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Matt Barton on Chatterbox Videogame Radio
Last night I was interviewed by the team at Chatterbox Videogame Radio concerning my book Dungeons & Desktops. It's a terrestrial show based in Phoenix, but they are offering downloads of their past shows, including mine here. I think I even managed to get a plug in for Vintage Gaming towards the end! Unfortunately, I think only one of the hosts actually enjoys CRGPs. ;)
These guys are lots of fun, so enjoy the show! Hopefully I didn't make myself sound too bad.
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While I'm on the topic, I
While I'm on the topic, I also hate this obsession with "learning styles" you're starting to see all over the place. "Oh, my kid's not dumb, he's just a kinesthetic learner. He needs hands-on learning." Well, no shit. Readin' them thar books is hard work, ain't it, Otis? Why the hell do you need school to teach you hands-on learning? What ludicrous crap is that? You go to school to learn how to read and write, and hopefully how to become LITERATE. And don't give me that crap about "different literacies," you can either read at the proper level or you can't. And if you can't, the answer is to work on that skill, not pretend you can somehow get by without it or that it's the teachers fault for emphasizing the need to read.
Man, I get so pissed about
Man, I get so pissed about the Ritalin/ADHD crap that is swarming the schools. Here's the deal--take my little brother David. The kid was so hyper he couldn't play a CARD GAME. He'd play for a few minutes, then start spazzing, throwing cards around and such. The behavior was carried over into school. The answer: Ritalin, of course! Never mind the obvious problem--total lack of discipline and a diet consisting solely of Cokes, ice cream, potato chips, and whatever sugar-caked candy he could get his hands on. I think the closest he ever got to real food was pizza and chicken nuggets. Let me ask you something: Do you realize that the effects of caffeine/sugar are greater for kids than adults? Yeah, we drink a cup of coffee and get a boost. They drink a cup of coffee and can't sit still for four hours. QUIT GIVING KIDS HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP! Try that on for a change! How about some of that?? EH? EH?
I know that some parents get carried away and end up abusing their kids, but come on, what's wrong with telling them NO once and awhile? What's wrong with NOT giving them a reward when they don't behave?
AND DO NOT OVERREACT the other way...I honestly don't know what I hate more. The negligent parent or the neurotic ones that worry about "Dakota" or whoever it is so much that they kid isn't allowed to eat non-organic foods. These parents soak up the Dr. Phil or whatever pop psych they can find, then try to tell teachers and principals how their kid is perfect and society is to blame for all ills. A good example of this is the "It's time out, Dakota! Now go to your room and watch Teletubbies because you didn't eat all your SpongeBob granola flakes. And don't forget to take your ritalin!" Good Lord, what have we come to?
I often get kids / young adults for ADD ADHD diagnosis....
SUPER OT continued: As a shrink I often am presented with the request to diagnose a kid or young adult with ADD or ADHD. I believe it is a bit if a hype dianosing kids the last decade but there are also quite a few older individuals that have not been diagnosed and had a tough time in school. Ritalin (R) (which is actually low doses of Speed) or comparable meds not always work so taking them is not always the answer. Psychoeducation and practical guidelines for day to day living always are. There is a huge overlap with depressive symptoms, personality disorders and bad parenting (no consistent role models present, no clear boundaries, instant gratification behaviours).
Kids are being exposed to so much stuff these days, you cannot compare it to the time when this old geezer was a kid (38 going on 39). But this is also thing of all ages, where the old think the less of the young in some form. There are old Greek and Roman texts that report on the young just hanging around pointless, not showing the proper respect to adults, not putting enough time in their schooling bla bla. It's just for a large part the forever present generation-gap we are experiencing now. You can't help it, when you reach 30-something and above it just happens.
Editor / Pixelator - Armchair Arcade, Inc.
www.markvergeer.nl
Advanced Deficit & Disorder, 4th Ed.
AA is indeed "classy," which is why I come here. I am an "old" guy that likes videogames, but being older, I appreciate videogames on many levels that perhaps a younger person cannot or will not. I am not a "dude" or a "chode" or whatever; I am a reasonably-intelligent (stretching a bit?) adult with many responsibilities and interests. I have been on sites that were populated by youth (the old "Gamehippo" freeware game site, for example), and it was a bear to post on such sites (when it was necessary).
Hear, hear!
But the classiness isn't only in the content! It's also in the form with clear, uncluttered sections that attract people who don't need fluff.
All the elements that lure "cool gaming kids" are missing: Countless posts every day, excessive signatures with pictures that need more bytes than a venerable 8-bit had on a floppy disk, a section concerning everyday stuff (I surely don't want to read about their puberty experiences, about their school or about the latest - what they call - "music" or cell phone ring tones) and cool nicknames (ahem! ;-)
I'll play until I'm dead (or blind - which is the same to me) but the things that I play change. The fact that I'm more and more interested in older machines would have made me shake my head had I thought about it as a teen. I was only concerned with faster, bigger, better back then (first an 8-bit Atari, then an Amiga, then PCs and their annual upgrades...). I'm more and more disgusted with games that need 10.000 files on my harddisk because they were either rushed to the market or their designers were either incompetent or simply lazy as hell.
I don't think that Matt really meant ill children but the generalized picture of a modern child that isn't really interested in doing stuff that needs a larger amount of time (like reading a book or watching a complete movie). The problem with the kids of today is that they are bombarded with stuff all the time (Buy this! Watch that! Play this! Listen to that!) and the internet is just another medium that makes it easy for them to skip to the "interesting parts" - even if it needs an active effort compared to TV.
Kids are no less intelligent than they were, say, twenty years ago - but they are clearly different. Their handwriting is generally worse (I'm astounded of the spelling mistakes - even though I'm not a native English speaker - but it's the same situation in Germany), they have a general knowledge which often seems completely different to kids back then - and thanks to the internet they already know things they shouldn't at this age. Cell phone porn being only the tip of the iceberg.
How many children have had more sex partners with 12 years than their parents in their whole lifetime? How many experimented with drugs at that age? The kids in Germany are exactly the same - except perhaps with less weapons ;-)
How should a kid react to all this? If the parents don't have time to bring them on the right track when they are young because both struggle with earning enough money to stay afloat in this world. Children aren't pets - they need attention and they need direction until they can judge by themselves. In other words: They need love and they need time - for example by "baby-sitting" them in the internet to show them that this is a fascinating and powerful tool and not a train station toilet.
Enough off-topic stuff from the single, childless, know-it-all
Calibrator
Classiness
AA is indeed "classy," which is why I come here. I am an "old" guy that likes videogames, but being older, I appreciate videogames on many levels that perhaps a younger person cannot or will not. I am not a "dude" or a "chode" or whatever; I am a reasonably-intelligent (stretching a bit?) adult with many responsibilities and interests. I have been on sites that were populated by youth (the old "Gamehippo" freeware game site, for example), and it was a bear to post on such sites (when it was necessary).
I am an "old" guy, buy I'm not the oldest gamer I know (my neighbor is a business-owner in his 50's who regularly plays XBox games). It's sites like this that give us an intelligent outlet. Perhaps we "older gamers" need to somehow make our presence more noticeable in the supposedly-kid-dominated gaming world.
P.S. I find that supposedly "ADD" diagnosed kids are usually very intelligent. Perhaps it's society, or the American public school system (i.e. the "slow learner" system) that has failed them. I knew a few "ADD" kids, and there was nothing wrong with them except they were failing school. I know, that's a whole other off-topic subject.
qoj hpmoj o+ 6uo73q 3Jv 3svq jnoh 77V
Well, you know marketing
Well, you know marketing seems to come down to the authors in these cases. The publishers may help (Kevin and Susannah at AK Peters have been amazing), but you have to do the legwork. I worked hard to get reviews up on Slashdot and other places, and I'm sure we'll need to do the same for VG. I really don't think that'll ever change, since no one will ever be gunning as hard as the authors.
That said, advertising definitely helps, especially when it gets the word to people who are all about this stuff but simply haven't heard of it. I frequently find stuff (such as the Toucan Pirates) that I bought immediately upon discovering it. However, that was hard to do--I ended up at Amazon doing a search for pirate music and stumbled upon it. I can't imagine how I'd ever learn about it if it hadn't been for that random event. Definitely wouldn't have seen it advertised anywhere, and probably wouldn't have paid much attention if I did see a flashing box somewhere or a print ad (though a radio spot may have worked).
I think our HUGE advantage here at AA is that we're "classy," to quote Rob. We treat our readers with a high level of respect, expecting them to "get it" without the need for a bunch of silliness, ADD-type crap. I think readers appreciate being treated like intelligent adults, even (or perhaps especially!) if the topic is games. THe mistake i've seen time and time again is people who think that just because it's about games, then you have to reduce the intellect, dumb it down, make it silly (or crude), etc. Bull shit! There are plenty enough people out there who enjoy smart, in-depth stuff. Indeed, as a professor I've often been amazed at how smart and knowledgeable the typical student can be; that is, once you've assured him or her that it's "okay" to be intelligent and speak in a rational way. They appreciate being treated with respect! They *gasp* can handle a challenge!
Anyway, enough ranting...!
It would be nice
Who knows, Rob, maybe this new book since it's on great videogames in general will be a mainstream breakthrough for us. However, it's a bit distressing that the publisher is seemingly targeting it more to academia and the development community than the mainstream. We'll certainly try to make up that marketing difference, but it may be to no avail in the grand scheme of things.
Wii: 1345 2773 2048 1586 | PS3: ArmchairArcade
Bill Loguidice, Managing Director | Armchair Arcade, Inc.
Good Job, Matt!
Heavy breathing aside, I thought you did a great job, Matt. Actually, you seemed to "class up the joint" with your appearance. Perhaps one needs to listen to these guys consistently to "get" them, but my initial impressions were not very favorable until you appeared on the show.
Now we need to get you guys (Matt and Bill) on TV, perhaps on G4's "XPlay" show or something! They won't find better "go to" guys on game history than you guys!
(P.S. no need for Rogaine for me... I've got a thick head of slightly-graying hair... emphasis on "thick head.")
qoj hpmoj o+ 6uo73q 3Jv 3svq jnoh 77V
Balding - I hear you!
Have you considered Minoxidil (Rogaine)? I've been using it for years and years, though I switched to the foam version (cleaner) after that came out. I take a natural form of Propecia (more or less) as well as part of my bodybuilding supplements.
Wii: 1345 2773 2048 1586 | PS3: ArmchairArcade
Bill Loguidice, Managing Director | Armchair Arcade, Inc.
Hair
Geez...I better delete that reply. Wouldn't want everyone to see why i grew it out and then start growing theirs out, because I don't need the competition. ;)
Suffice it to say, long hair = women, short hair = sitting at home alone playing videogames. Now I got the best of both worlds! God bless a follicle.
We'd actually make a funny pair these days if we were photographed together, as I've been shaving my head down to stubble for quite some time now. I wonder if there will be photos of us in the "Vintage Games" book?
Wii: 1345 2773 2048 1586 | PS3: ArmchairArcade
Bill Loguidice, Managing Director | Armchair Arcade, Inc.