According to NPR, Trump said “I’m hearing more and more people say the level of violence on video games is really shaping young people’s thoughts.” Apparently the purpose of this meeting is to determine whether or not games are having a negative effect, though you’ll notice he didn’t include any actual psychologists or neurologists to offer any evidence from either perspective.
We at TNW have already made it clear what we think both of the whole “video games cause violence” hogwash and the President’s focus on it in the way of the Parkland shooting.
So instead, let’s ask: what are games actually teaching kids? I think, if he or anyone else were to actually play the games made by Trump’s guests, they might be surprised. And if the conference today is going to focus on potential negative aspects of games, I’d like to counterbalance it by pointing out positive things kids can learn.
The Elder Scrolls: You can reach the top even if you start at the bottom.
Starting a game with nothing isn’t unique to the Elder Scrolls series, which is made by Zenimax-owned Bethesda Studios. It’s de rigueur for every sim game on the planet. But in Elder Scrolls, it’s not about starting with a zero sum. It’s about starting in a place society deems to be the lowest.
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