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Tuesday, May 02, 2006
MMORPG on TV
I recently watched an episode of NCIS (no relation to CSI), in which the navy criminal investigation service agents were working on a case involving a reality TV show filmed in a marines camp, "Babes in Boot Camp". Funny, because you could easily imagine somebody coming up with that idea. So the agents talk among themselves about how stupid TV is, but say about one of them "he doesn't watch much TV, because he spends most of his time pretending to be an elf lord in an online game". Needless to say that the guy doesn't get much respect for that alternative, and he is the anyway always the nerd of the team. So not really positive TV coverage of MMORPG here.
But in a way that is the most realistic depiction of MMORPG on TV that I've ever seen. Timothy McGee, the NCIS agent playing a MMORPG is a geek, got a degree from MIT and everything. Not the typical crime fighter. But then, finding the criminal in an NCIS episode often involve things like tracing a mobile phone or crosslinking databases, and I can't see Dirty Harry doing that. Crime fighting has gone modern, and McGee fits right in. So even if his boss makes fun of him, calling him "elf lord", playing a MMORPG is totally in character for him, as this is generally still seen as a nerd activity. And it is shown as something that doesn't interfere with his job, apart from bad jokes, something he does instead of watching TV.
I can live with that. MMORPG as intelligent alternative for the brainy guy, instead of watching dumb reality TV. They could have been nicer about it, but in the end it is a lot more realistic than showing video games turning kids into mass murderers. MMORPG and video games make bad TV, because they aren't really spectator sports. If you show the reality of somebody playing WoW for several hours in a row, it looks very boring, because all the fun happens inside the head of the guy playing. So media often show the extreme sides, the Korean guy playing until he died, the parents letting their child die while playing a game, or the Chinese guy killing another guy over the theft of a virtual sword. Showing a kid playing a violent video game and then going Columbine on his high school makes more interesting viewing than the reality, which is harmless enough. If you took violent video games out of this world, the kids would go back to watching violent TV, and you'd get the same discussion all over again. Video games are mainly entertainment, an alternative to TV, and just like there is good TV and bad TV, there are good games and there are bad games. It is good to show online games as part of the ordinary lfe of people, not as something threatening. Thanks, McGee!
- posted by Tobold @ 11:25 AM Permanent Link
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Alot of media I notice resort to the nerd/geek stereotypes and ridicule anyone that plays computer games. Some obviously go further with trying to sensationalize and prove we're all homcidal maniacs, but most stick to the pointing and laughing.
I guess in some ways it would be bad for the media to portray MMOGs as a socially acceptable passtime, on the basis that if your playing a MMOG, you aint watching telly!
Taking that further, I guess they'd rather you watched sport than play sport.
Of course, Im just cynical - so dont mind me :D :D
I guess in some ways it would be bad for the media to portray MMOGs as a socially acceptable passtime, on the basis that if your playing a MMOG, you aint watching telly!
Taking that further, I guess they'd rather you watched sport than play sport.
Of course, Im just cynical - so dont mind me :D :D
Been a while since I saw that ep, but I seemed to recall it being stereotype tattooed Goth chick that sleeps in a coffin who played the game
# posted by 
: 2/5/06 16:56
: 2/5/06 16:56
No, Tobold has it right - it's McGee. There's no indication that science-buff goth-chick Abby plays video games. We do know she regularly does Habitat for Humanity on weekends, though. And she does not sleep in a coffin.
Yes, I'm an NCIS fan.
And btw, McGee's boss (Jethro) doesn't call him Elf Lord (I'm pretty sure). Tony does, definitely. The boss is very respectful of his team.
There's at least one other cool geek (pro-geek?) incident on NCIS. It's the episode where McGee fired his gun on a presumed criminal. Tony and Zeeva go over to McGee's apt. to take him out. They "wake" him and eventually pull him out of his apt. and take him somewhere. Then you see this *beautiful* woman come out of the bathroom/bedroom (her presumably wearing not much more than an oversized t-shirt), sit down at McGee's computer, put on a headset and start giving orders a la Ghost Recon or some such. Very, very funny.
New episode of NCIS tonight, I believe.
Yes, I'm an NCIS fan.
And btw, McGee's boss (Jethro) doesn't call him Elf Lord (I'm pretty sure). Tony does, definitely. The boss is very respectful of his team.
There's at least one other cool geek (pro-geek?) incident on NCIS. It's the episode where McGee fired his gun on a presumed criminal. Tony and Zeeva go over to McGee's apt. to take him out. They "wake" him and eventually pull him out of his apt. and take him somewhere. Then you see this *beautiful* woman come out of the bathroom/bedroom (her presumably wearing not much more than an oversized t-shirt), sit down at McGee's computer, put on a headset and start giving orders a la Ghost Recon or some such. Very, very funny.
New episode of NCIS tonight, I believe.
# posted by : 2/5/06 18:54
: 2/5/06 18:54
Hey, don't diss Abby, she is hawt. :) Actually one of the best characters in the series, and largely responsible for keeping the ratings up.
I haven't seen an episode in which Abby plays MMORPG, although that would be totally possible too. But in this episode, called "Model behavior" it is McGee who is playing. The link gives a quote where Gibbs calls McGee "elf lord".
I haven't seen an episode in which Abby plays MMORPG, although that would be totally possible too. But in this episode, called "Model behavior" it is McGee who is playing. The link gives a quote where Gibbs calls McGee "elf lord".
I just watched the episode that unbeliever is referring to. Just watched it last night. Season one disc 2 or 3, but I believe it was disc 2. It was Abby that was playing the game. I don't remember what it was called, that is what I was looking for when I stumbled onto this blog.
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