Yorkshire and Humber, for example), and represents 0.2% of the European Parliament. It is powerless, ineffective and rendered void. Its ambitions are in vast contrast to the many reasonable MEPs who sit in Parliament. By protesting against them with such forceful and incredibly hypocritical means, the BNP gains more in the UK than it ever could in Europe. Let them wither and die out; do not ignore them, and certainly do not prevent them from speaking freely: engage them in debate, logically and concisely, and watch as the foundations of support are burned by the fire of common sense.

When we deny the right of speech to anyone – racist, fascist, far left and far right amongst them – we are worse than those whom we seek to deny; we become the very force we hate. We know the BNP is the wolf: let us not join it with sheepskin draped round our shoulders.

The NHS should not be used for alternative, unproven medicines. It is an institution founded upon compassion and truth, a truth that science encompasses but homeopathy does not. Hopefully those supporters of the Greens who do not know of the science policies that the Greens espouse.

Hattip to Chris Fowkes.

Ive already quoted this before, but today more than ever these words show their worth; ‘Decisions are made by those who show up’.  Go forth and vote: show those that you support their value, and those that you despise how little care you have for them. Go unto the streets and claim that which is rightfully yours; your right to choice, your right to liberty, your right to vote.

Mass Individual Corruption vs Party Corruption

Difficult to choose…

The last few weeks have unleashed a whirlwind of righteous fury upon Parliament. The susurrus of revolution permeates the air as the British public, driven to despair through ID cards, MoD and tax details lost on trains, the recession, the ineffectiveness of the Speaker, and of course the expenses scandal, have shown how much of a rump our parliament has become.

Consequently, the British populace no longer have faith in Gordon Brown and the Labour Party at large; many see him as without mandate, an unelected nay crowned, leader of his party, Brown has overseen the demise of Labours’ first real opportunity to finally prove itself as serving in the interests of the working classes it supposedly represents. As these 12 long years have passed, what have the workers to show for there supposed political champions? Nothing. The creation of 3 million jobs that our Premier so proudly regurgitates each Prime Ministers Question Time is currently being rendered null by the recession, a recession that despite the recent surge in the stock markets, is still very much under way. Promises made in the 2005 manifesto remain just that, promises. Specifically the much touted referendum on the Lisbon Treaty has not materialised.

The simple fact is that the public feel that they are being berated; calls for the dissolution of Parliament and a general election go unacknowledged, whilst the government in its death throws knowingly acts in its own, not its peoples, interests. Frantically grasping what little remains of the once proud leadership of Blair, Gordon Brown fears the inescapable, long political exile that awaits the Labour Party on the backbenches. He is reluctant to risk a general election when the chance of retaining a semblance of opposition to the inevitable Tory government is dire.

The public, more so now than any other period in recent history, is baying for the blood of the political animals that govern our state, and only one thing will satiate this desire for retribution: the general election that Labour unavoidably faces in the coming year.

However, the changes that the public are demanding – less government, not more, the decentralisation of Whitehall and a reduction in the paralysing bureaucracy that has become the swansong of the failed New Labour experiment – cannot be realised under the current regime, and only a new government can generate the change we need in our politics, at both local and national level.

Whilst not a general election, the Local and European elections are a chance for us all to show our beloved Premier that he has no public mandate; that it is time for change, and that we, the people of Britain, are tired of having every aspect of our lives controlled. We do not want a centralised, all-powerful, government, and more importantly, we wish to stand proud as individuals, free from the babying of Parliament.

If you – as I do – wish for an end to the uncaring, quasi-Orwellian state, run by an unelected leader whom has shown himself incapable of leading his party, never mind our nation, and who has failed to listen to the cries of masses for a general election, then we must show Labour that it is no longer wanted. If you want change in our political system, then I implore you to vote for Cameron’s Conservatives. Only with the powerful message of the electoral embarrassment that the Labour Party deserves can we finally show Gordon Brown that he is no longer welcome in Number 10 and gain the fresh start we so rightly deserve. In the words of Aaron Sorkin: ‘Decisions are made by those who show up’.