Ayiti: The Cost of Life - Insulting or Educating?
Not all games are the same. Some are video games played by people who have a lot of stress. They use video games to help relieve the excess stress. Others seem to be designed to entertain people. They are trying to get a positive response from the people playing the games. They want to know that the person playing the game had enjoyed it and would be willing to buy games made by the same maker or a sequel in the game series. While some are played simply for something to do, or basically to relieve boredom. Whatever game it is, the goals are always the same to make a lot of money for the companies and to entertain the people playing it. I enjoy playing video games because i can have fun playing almost any game. I mostly enjoy fighting games, shooting games, or strategic games. I enjoy fighting and shooting because they are just fun, but i like strategic because you av to use your head a little to get to the next part of the game.
I spend a lot of time playing Grand Theft Auto, or Ninja Gaiden. Some games i like to play are Halo 1, Halo 2, Halo 3, Ninja Gaiden, and Band Hero. I enjoy playing all these games because you can play each one, except Ninja Gaiden, with more that one person.. I love to play the guitar in Band Hero, in Band Hero you can also play the bass, drums or sing,when I'm successful in this game and get higher than a 95% i feel that i have improved in playing the game. I enjoy knowing that I'm one step closer to Beating the Halo series on Legendary or unlocking all the achievements in the game to being a winner. If I happen to lose, I do what any other player would do. I tell myself that I'll just try again. I keep coming back to these games because they are alot of fun just to play and i can play with other people to have even more fun.
Recently, I've been spending some time playing the game Ayiti: The Cost of Life. This is a game in which you have to play as the father, mother, 2 sons, and daughter to help them survive over a four year time span. The goal of the game is to make sure at your family can survive. This is a goal easier said than done. Whenever you tend to make a lot of money something bad always happens. Sometimes you get robbed, you have to put the children in school, or a family member gets sick and you have to put them in the hospital. By the end of the game, if you are lucky enough to make to the end of the fourth year, the game tells you what kind of life each family member had and if they were happy.
The first time you play the game, you are completely confused. It really isn't until the third or fourth time when the game starts to get repetitive that you truly realize how to get the characters to work and make money to survive.As you play the game you begin to get a slightly better understanding of the life the people in Haiti have.
There are times when you are playing this game that you want to quit. You don't want to waste money by celebrating holidays or go to the hospital. But you keep going because you gte frustrated and want to finish the game. So you keep playing, keep trying. Trying to game money so that everyone has a happy and long life.
In the course of playing this game I learned more about the issues of life in Haiti. I have learned about all the sickness' that people can catch from working. another thing you can learn is how much money you need to survive. and that you need to be safe from attacks by outsiders.
In my opinion, this is not a good way to learn about these issues. By playing this game it seems as if it is a joke to the Haitian people. The game makes them seem a little primitive. They don't earn too much money making it difficult for them to lead a good life Games should be a larger component of education depending on the education purpose. Some are used to teach another language which is very helpful but other justseem to mock a specific lifestyle.
Comments
12SinghD, I agree with
12SinghD,
I agree with how you wrote "You don't want to waste money by celebrating holidays or go to the hospital. But you keep going because you gte frustrated and want to finish the game. So you keep playing, keep trying. Trying to game money so that everyone has a happy and long life." It's certainly true because in reality, not every family want to spend money on celebrating every festival and holiday so why would our ideal miniature characters from another country do the same? And spend all their hard-worked money on it? Not only that, but having to feed 5 people in the family to eat, send the kids to go to school and pay money for their books and tutors. Now, who really wants to celebrate and 'waste' money on holidays? The player who's controlling the characters; their biggest worry is perhaps not to catch a illness and be send to the hospital.
Good observation & you have good points.
-J.C 10-1
Dear Mr. Singh, I
Dear Mr. Singh,
I agree your post, "Ayiti The game of life: Insulting or Educating " because this could be a very debated argument. Many may find that it helps educate people, whereas others disagree that it doesn't.
One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: "By playing this game it seems as if it is a joke to the Haitian people. The game makes them seem a little primitive" I think this is completely correct because life in Haiti is somewhat portrayed like this. The way that the individuals have to live, and the amount of income they make, according to the different circumstances that they are presented with are very strange. It seems as if it is meant to depict them in a darker light, then they may be in.
I agree with your reasoning and your opinon about this. I do not think this is a good way to learn bcause it doesn't really help a person learn anything. They can only make assumptions, it would be more beneficial to just pick up a book and read about it. Another reason is because I feel like it is dehumanizing to make a game about life in a certain area where things are not going good, because it just in a way makes them objects that are seen down upon.
Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next, because I want to learn more about how you feel about the concept of portraying Haiti as a primitive and underdeveloped country through the use of a game which doesn't really spread the education it is supposedly meaning to do.
Dear Daniell, While
Dear Daniell,
While reading your post about your thoughts on the Ayiti game, I came to agreement with your statement about the learning process gained from the challenges of the game, and the fact that the underlying truth within its workings generate a "primitive" and "subordinate" impression of the Haitian population. I believe that the creators, should have focused more upon incorporating the elements of living in Haiti without placing too much emphasis upon the extremities of poverty and illness, for it seems as though Haiti becomes a target of categorization. Prejudice can overshadow and grow from within the game, and it is a major flaw that bothered me personally as well.
However, I do happen to agree with a really good point you brought up: " There are times when you are playing this game that you want to quit. You don't want to waste money by celebrating holidays or go to the hospital. But you keep going because you gte frustrated and want to finish the game. So you keep playing, keep trying. Trying to game money so that everyone has a happy and long life." The fact that the game kept me going, was a sign of inspiration and encouragement, that allowed me to become highly aware about the global issues that many countries, such as Haiti have to undergo so severely. A rapture of overwhelming desire to show philanthropical support towards the Haitian population, lead me to the realization that this game has full potential to lead the gamer into forming an unselfish mentality, with constant reminder of the cruelty of life and how differently it strikes various regions of the world. I very much enjoyed your essay, and look forward to discussing such controversial matters with you.
Yours, Truly Liza :]
I agree with you on learning
I agree with you on learning to play the Ayiti cost of life because this teaches you strategies on how to survive and make it. On the other hand it can be taken as picking on the people of Haiti for their major loss and using a game to make fun of their tragedy.