A Philosopher's Blog

Philosophical Essays on Many Subjects

Halo 3

Tastes of Greatness

by Leave a Comment

My first experience with moments of greatness was when I heard people talking about an amazing game of basketball my father had played. It was essentially a pickup game played with the other people working at the summer camp, but my dad had done some amazing shots, apparently making baskets by shooting with his back to the hoop. Later, I heard another such story: when my dad was playing baseball in high school his speed was questioned. So, he entered a track meet and set the school record for the mile wearing baseball shoes and without any training. That record stood for quite some time.

I didn’t think much about such moments of greatness until years later and in a somewhat silly context. I was playing Halo 3 and for a few seconds I had a taste of nerdtastic greatness: my fingers flew like lighting, working the controller like a maestro playing her violin. Everything else faded into shadows and I had complete concentration. My opponents moved in slow motion and were effortlessly cut down by my terrible, swift, gun.

Halo 3

I had that experience a few more times while playing Halo 3, but it was never something I could do consistently. As such, it was but a small taste of the nerdy greatness that some people must dine on regularly. I have also experience this from time to time in other games, such as World of Warcraft-I will play my character to near perfection, cutting down my opponents in PvP or handling a raid boss with ease.

Of course greatness in video games is a rather lame sort of greatness. However, I have had tastes of greatness in more significant matters.

Those who have followed this blog probably know I am a long time runner. I was good in college (All Conference) but never great-except for those few times when I truly ran at the top of my ability. In those moments I felt pure, eternal and complete. I and the run were all that truly existed, the other runners and the spectators were just dim shadows. That feeling is, to say the least, amazing. While I have never achieved true and consistent greatness in sports, I have been up the mountain high enough to see the peak and thus I can really appreciate what the true greats experience. I must admit that I have felt a small twinge of jealousy and some regret-like a minor hero gazing up to Mount Olympus and seeing the gods dwelling in unreachable greatness.

I have also felt this in my other endeavors, such as teaching and writing. I have cranked out many publications, including books, but none have been great. Good, yes. Truly great…alas, no. However, I have felt that bit of greatness that one can experience while writing-the words simply flow smoothly and flawlessly, saying what I wish to say. No, not just what I wish to say-but what I should say. Great writers, can, of course, do that fairly consistently. That is what it is to actually be great-to be able to maintain that level. To be able to stay at the peak and not slide back down the mountain.

It would be, I think, easy to be a bit bitter about being merely good. After all, knowing all too well how much better other people are and really understanding that they have regularly what I can only have in very limited moments can be a bit depressing. To use an analogy, it is like having a few bites from a gourmet meal and knowing that people get such a feast regularly.

However, perspective really helps here. I think I have done the best I could do in most of my endeavors and there is no shame in that. While it sounds like a trite thing, what does matter is to go out there and do your very best, to know that you could not have done any better. Not in the sense that you fell short, but in the sense that you rose to such a height. There is great honor in doing this, more than merely doing well but falling short of what could be done.

Enhanced by Zemanta

A First Look at Halo: ODST

by 2 Comments

Halo (series)
Image via Wikipedia

I’ve played only some of the ODST single player campaign, so I cannot render a full and proper verdict on the game. However, I have played enough to make a few comments.

My main comment is this: if you like Halo, you’ll like the game. But, if you like Halo, you already have ODST and so my comment is wasted.

While ODST was originally intended to be an expansion for Halo, it is a standalone game. It also includes a Halo 3 multiplayer disk, including all the maps. For most people who buy ODST, this will not be any bonus-after all, most such folks will already own Halo 3 and will have probably already downloaded the extra maps. If you don’t have those maps, the disk can be a nice extra. Also, if your Halo 3 disk stopped working (like my friend Dave’s), then getting the multiplayer disk is a good deal.

In some ways, ODST does still feel like an expansion pack rather than a full blown new game. Unlike Halo 2 and 3, it does not really add anything new to the game (aside from the fact that you play a non-Spartan). As far as I can tell, it uses the exact same engine as Halo 3 (of course, that is a rather good engine). It also takes place in the city that you already played through in a previous Halo. It is also supposed to be fairly short for a full game. It also does not add anything to the Halo 3 multiplayer system. I was rather hoping that they would add ODST and other Covenant races as playable options in the multiplayer. Naturally, they would have to be balanced against the Spartans and Elites for ranked competition, but having mixed forces in battles would be rather cool. Heck, I’d play a Grunt or Jackal a few times just for the fun of it. They did, however, add a new multiplayer unique to ODST. In firefight you (and a few companions) face endless waves of Covenant. While this sounds repetitive and perhaps something that would be dull, it has received rave reviews. I haven’t tried it yet, but I suspect I will like it.

One significant difference between ODST and the other Halos is that you are not playing a shield equipped cyborg. Rather, you play special forces guys. And I do mean guys-you don’t stick to one character through the game, but switch to flashbacks that you play as you find various items. For example, finding a helmet triggers a flashback in which you play the sarge in charge of your drop team (I’m guessing the inspiration for this was the “helmet” flashback in the first Halo). At first I thought that this would damage the game experience (I rather prefer to stick with a single character in a game and follow a narrative from that perspective). After all, dividing a game into various story lines runs the risk of fragmenting the game. Overall, the folks at Bungie did a good job of keeping the narrative intact. Of course, the main reason to play a FPS is the combat and, as always, the folks at Bungie came through.

Playing the ODST soldiers is a bit different from playing the Master Chief. While the Chief had shields (and health in Halo 1), the ODST soldiers have Stamina and Health. When you lose stamina, you get a red filter effect in your view, plus some blurring. I found the effect extremely annoying at first and gradually found it only mildly annoying. I would prefer that the folks at Bungie had decided on another way to indicate stamina damage. Like the shield of the Spartans, you recharge your stamina by getting out of combat. Health is restored in the usual FPS way-you find medical stations to recharge your health instantly.

Another difference is that rather than having a cheap flashlight, you have a night-vision element in your helmet. It works about as good as the best stuff available today, although it provides color rather than just B&W images. Fortunately, the designers avoided the annoying time limit on night vision/lights that has been a staple in many games.  But, they do add an annoying twist of their own: using the night vision causes the images to be grainy and washed out. While this is “realistic” it makes the game look like it is being played with a failing (or badly set) monitor. I’m not quite sure why game designers sometimes seem a bit obsessed with creating a good looking game and then sticking it in the dark while supplying a fairly annoying way of dealing with this darkness (Doom III…). Anyone know? The same system that provides the night vision also outlines items and beings (green for friendlies, red for hostile, etc). This feature is handy for spotting enemies, but does make the game feel a bit like it is flashing back to the 1980s (when video games featured illuminated outlines rather than rendered 3D shapes). You also get a in game map and the ability to set a way point. Plus, you do get directional hints which are handy because the city is a maze.

Interestingly, as an ODST you can flip warthogs like the Master Chief. Given the size of these vehicles, I can only assume the “S’ in “ODST” might stand for “steroids.” The ODST are also capable of dealing good melee damage. In Halo I got in the habit of dealing with shielded targets by mixing shots and melee. The same works in ODST.

I’m looking forward to playing more of the game, but for now I’ll be grading papers.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Aristotle, Halo &ThinkB4YouSpeak.com

by 3 Comments

The goal of ThinkB4YouSpeak.com is to attempt to counter the homophobic remarks (such as “that’s so gay”) that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) teenagers face. The main motivation for this campaign is that the casual use of such phrases, it is claimed, can lead to more overt hostility against LGBT.

As a college professor, I do deal with some teenagers (mainly 18-19 year old students). However, students tend to feel some small degree of reluctance to throw slurs around in front of professors (but less so than in the past). My main dealings with teenagers “in the wild” has been in the context of online gaming, mainly Halo 3 and other such shooters.

I  used to play Halo 3 online on Xbox live quite often. While I enjoy the actual game, the post game banter can be rather horrific. If my team wins, the vanquished all too often throw out a chorus of vulgarities and insults. In the rare event that my team loses, we are regularly treated to shouted obscenities. If I am playing a “pickup game” with random people, woe to the player who has a bad game-his performance is critiqued with such phrases as “fag” , “that was so gay”, and “you c**k sucking, a** f***ing fag!” While this does not happen all the time, I am always surprised when I hear a calm voice saying “good game” or “wow, that was close…you guys played well.” So, if my own experience is any indication of how teens (and adults) behave, the folks at ThinkB4YouSpeak.com have their work cut out for them.

One question that arises is the matter of whether the use of such phrases and terms should be a matter of concern. On the one hand, kids just use whatever words happen to be in vogue as insults at the time. As such, I suspect that most kids who use “gay” or “fag” as an insult do not really harbor deep hatred of homosexuals and the use of such terms does not cause them to act against LGBT. They use such phrases reflexively and without much thought. In fact, the terms are most often applied to straight people in response to things that have no connection to sexual orientation at all. For example, if someone says “that was gay how that guy sniped me like that” in a Halo game, he is just expressing his displeasure at being sniped and not expressing any hostility towards LGBTs. Of course, LGBTs will feel upset if they here such terms being used, but we all have to face things that upset and annoy us.

On the other hand, some people who use the phrases and terms do harbor hostility towards LGBTs and the repeated use of such terms no doubt adds to their views. After all, as Aristotle argued, we are what we do. Someone who regularly uses such phrases and terms will be affected by them and it will shape his character. In the Republic Plato also argues about how what we observe can corrupt us. While he was discussing poetry and the arts, his arguments would seem to apply here as well. If someone hears such phrases being used as insults, they can be corrupted into using those terms and also corrupted into the mindset behind such views. While it is a long distance between saying “that is so gay” and attacking homosexuals with a baseball bat, the first step towards that swing begins with the language.

Further, there is the harm done to the LGBTs. While I am straight, I can imagine what it would be like for a LGBT to hear those things. After all, I was called “nerd” and “track hack”(an insult against people who run track)  in school and did not like that. Even if it never escalated into more overt hostility, it would still be needlessly unpleasant.

Granting that it is harmful for such phrases to be used, the next matter is what is to be done about it.

The folks at ThinkB4YouSpeak.com have launched a campaign to attempt to curb the use of such phrases. Their current campaign works like this: they have various advertisements that replace the “gay” in the phrase “that’s so gay” with the target of the ad (that is, the type of folks who tend to use the “that’s so gay” phrase). One example is “that’s so jock who can complete a pass but not a sentence” and another is “that’s so gamer guy who has more video games than friends.” They even have on targeted at cheerleaders that says “that’s so cheerleader who like can’t like say smart stuff.”

Like the fine folks at Penny Arcade I have my doubts about the effectiveness of such an approach.

First, there is the point made by Aristotle in his writings on moral education. Aristotle argues that most people cannot be made good (or at least less bad) by mere words. As he argues, most people are ruled by fear rather than shame and are only deterred by punishments. The main reason he gives as to why mere words will not work is that “dislodging by arguments long embedded habit is difficult if not impossible.”

Having faced off against the target audience for these advertisements online, I am quite confident that they will not work. I will admit that there are some people who use “that’s so gay” in a state of naive ignorance and can be corrected by being made aware of the serious implication of their usage. However, the sort of folks who scream “fag” and “that is gay” as they play Halo 3 are most likely not amenable to reason. They are folks of this sort and are largely immune to attempts to get them to reflect. The folks that are most likely to be more overtly hostile towards LGBTs are of this sort or even worse and clearly will not be lead into the light so easily.

Second, the specific approach taken is a poor one. The ads seem to be an attempt to get the target into a “reversing the situation” mode. That is, the target is supposed to feel the cruel sting of the insult and thus be made the feel the pain the LGBTs feel when they hear “that’s so gay.” There are numerous problems with this.

The main problem is, as noted above, the target audience most in need of enlightenment is the most resistant to such an approach. A secondary problem is that trying to be a jerk (even in a weak and lame way) to counter jerks is not an effective strategy. This is like trying to counter stupidity by acting stupid or hatred by hating. Another problem is that the ads lack sting. While the “that’s so gay” probably really hurts some LGBT folks, I suspect that almost no one will feel the cruel sting of oppression from these lame attacks. To use a game analogy, the ThinkB4 folks have entered the battleground wearing tie-dyed t-shirts and cut-off jeans. They are armed with bouquets of flowers. Their opposition is wearing battle armor and armed with big guns. Did I mention that the guns have chain saws on them? They are, as was pointed out at Penny Arcade, woefully under armed for the opposition.

Thus, while the campaign has noble motives and goals, their methodology is lacking.

Because of the moral right to free expression, it would be wrong to compel people not to use such language. Naturally, the overtly hostile behavior can be checked and stopped, but merely saying nasty things is not adequate grounds for the application of compulsive means.

So, what should be done? Well, it does make sense to try to correct people. That can, in some cases, work. While it won’t change how people think in a direct way, it can deter people from saying obnoxious things in public.

Another option, the one I have used when really annoyed, is to forgo slapping folks with a bouquet of flowers and rip at them with a real verbal weapon. While this is probably morally dubious, it is quite satisfying. For example, here is an incident from when I was playing Halo 3:

Player: “You fag! You [email protected] suck! You [email protected] suck! You [email protected] suck!”

Me: “That is not very sportsman like.”

Player: “You’re a fag! You [email protected] suck! You [email protected] suck!”

Me: “Is that all you’ve got? Don’t you have anything original in the way of insults?”

Player: “What?”

Me: “You just keep saying the same thing over. What about some originality, buddy?”

Player: “You’re a fag!”

Me: “That is not original. You just keep saying that.”

Player: “[email protected] you, you fag!”

Me: “It is my considered opinion that you [email protected] dogs.”

Player: “What!? What did you say, you fag?”

Me: “You heard me just fine, you poodle [email protected]”

While I probably should not advocate this approach, if you want to make someone feel the cruel sting of language, you need to use something with the right sort of caliber. The lame approach of ThinkB4 lacks that sort of firepower, but my approach worked quite well.

Naturally, I think that a more rational approach would be preferable. But, to paraphrase Aristotle, some people listen to reason, but you have to put the [email protected] boot to others.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

The F-Bomb, Ethics and Halo 3

by Leave a Comment

I play Halo 3 online on Xbox live quite often. While I enjoy the actual game, the post game banter can be rather horrific. If my team wins, the vanquished all too often throw out a chorus of vulgarities and insults. In the rare event that my team loses, we are regularly treated to shouted obscenities. If I am playing a “pickup game” with random people, woe to the player who has a bad game-his performance is critiqued with such phrases as “fag” and “you c**k sucking, a** f***ing fag!” While this does not happen all the time, I am always surprised when I hear a calm voice saying “good game” or “wow, that was close…you guys played well.”

Having competed in sports since I was 15 and being an ethical person, I find this sort of behavior annoying and disturbing. The proper way to act after any sporting competition is to politely say “good game” and behave with decorum, honor and dignity. Since, as Kant argued, people are rational beings with moral worth, they should be treated with proper respect. Shouting insults at strangers over a video game is hardly showing proper respect. Further, there is the matter of reversing the situation. I assume that those shouting out their rage and hate would not like being on the receiving end of that treatment. Finally, such behavior diminishes a person. As Plato argues in the Republic, such behavior can corrupt the soul and make a person worse.

In terms of why people behave like that, part of it is that anonymity provides them with the safety to act out. They can screech vulgarities and hatred over the microphone, knowing that they will never receive the corrective beat down they no doubt so richly deserve. Another reason is that such behavior is tolerated in real life as well. This sort of thing might be regarded as harmless and those who are opposed to casual vulgarity might be regarded as prudes. But, the way a person talks and thinks affects the person’s character. A person who is casually vulgar and insulting is either expressing a defective character or is in the act of damaging his character.

What I also find annoying is that people are so poor at insulting. All most people can seem to come up with is “fag” and they tend to just repeat the same vulgarity over and over. Presumably they hope to make up for a lack of creativity via the use of volume and repetition. I must admit that once my disgust got the better of me. This is how it played out:

Player: “You fag! You f****ing suck! You f****ing suck! You f****ing suck!”

Me: “That is not very sportsman like.”

Player: “You’re a fag! You f****ing suck! You f****ing suck!”

Me: “Is that all you’ve got? Don’t you have anything original in the way of insults?”

Player: “What?”

Me: “You just keep saying the same thing over. What about some originality, buddy?”

Player: “You’re a fag!”

Me: “That is not original. You just keep saying that.”

Player: “F*** you, you fag!”

Me: “It is my considered opinion that you f*** dogs.”

Player: “What!? What did you say, you fag?”

Me: “You heard me just fine, you poodle f***er.”

I felt bad after doing that, but it did shut him up.

Why Halo 3 is better than dating.

by 5 Comments

I’ve come to the conclusion that Halo 3 is better than dating. Being a philosopher, I arrived at this conclusion after due logical consideration. Here is why:

1. Halo 3 is always fun. Dating is not.
2. In online Halo play, if somesome starts saying stupid or annoying things, you can mute them. If the same thing happens in dating, you usually have to smile and pretend that something stupid or annoying did not just pass from her lips.
3. Halo 3 is always ready to play.
4. If something goes wrong with Halo 3 or the Xbox 360, trained professionals are there to make it all right. With dating, the crazy problems are all on you.
5. Success in Halo 3 depends on skill and talent. Unlike dating.
6. If someone is wicked annoying in your Halo 3 party, you can boot them with the push of a button.
7. Before you join up with someone in Halo 3, you can view all their stats and accomplishments online. No surprises.
8. In Halo 3, if someone betrays you, you can be rid of them with the push of a button.
9. In Halo 3, all problems can be solved with direct action…and plasma grenades.
10. In Halo 3, no one cares what you are feeling.
11. While Halo 3 keeps score, it never judges you.
12. Halo 3 will always love you. Well, not really. 🙂
13. Halo 3 has no insane friends or relatives.

%d bloggers like this: