Memories of the first-person shooter PC game Medal of Honor: Allied Assault come to mind; Harry Patch, the last surviving veteran of the first world war, has died at the age of 111.
This news might seem unrelated to this site but I had to post this. Owing to the school massacres perpetrated by first-person shooter gamers, the public have slapped a stigma on FPS games and the people who play them. I don't know why PC shooter games are getting all the flak where catalysts for violence are concerned. I hear people getting mobbed, stabbed, and shot in sleazy bars and shady pubs almost every four or so months and these don't get hyped-up public criticism. It's so strange it's almost funny.
Why do I play video games in medieval fantasy or far future settings? Because I find games in realistic settings disturbing. Running around whacking pedestrians with a baseball bat is not my cup of tea. I gravitate towards games with unrealistic settings because to relax, I want to embark periodically in digital escapist adventures. Contrary to public belief, we PC FPS fans don't fancy taking guns in our hands and blowing people's craniums away. Real conflicts, wars --- they are so tiring.
Portrait of a hero basking in a nation's gratitude. (Image taken from Tough Guy)Below are quotes from Harry Patch, a person who saw the horrors of the "war to end all wars":
"Anyone who tells you that in the trenches they weren't scared, he's a damned liar: you were scared all the time."
"I met someone from the German side and we both shared the same opinion: we fought, we finished and we were friends... It wasn't worth it."
"I didn't welcome the war at all, and never felt the need to get myself into khaki and go out there fighting before it was 'all over by Christmas.'"
"I was with him for the last 60 seconds of his life. He gasped one word — 'Mother.' That one word has run through my brain for 88 years. I will never forget it."
(At a 2007 remembrance ceremony) "Today is not for me. It is for the countless millions who did not come home with their lives intact."
It's sad that the last remnant of a generation has passed away. It's not unlike reading about the departure of the high elves from Middle Earth in Silmarillion --- a nobility has faded away into the mists of legends, leaving us hate-mongering savages to jump around the face of the land, spoiling it with our crude visions of civilization.
It just seems so ironic that countless heroes spent their lives to defend freedom and equality and now that they have all passed away, we are faced with savage cowards who blow up innocent people in the streets and leaders who launch nukes just to pressure world powers into giving in to talks. Compared to Patch you're the stuff that I accidentally step on sometimes. I hope you idiots all peacefully die tomorrow.
F-22s roaring through the skies might be magnificent to behold. G36s assault rifles might be awesome. But let us all take the time to ponder about the sacrifices that an entire generation has made for us.
I am a first-person shooter fan but I firmly believe shootouts should stay on LCD and CRT displays.
Peace.
>>>Source of the Harry Patch quotes
4 comments:
geekery, goodwill, and hitting out on warmongers in one post. how can you go wrong with this post? will link to this. bravo, john.
Third sentence of the third paragraph: I was going to write something after that. Something like "Yeah, Kilawinguwak, I don't like GTA" lol! I decided against it though as I figured it would be too distracting for the other readers. Maybe I should have haha!
Hey I heard from RQ you canceled the October plan. November na daw. What gives?
Come here late in May like I told you. We all can rent a place near the reefs, have a PSP FPS deathmatch with my other PSP-toting friends. In the morning we could hunt for that sea snake and that moray eel Marvin, John, and I saw some months back haha!
yeah, the person i was supposed to go with cancelled on the october plan, so we're moving it to november. sorry about that.
about late may--still needs to be seen, man. depends on funds and availability. will keep you updated, tho!
Funds? You? Having difficulty with it? 0_o No worries though; I'll always be at the bridge of Khazad-dum, guarding it from Gollum.
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