The McDonald’s computer game was interesting and addicting to say the least. I thought it was pretty amusing how we were assigned to play a video game for homework. When I first clicked on the link, I did not know what to expect. The page opened and I instantly went to tutorials. I thought to myself that the tutorials were extremely long and I sort of skimmed through a lot of it. The song playing in the background stood out while navigating through the interface. I was then ready to play the game.
I starting playing and I gave it a few tries; I tried learning how to strategize as I went along. I noticed that the game was a lot more difficult than I expected and, then, I soon realized that there was no way to “beat” the game because it is never-ending; however, this did not discourage me from playing. In fact, it made the game more addicting. I continued playing and even told my girlfriend to play it; she too enjoyed playing the game. I inevitably ended in bankruptcy every time and a lot of times it did not take much time. I believe my highest score was $60,000. I noticed that the further I progressed in the game easier it was to lose. I played until I decided I should work on other homework.
What I find especially curious about my experience with the game is the potential effect of playing. The game forces one to utilize all of the negative actions a corporations can take, with no regard to the well-being of society, and does not allow you to play the game as a “good” corporation. The game definitely serves as a medium of persuasion, which makes me take a step back and reflect back on the roles of video games in society. Sure, video games serve for the entertainment of the player, but what subliminal message do the games intend to spread? It is important to be aware of the persuasiveness of games and not allow the games to manipulate.
I enjoyed taking Rhetoric R1A….I’ll miss everyone :/
-Kevin Pineda
I found it interesting as well that we were assigned to play a computer game for class. I mean, what kind of academic class would actually have students play video games for homework? It is like a dream come true for a video gamer.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a good point that video games have power within society. A video game designer could easily wish to voice out his or her opinion about something in society and may do it subtly through the video game. By playing McDonalds game, one could view corporations as evil greedy machines willing to sacrifice many things for the sake of making profit. McDonalds is willing to cut down the rain forests and bribe families for land to raise cattle. McDonalds will also inject steroids into cows, even though it’s not healthy for humans to be consuming such unhealthy beef. The person who designed this game could easily change a person’s perspective on McDonalds. In general, the power video games hold is subtle, but still effective.
-Brittany Judoprasetijo
Corporations definitely seem to do anything in their power to gain more consumers, whether it be good or bad. Usually it involves negative consequences like lower quality products so they can make mass quantities of them for cheaper, or genetically modified food that is bad for people's health but good for profit due to their cheap prices. I also found it interesting what an impact videogames can have on society. Despite their main priority as a source of entertainment for the player, the messages they send can actually have effects on people and the way they think. This McDonalds game definitely does not promote a healthy environment, and doesn't send a good message to its users because the corporations do anything in their power just to gain more profit.
ReplyDeleteAoife Parkin
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with what all of you above have said, regarding the power of video games and their persuasiveness. One thing that I'd like to add is the consumer group that is approached through video games. Video games are played a a whole range of people ranging from little children to adults. I think that especially with the McDonald's game, more of the younger population would be able to understand the message of corrupt corporations. While playing the McDonald's game, I personally found it really hard and kept getting bankrupt! Then I realized that I had to act as a "bad" corporation to "beat" the game. I'm pretty sure that a lot of people who played this game realized this same message.
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