Most adults and children alike are sadly unaware of not only the amount of

information relayed through videogames, but also of the psychological

training, evaluation, conditioning, and desensitization that often arises
through prolonged ‘enjoyment’. While some of you may already know of
what I am referring to, most will not; many will call me crazy. While the
concept may sound ludicrous, some simple evaluation should not only
explain where I’m coming from, but hopefully shed some light on the
situation for you. It won’t take long and all this information is available to
prove through game play.

v Psychological Training: When I mention training…I am referring to the type

of training used by the military, for the military and so similar in style to the
games we play that it’s almost scary. Although the general idea of hand-eye
coordination reaches into all genres of games, the one I have chosen to use as an
example is the Nazi Zombies game available through select Call of Duty® titles.
While all shooter games (especially FPS’s) provide an excellent Hand-Eye
Response training, the Nazi Zombies game in particular seems to be extremely
useful due to its progressive difficulty…not only throughout the progression of
each map or level, but also through each and every new map released. To continue
successfully, you must adapt to becoming further and further violent and quick
responsive. No camping, sniping, or taking cheap shots in this one…just straight
fast paced killing. Problem solving skills are also required as you must quickly
evaluate situations and the optimum response available. As a result we have a
generation of people quick to respond, less easily frightened, and progressively
more violent not to mention anti-social due to the seclusion often associated with
prolonged game play.

v Psychological Evaluation: Remember the Original Nintendo® (NES)?

Remember how several years after its release it was revealed that nearly all our
stats were being tracked? Did you play Mario brothers for two days straight? It
tracked that….Did you beat up over 100 bullies on Double Dragon? It tracked that
too. Don’t remember? Don’t trip…seems like it’s been forgotten because I can’t
even find anything about it on the Net but the principle shouldn’t be lost. Now-a-
day’s nearly every action we carry out in game IS tracked. Matter of fact the
information is often used in tallying information for Leader boards and rewards

1/30/2011
 based on accumulative actions. Through this statistical data collection it becomes
very easy to identify key characteristic behavioral features or algorithms unique
to each and every one of us…more unique than our fingerprints. Fable® and
Fallout® are two games in particular where your behavioral algorithms are not
only tracked but give a good indication of how you may behave in any given
situation. Due to how open much of this data collection is and how extensive it’s
psychological implication may be, I have often wondered if stats aren’t being kept
concerning the choices many of us make when confronted with morally
compromising situations as portrayed through such COD MW2® levels as ‘No
Russian’ where the player is led into an undercover situation where he is
accompanying terrorists as they kill innocent people in an airport. While every
player is notified that the material is graphic and given the opportunity to skip the
level; only players who do choose to play the level and either have gotten a heads
up or have such a distaste for killing innocents that they inadvertently discover
that as long as you avoid the gunfire from any security personnel and refrain from
killing any of your partners, then you can literally walk through the entire level
without killing a single innocent person. While this particular point may seem far-
fetched, I point out that when the military grades the performance of its personnel
that it grades based on not just quick response…but psychological discretion as
well.

v Psychological Conditioning: Conditioning leads to desensitization. Nearly

the same in theme, their essence differs. Conditioning is the act of progressively
changing the ‘social norms’ without ever alerting those who are being
conditioned. It’s much like the frog left in slowly boiling water as opposed to the
frog thrown directly into the scolding hot pot. While the latter is sure to attempt to
revolt and escape…the former is nearly unaware of any change taking place what-
so-ever. Lost in the luxury of warmth without labor and food mysteriously
abandoned, left floating around for any hungry fellow, he quickly becomes
willing to accept any and all minor changes that he may ever become aware
of….like the fact that he is slowly cooking. Conditioning is the slow chipping
away at every moral fiber of not only ourselves, but of society as a whole.
Through the game market…among others, we are all…children especially,
subjected to an unbalanced amount of sex, profanity, and violence. It is through
this social conditioning and slow change of socially accepted norms that
desensitization becomes key.

v Psychological Desensitization: Rewards for not just killing…but for killing

with style. Achievements for partaking in sexual acts. Free-Roaming, Open-
Environments giving the ability to behave morally however you choose…while
often rewarding negative behaviors and actions…verbally and graphically video
game players are bombarded by psychologically conditioning material that leads
to genuine desensitization. Death, dead bodies, blood, killing, sex, and both
verbally and physically violent behavior not only cease to seem out of place…but
they start to seem normal. No longer equipped to deal with another person in the
flesh due to social isolation, kid’s especially become prone to the idea that if they

1/30/2011
 don’t get their way…then they can simply delete (un-friend) you…walk away
leaving the issue unresolved…or worse they become violent towards the object of
their dissatisfaction. It used to be that hearing the ‘F’ word brought shock….that
seeing a woman nearly nude would too. Now, in the days we live however our
games cuss at us and if my daughter dressed the way half of these female
characters do in videogames…then she would never leave the house. Sex and
Violence sells….because we buy it.

“Knowledge is Great Power and with Great Power Comes Great

Responsibility.”
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, most of us are sadly unaware of the
amount of information relayed to the general populous though all forms of
media…videogames included. The following information is a synopsis of some of the
more popular games that I am aware of having relevant information, not readily available
or discussed outside of the games themselves.

In 1090 A.D. Hassan-i Sabbah defeats Alamut, and then founds the
Hashshashin or Assassins, an Islamic mystery cult. Masyaf was one of
their fortresses in Syria.

Albion home of the hero…

One of the most ‘hidden in plain sight’ bits of historical information in
the gaming world is the true nature of Albion. More than just the game
world map, Albion (Greek: Ἀλβιών) is the oldest known name of the
island of Great Britain. It is thought to derive from the white cliffs of
Dover.

Nuclear war with China, leading to a post-nuclear, war torn third-world

America…sound familiar? 3Dogs, Voice of the People behind the
lines…sound familiar? While Alex Jones is the real world equivalent of
3Dogs, bringing the message of Truth to the people, nuclear war with
China has never seemed such a staunch possibility. Financial turmoil on
the American home front has had massive, far reaching consequences
for the entire world. No other nation however has as much invested in
the American Empire than China. Not only do they own most of the

1/30/2011
American debt, but have started considering that debt toxic, selling off most of our bonds
to our own Federal Reserve. This in effect leaves the American financial system standing
alone. Our debt…we own it. One of China’s most notable historical ways of getting
attention is through intimidation…like the launching of ICBM’s at or near an aggressor
nation. While the American government has an official explanation as to what the Nov.
9th, 2010 ‘mysterious object’ off the coast of California was...I reiterate not only our debt
and who we owe it to, but how China has behaved in the past.

Thermal Vision Scopes, Machine Pistols, and Remote Controlled

IED’s…
New and ‘alternative-use’ technology is publicized through the last two
games of the franchise. MW2® blew the lid off Thermal Scope
technology and highlighted newer types of hand held weaponry, i.e.
fully automatic machine-gun pistols. Where previous games either used
well known, outdated weaponry or simply manufactured their own…
MW2® highlighted newer, lesser known weapons actually being used in
the modern battle field. Keeping in tune with this innovation, Black-Op’s® introduced an
RC-XD Explosive RC Car, much like the remote controlled IED’s our troops have to face
every day. While its fun to play with in the game…its important to think about the world
we live in and how real these technologies or misuses of them really are.

Mexican-American Border War, Drones, & Camera-guns…

Released in 2006, G.R.A.W.® and its sequel released a year later both
foreshadow a war that is just now taking place. Escalated violence from
the War on Drug’s has finally taken its toll on the Mexican government
and now their inability to control their own citizens has caused blood to
be spilled on both sides of the border. Violence spilling over onto
American soil has become a common occurrence these days, and our
government has been forced to warn Americans to avoid large sections
of American land. In an effort to combat this threat, America has deployed a swath of
new and innovative technology. Some of these include Drones, Corner-Shooting Camera-
Guns, & EMP Weapons.

EMP Warfare.
Electro-Magnetic Warfare is not officially admitted. While the EMP
effect of a nuclear blast is common knowledge, the ability to isolate and
implement the capability of directing an isolated, non-nuclear EMP
blast is not; hence the thought of a hand held EMP emitting devise
seems almost fiction. Well, not anymore. APELC provides a Compact
2100 Series EMP Suitcase. 125kv/m Typical Radiated Field @ 1 meter.

1/30/2011