by Allen Varney ALSO: EDITOR’S NOTE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR NEWS BITS moments that were no doubt terrifying, World War II. The Century Division notes of the heaviest snows in the 20th despite all their intense military training. landed in Marseilles, France in October of century in January 1945 are meaningful, But they aren’t the only ones. My friends 1944 and moved north, toward Alsace, but the description of the bitter cold and their family members who’ve been for their part in the Ardennes Offensive. brought it home. The reputation of the My Dad took my Grandpa to see Saving in the military during wartime also seem The 100th experienced “Success in powerful German Panzers made a dent, Private Ryan when it first came out in to want, even need, to re-experience Battle,” as was their motto, holding the but Granpda’s stories of the sound of the the theater. Then they bought Band of war through entertainment. strategic Saverne Pass against the 17th trees splintering above him from artillery Brothers and watched it together. I SS Panzer-Grenadiers, the “Götz von blasts made it real. It was these tree remember listening to them talking In recent years, the field of games has Berlichingen” Division, in mid-January, splinters that caused many of the about each of these afterward. “The produced a number of war games to add the height of winter. This is their very casualties to their division – people he scene, landing on the beaches in [Saving to the mix. Indeed, several of my impressive record on paper. knew, friends and comrades. Private] Ryan, it’s what it really sounds younger veteran friends find these like,” said my Grandpa. Dad agreed, games just as compelling as some of the But what made the most impression on And it was these stories that really “Yeah, the bullets, the whizzing, it was movies released to the masses. And so I me was my Grandpa’s description first- brought home to me that you can only very real sounding.” Similarly, Band of pondered whether my own Dad and hand experiences. Sure, the historical get part of the story from a history book. Brothers received praises for its Grandpa might find in games that But more than that, I began to get an understanding of the camaraderie something that seems to draw them into inkling of why vets may want to between fellow soldiers from both of the other forms of entertainment. I experience war again through them. decided to interview them for this issue entertainment. It’s a healing thing to on war games. experience terrifying, difficult events Both my Dad and Grandpa served in the again in a controlled environment. It’s a U.S. military; my father was stationed in I had never really talked with either of way to reconnect with them, feel the the Philippines during the Vietnam War them extensively about their time in the emotion again, and then put them safely and my Grandpa was in the army in service; neither one is much of a talker. away again. Europe during World War II. They both My Dad actually continued this trend, saw battle. They both experienced the only admitting that he did see battle and I recently experienced this desire to camaraderie between soldiers. And they that he’ll never forget the sounds. My reconnect with and re-experience both seemed to want to see and Grandpa, however, was feeling talkative. events. My Grandpa died two weeks ago, experience these things again in movies today. In those grasping days afterward, and television series. John C. Peeler was a Sergeant in the where one reaches into the treasure 100th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army, chest of memories, as if to make sure How odd, I thought, that they should deployed in the European Theater of they’re all still there and weren’t lost want to relive these moments – along with your loved one, I fragmentation later, and any type of twenty years later. The popular writers remembered these conversations about success on the scale Nevermind, let are Steven King and Tom Clancy, who WWII. In some bizarre leap brought on alone a gaming Nevermind, looks write for entertainment, not to by sadness, I felt a desire to watch unlikely. challenge. This is what’s happening to Saving Private Ryan, to watch Band of games right now, and the saddest part is Brothers or to play Call of Duty. To the Editor: RE: “How I Learned to Weebot that gaming has yet to hit its true Stop Worrying and Love the Xbox” stride. I personally feel that games have It doesn’t seem to make much sense on To The Editor: In his article in last the potential to be considered art, not the surface, but it was a need similar to Haven’t I heard this before? Gaming is week’s Extra (“How I learned To Stop just for their stories or graphics, but for my Grandpa’s to connect with memories undeniably expanding, but a wholesale Worrying and Love the Xbox”), Joe their very mechanics. of war. It was different for me in that it cultural shift anytime soon (and through Blancato depicts a very rosy future for was a need to connect with my Grandpa. convergence devices — a notoriously gamers, and he is not the first. However, But right now there is no room for I have to wonder how many games, disappointing format) is rosy speculation. I believe that while all gamers have that. And Mr. Blancato may be correct, movies and TV series’ were created so Hollywood’s pop cultural hegemony is hoped for this to be the future all their maybe in ten years gamers will be the that we could not only connect with still unchallenged, despite those nice lives, it is not going to work out the way new athletes. Call me a Costikyan- memories of combat, but also for the numbers comparing game and box-office we would all like, simply because the ian, but if things do not change between civilians among the population to gross (as if those mattered post-DVD). main driving force behind the gaming then and now, I will want no part in connect with loved ones lost in war or And it’s not gaming but its digital sibling, industry is not innovation or imagination it. The games of the future will be style who told stories about war before the Internet, that’s promising — and is anymore, but glitz. The gaming industry over substance to an even greater passing. largely delivering — the next leap exploded with the Playstation because degree, and the gaming superstars of forward in media consumption. not only was it cheap, but my goodness, tomorrow will be no different than the it’s three-dimensional! Who cares that popstars of today. Add to this our ongoing cultural the early PS games were all garbage? fragmentation, and even the idea of a They looked so cool! Jason Begy “forefront of the nation’s entertainment pulse” looks ludicrous. Pop culture is Unfortunately, this is the tendency of all To the Editor: I don’t understand the becoming increasingly balkanized, and American media. Movies used to be latest issue at all. Joe Blancato’s article has been since we realized that nothing about stories, heck they would even seemed to be trying to describe how a could ever be as big as the Beatles have actual themes, but for the most gamer subculture might survive the again. That’s why Nevermind was part those movies fell by the wayside in stresses of corporate co-optation, but astonishing; it succeeded despite this. favor of special effects. Sure there’s a instead comes out sounding at times like Fifteen years of Internet-abetted backlash starting now, but only some some Xbox marketing hack ghostwriter trying to entice us to buy into the look production. It means you don’t need a and how we are going to do it. Our Adam J Hepton and attitude of the next new thing. big company to have lots of fans, and history is largely unwritten! You hear (Black leather and Mario T-Shirts? How many of these fans you know personally. me, Blancato? Stop all this doctor doom To the Editor: The Escapist rocks! And I punk! 13-year-old girls? Sexay!) shit. finally have good reason to mail you Seriously, the article did more to I’ll admit I really love the new Nintendo about my own stuff! disprove the existence of any ‘gamer commercials, and as a gamer, I get jokes Perhaps I’m just perpetuating the gamer subculture’ at all, but if it did it was that my girlfriend does not. Does this stereotype of the incessantly critical I enjoyed Jon Woods’ article in issue 21, selling it out to the lowest bidder make me a niche demographic? Yes. video-game snot, but I’m not critical and just had to ask you to send him a anyways as a limp package of absurd Does it make it a subculture? No. Can we because I’m a gamer. I’m critical link to www.KidsProgrammingLanguage. imagery, shiny devices and mario- build a subculture anyways? Yes. But we because it is important to be when you com. KPL is still new - v 1 released in nostalgia. have to resist giving in to marketing and care about something, as I do about August - but it’s very hot. Hot enough economics-derived explanations of ‘what games and their future.