Last week, American factories, offices, construction sites and homes lay dormant, save for the flashing of screensavers and the little red lights indicating standby mode on electronic devices. People congregated in great numbers for the national day of homage to the forces that affirm and reinforce our way of life: Black Friday. Oh yeah, and there was Thanksgiving in there, too, for those who still enjoy family – or at least comfort food.

But, Wal-Mart has besmirched this Black Friday, the number one shopping day of the year, by selling cheap early. The gift of choice for our holiday “season” has been the PlayStation3. Wal Mart's early sales of the device led to crowd-pleasing “stampedes”, robberies and violent crimes. But some people survived to drive home with their own PS3.

PlayStation3 has advanced significantly upon the merits of Frogger, Pong and Centipede in the effort to offer the gamer generation a comprehensive alternative to reality. (See the advertisements linked below and think about The Matrix).

But just like The Matrix, the virtual reality is not entirely divorced from the “real” reality. One might ask me “Judd, when I am playing the game, how am I taking part in reality?” I would answer that person by saying: “Nevaeh, while we move realistically in virtual space, our bodies are still living and breathing in the real world. No matter how shrouded in gunsmoke and layered with dead bodies the virtual landscape may be, the natural world in which we live (yes, even the inside of your house can be polluted) the one that still relies upon trees for its breathable oxygen and snowfall for its drinkable water is being consumed to feed this virtual world.”

Here are some thoughts on how video gaming relates to health, environmental and economic problems:

Asthma: Kids may still love the outdoors, but it may not love them.

Energy leakage: These devices leak energy at all times, and the more powerful the machine, the more energy it uses.

Coal and Gas Consumption: we use a whole lot of energy in this country, and, thanks to its cheapness, coal and petroleum provide the majority of that energy, and a lot of pollution on top of that.

My thought: we need to make alternative energies a top priority. We need to make it a matter of public demand that "scrubbers" be put on existing coal plants. It is a public health issue. Pursue it for your kids, and maybe, get them involved in the effort while you're at it.


PlayStation3 ads:
“Smarter than you?”
“More ways to die”
“ The Wait” (Canada)
“Where can you find these real life interactive experiences?” (England and France)
“the baby”