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Do you think it was a smart move of "Gentoo Games, Inc." to support the propaganda game "America's army"?
Yes
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 34%  [ 162 ]
No
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 38%  [ 181 ]
Indifferent
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 27%  [ 132 ]
Total Votes : 475

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beowulf
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PostPosted: Fri May 16, 2003 9:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Today's society is too worried about being "pollitically correct"..... anything a person does can be misconstrued as an attack on someone... and someone somewhere will take offence....

It's sad really....
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soulwarrior
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PostPosted: Fri May 16, 2003 9:19 pm    Post subject: Re: Gentoo: the gamers' distro? Reply with quote

jt42 wrote:
I'll reserve judgement on the actual game until I've played it.

My concern is more general - does this announcement mean that Gentoo is shifting more towards a 'G' is for gaming mentality and away from a 'G'-ood, 'G'-eneral, 'G'eek-friendly distro?


I do not hope so, because I use gentoo on a production-server.

Don't want to see gentoo evolve as a gaming-distribution :(

But if I look at the announcement under the games one:
Quote:
... In the first announcement, Gentoo Linux will soon be available on the AMD Opteron platform, thanks to a new partnership formed with Super Computer, Inc. ...


I feel reassured that this won't be the case :)

Hope they find a balance between gaming, desktop, server and the one who want to optimize their environment to the last byte ;-)
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soulwarrior
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PostPosted: Fri May 16, 2003 9:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

beowulf wrote:
Today's society is too worried about being "pollitically correct"..... anything a person does can be misconstrued as an attack on someone... and someone somewhere will take offence....
It's sad really....


We should relearn to put a little more trust in our neighboors.
They don't really want all the times to hurt us ;-)

So maybe it is important to learn how to communicate, so we could share our opinions, without being directly hurt, that the other person doesn't have our own point of view.
We should learn to accept, that there do exist different culturs.

But in the case of this game, I think it does take a "political position", in fact that of the army.
As somebody already said, it isn't a simple game in the nature of "Olympic games".
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soulwarrior
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PostPosted: Fri May 16, 2003 9:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Maybe a reason, why they provide support for this game:

Press release from supercomputerinc:
http://www.supercomputerinc.com/html/index.html
Quote:
Super Computer, Inc. to Provide U.S. Army and America's Army Game Players With Supercomputing Technology


Gentoo has a corporation with supercomputerinc. and supercomputerinc. gets paid by the army.
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ebrostig
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PostPosted: Fri May 16, 2003 10:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The game is only getting a long yawn from me.

I personally only play games on my PS/2, so I'll probably never play it.

One may argue until the day we die about whether it was a smart move or not by Gentoo to release this game as it's first. I'm sure there are economical reasons for this title to be the first, i.e the Army supllied the fundings etc and that is why it is now available.

Leaving Gentoo because of this game reveals other issues that needs to be addressed by professionals and not by us, i.e see a shrink. It basically strikes me as a very immature way of handling thinsg in life. I'm sure that you will find numerous other situations in your daily life where you have to accept thinsg that is not in line with you politically and you deal with it without a problem.

I have no problem with FPS games and I wonder why there was never any outcries when EA launched their Medal of Honor series. Here you are an American soldier killing germans. I haven't heard any protests against this game or others that involves killing other counties people. Why all of a sudden is this a problem now? Just because it happens on Gentoo?

I think some people need to grow up and not take everything personally. Reality is that you sometimes have to make a compromise, and I can't see this as such a huge issue that a compromise with your own conciense can not be made. If this is not the case, then I think it is time for those people to leave gentoo behind and I wish them all the luck in their quest to try to find a product that fullfills all their personal beliefs and convictions, it may be a very lonly quest. Good Luck!

Erik
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davisjs
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PostPosted: Fri May 16, 2003 10:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree with ebrostigs point here....

The real I think point of this whole thing is not necessairly what game is produced first, its the fact that the game is being produced at all. Anyone who has used linux for a while knows that the lack of good games on this platform is a major drawback to a desktop user. This development of gentoo games has the potential to bring a lot of entertaining games to us.

Whatever your political viewpoint, beggars cant be choosers in a sense. Sure. I dont think I will ever be playing America's army, but I DO applaud the efforts of the gentoo team in trying to get some games out there into the community.

Also, just because someone releases a game does not necessairly mean that the releaser endorses the content of the game. Maybe we can hear from some of the developers on this point. I also think it is a very sad thing to leave the best distribution out there based on percieved political endorsements that may not exist
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splooge
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PostPosted: Sat May 17, 2003 12:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:

I am happy to live in a country, where I am not forced to go into the army, where I am not forced to kill other men.
Where parents don't have to fear that their children won't come back from war.
If I want, I can go into the army, lets say for one ore more years, but it is a choice which I make and not some law or government.


Did I just entirely misread this? Last I checked the American military is 100% volunteer ...
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TheBashar
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PostPosted: Sat May 17, 2003 1:19 am    Post subject: Really...? Reply with quote

AlterEgo wrote:
This is my personal belief
[snip]
I object to any kind of violence, except for personal self-defense.


Your comments on virtual violence are mightily ironic given your avatar:

[img:1a3348356f]https://forums.gentoo.org/images/avatars/17845323233e86158c5da5d.gif[/img:1a3348356f]

Cheers!
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Carlo
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PostPosted: Sat May 17, 2003 2:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's one thing to be for or against first person shooter games. Advertising military organisations is a shame. Be proud of it. :evil:


Carlo
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noff
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PostPosted: Sat May 17, 2003 8:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Everyone should try to think of why this game was brought out: ECONOMICS.

America's Army is free, you can download and Gentoo Games can distribute it, FREE. It is a good way to show off a popular game on a Linux base. Would the have preferred the full version of UT2K3, sure but it isn't free.

With this they can make isos available and people can download and try it no costs.

While we all it would be wonderful if there were a full featured open-source commercial-level game, that isn't gonna happen to soon.

If you don't like this game for whatever reason, that is fine, but if you want the next game it will cost $$. This is a good show off for their technology and I commend them.

Any game they can bring to Linux is welcome, cause it fights the main problem against desktop linux, lack of games. I don't like FPSs but I want other games so I'll support Gentoo Games.

Always remember politics is just economics of a different type.
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soulwarrior
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PostPosted: Sat May 17, 2003 9:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

noff wrote:
Everyone should try to think of why this game was brought out: ECONOMICS.


I don't think, just because of the economics you should have the right to do things which are lets say "wrong", not morally correct.

If you look back at the history of the humans, you can see a lot of bad things had been made, just to relaunch the economy of the country.

Personally I would also like to see Linux evolve also in the world of gaming but not with the support of a propaganda game.
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noff
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PostPosted: Sat May 17, 2003 10:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just to clarify

I wasn't saying the economics of the country, I was saying it makes economic sense to the Gentoo guy to release a game they can give away.
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soulwarrior
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PostPosted: Sat May 17, 2003 10:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

noff wrote:

I wasn't saying the economics of the country, I was saying it makes economic sense to the Gentoo guy to release a game they can give away.


Yes, true, it is in the context of gentoo.

And it is a nice opportunity for gentoo to give away a FPS-game.

It did play myself a lot of FPS-games some time ago.

I was just a little bit upset it was an propaganda-game from the army.
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TGL
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PostPosted: Sat May 17, 2003 10:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

soulwarrior wrote:
I was just a little bit upset it was an propaganda-game from the army.


Yes, that the whole problem. No matter if this game is fun, neither if it is free (as in beer). It is, officially, a propaganda tool, hence spreading it makes Gentoo a propagandist. That's sad, that's a shame, that's really far from what I was expecting from a Linux distribution which should be apolitical.

I don't understand the blindness of those who claim here they don't care about this political aspect. What if Gentoo's default motd was "Please consider joining the US Army because it's the right thing to do to fight the Evil world. God bless America."? I'm sure they would also argue that "This is only words, we don't care about their meaning, and nobody forces you to read it."

EDIT: okay, calming down a bit, I would like to withdraw my "that's a shame", and apologize for it. I still think Gentoo developpers have made a misjudgment not considering the political aspect of their release and announcement, and that it should have took precedence on the opportunity to release a hyped game. But they probably don't and there is no shame about that.


Last edited by TGL on Sat May 17, 2003 1:54 pm; edited 1 time in total
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lurid
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PostPosted: Sat May 17, 2003 11:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

So tell me. Since this game was developed for Windows, does this make Microsoft Pro-War? In fact, lets go a step further. Most of the US government runs on Windows, including the army. All the high tech fancy gagetry that allows those missles to slam into their targets are done by computer, which requires an OS, which at this point seems to be Windows.

IS MICROSOFT PRO-WAR SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY PROVIDE SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY THAT ALLOWS PEOPLE TO USE IT FOR THIS MANNER?! I'm not talking about a game, I'm talking about REAL FRICKIN MISSLES. Microsoft OS's are being used for THAT purpose RIGHT now. Before you point your ignorant ass fingers at Gentoo for providing a GAME, use your damned head. These anti-Gentoo arguments are COMPLETELY irrational and illogical.

Here in the US I see US Army, Navy and Marines commercials on TV just about every day. Big deal. I had Military recruters come to my class back in high school. Big deal. I've been temped with free education and money if I joined the military. Big deal. I don't like the military and I am MATURE enough to simply say, "No thank you" rather than throwing a goddammned TEMPER TANTRUM about propaganda and advertising.

I got two words for you: Grow-thefuck-Up
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TGL
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PostPosted: Sat May 17, 2003 11:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

lurid wrote:
So tell me. Since this game was developed for Windows, does this make Microsoft Pro-War?

I've not seen any Windows LiveCD with AA on it. I've not seen any announce on the Microsoft web site. Have I missed something?

I don't ask Gentoo to protect us against this game by forbidding us to install it, no. Anybody should be free to do it. But their wide spreading, with publicity on the web site, of some propaganda material IS propaganda, by definition. That's all, that's my point.

lurid wrote:
I got two words for you: Grow-thefuck-Up

I fear my english is not good enough to understand this word, and it's not in my dictionnary. Sorry.
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soulwarrior
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PostPosted: Sat May 17, 2003 11:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

lurid wrote:

Here in the US I see US Army, Navy and Marines commercials on TV just about every day. Big deal. I had Military recruters come to my class back in high school. Big deal. I've been temped with free education and money if I joined the military. Big deal. I don't like the military and I am MATURE enough to simply say, "No thank you" rather than throwing a goddammned TEMPER TANTRUM about propaganda and advertising.

I got two words for you: Grow-thefuck-Up


You may be mature enough to see clearly what is happening around you.

But not everybody can see this and is clever enough to see the relationships.

So why go out and specificaly promote this kind of stuff :?:
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lurid
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PostPosted: Sat May 17, 2003 11:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oh, so now everyone is an idiot but you and god forbid one of those idiots play AA because Gentoo released it and then goes and joins the military. Lmao, don't you see how silly this all sounds?
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bsolar
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PostPosted: Sat May 17, 2003 11:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

lurid wrote:
IS MICROSOFT PRO-WAR SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY PROVIDE SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY THAT ALLOWS PEOPLE TO USE IT FOR THIS MANNER?!

Don't shout please.
lurid wrote:
Before you point your ignorant ass fingers at Gentoo for providing a GAME, use your damned head.
[...]
I got two words for you: Grow-thefuck-Up

Keep the tone adeguate.

I don't understand why you have so much problem about the fact that some people don't like that Gentoo supports an army propaganda tool. If they don't like that they should shut up? They do not have the right to express their opinion? If someone whats to leave Gentoo because it supports a propaganda tool has the right to do so no matter how much stupid/childish/put-what-you-want-here you think he is and you don't have the right to insult him, not here at least.
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soulwarrior
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PostPosted: Sat May 17, 2003 11:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

TGL wrote:

lurid wrote:
I got two words for you: Grow-thefuck-Up

I fear my english is not good enough to understand this word, and it's not in my dictionnary. Sorry.


If you rearrange the words to: "growup - thefuck", you can crasp the meaning.

Personally, I don't think these are the right words to use in an open discussion.

One can exchange opinions without trying to hurt the other person and that in my opinion is the mature way of discussion.
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Evangelion
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PostPosted: Sat May 17, 2003 12:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Again, I fail to see how releasing this game is a bad thing. The actual gameplay is no different from Counterstrike for example. As to it being a "propaganda-tool". Well, it's not really an effective at that, since they don't actually hide the fact that is was made by the Army. Everyone who plays that game knows what to expect.

And this might come as a shock, but US Army (or any other army for that matter) is not inherintly evil

Hell, if people are steering clear of Gentoo because they release a "propaganda-game", then what about XBill? It's a propaganda-game as well, every bit as blatant as AA. Are any of you leaving Gentoo because it has (presumably) XBill? If you aren't then you are hypocrits (since you oppose "propaganda-games", yet you only react to certain games). Why is some propaganda better than other propaganda?
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d3c3it
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PostPosted: Sat May 17, 2003 12:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i played this when it came out on windoze, and found it rather quite boring. it was funny how they made this game to try and "attract" people to the army but instead just made alot of people get a free game lol. and after all this is the only motives of the gentoo team. can you imagine gentoo going to id and asking could they do an iso like this for quake3, it would never happen. i believe the only reason gentoo chose AA was because it was free as in beer and wanted to demonstate the fact of what they can do ie go to id software say "look this rocks want us to do it for q3a?"

as for the politics, they should be kept well out of the linux world, were linux users not politians i find it ammusing thou how games like gta3 get ripped apart in the media yet this game, no different you still "killing" pixels never gets touched, but of course its not killing its "colatrial" damage
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bsolar
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PostPosted: Sat May 17, 2003 12:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

d3c3it wrote:
as for the politics, they should be kept well out of the linux world

When I'll be bored of my current signature I'll use that if nobody does it before me.
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PostPosted: Sat May 17, 2003 12:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Evangelion wrote:
And this might come as a shock, but US Army (or any other army for that matter) is not inherintly evil


Of course, nothing is bad in itself, it mostly depends on what we do about it.

Maybe some people (like me) are over-reacting because of the past events, where the american army invaded Irak.
Dead leave a bad tast, which came back, when I read "America's Army".
But in fact, it was the government who took this decision.

Nontheless I would find it better if gentoo would stay out of supporting propaganda-material.
Let the user itself choose what he makes with the operating system.
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PostPosted: Sat May 17, 2003 12:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

bsolar wrote:
Don't shout please.


Excuse me.

bsolar wrote:
Keep the tone adeguate.


The "grow-thefuck-up" comment is a play on Resivior Dogs in the scene where Mr Pink, in his rant about tipping waitresses, makes the statement "I got three words for ya: learn to fuckin' type!". I find that scene highly amusing and not offensive. I guess a difference in opinion means a lot, eh?

bsolar wrote:
I don't understand why you have so much problem about the fact that some people don't like that Gentoo supports an army propaganda tool.


Its a damned shame to hear that from a moderator of a Gentoo forum. Gentoo, as far as I am aware, has made no press release stating an offical support for the US Army, nor have they inserted any overt advertising into their website/forum/software. What Gentoo did do, however, is realise a VERY hyped game for linux. Releasing a game and being affiliated with it, are two different things. Shall we call Blizzard Satanists for making Diablo? Do you think Blizzard is affiliated with Satan because demons happen to be in their game?

Excuse me, but I still feel as though this is the silliest and most childish debate I've seen in a long time. I'll hold my tongue to keep the peace, but my feelings remain the same.
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