Daniel Johnston music in upcoming Grand Theft Auto

[madnell]

I propose Daniel have his OWN game!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

BRILLIANT !!!

this is an idea that must come to fruition!!!

wow!

[kung_fu_elvis]

This is a sharply crafted dual edged sword... to say the least. 

I understand the resistance or concern over having Dan's music involved in something like this, #1 a video game, #2 a video game with the content that the GTA games portray.

I understand that there is a resistance to even want it in any video game, however, video games are a very popular form of entertainment and a lot bigger of an industry than they once were... they've replaced saturday morning cartoons for some kids.

Not to mention the last GTA game had a better soundtrack than most movies do.

Fantasy wise though, I played a hell of a lot of cops and robbers when I was a kid, and don't really find much difference between that and this game except it's a much more adult way of 'playing'...

Would people feel the same if Dan's music was in a movie like 'Training Day', or 'Full Metal Jacket'?
 

At 27, I am definately part of the 'Nintendo' generation, and I think this trend towards 'adult' games is completely in step with that marketing...I think an important issue is that these games are rated for 18+...
Will my daughter see this game before then? Not if I can help it. And that's something that needs to be recognised...

I've played these games, and enjoy them. Yet I've never commited any violent crimes, never even so much as shoplifted, never been arrested, mow my lawn, play my guitar, raise my daughter, and unwillingly pay my taxes.
 
I can understand the reservations... absolutely. But, I need to ask this: Is Conway Twitty now associated with violence? He was featured on the last games soundtrack...

[wickedwill]

I don't see the problem, won't Daniel love the promotion? Plus, I think it's cool that there'll be a new station or something.

The problem is that now Daniel's music will be associated with stealing cars and killing policemen.  What's to love about that?

Yeah but its just a game. He has songs in the movie KIDS! A movie about unsafe sex and the spread of AIDS and urban decay. I think Daniel being in GTA will be great and it may hook a few new fans!

[bouche]

that is an f'n brilliant concept for a game.  it would have to be played out comic book style like this game from the 90's for sega genesis...

[I ARE 1031]

I don't see the problem, won't Daniel love the promotion? Plus, I think it's cool that there'll be a new station or something.

The problem is that now Daniel's music will be associated with stealing cars and killing policemen.  What's to love about that?

Yeah but its just a game. He has songs in the movie KIDS! A movie about unsafe sex and the spread of AIDS and urban decay. I think Daniel being in GTA will be great and it may hook a few new fans!

GOOD POINT ABOUT THE KIDS! THING... I forgot about that. I never actually saw the movie but I read a bit about it and yeah, the premise is pretty terrible. Is it a good movie by the way?

[Henry Long]

"KIDS" is certainly worth seeing. Larry Clark directed from a script by a very young Harmony Korine, who then went on to make "Gummo," one of my favorite films ever.

"KIDS" was a pretty honest film, and I think that's what freaked alot of people out. They didn't want to know Casper was real.

One note about the video game violence. My wife studied and wrote about the neurological systems which are activated when a violent (i.e. you are the "shooter") game is played. The information she went through was published in medical and psychological journals, and was up to date. It would appear that the addictive pleasure centers which release the neurotransmitter dopamine in the cerebral cortex get stimulated during such activity. Not just stimulated, but REALLY stimulated. This causes the brain, chemically at least, to have a very difficult time (to put it mildly) distinguishing between REAL violence and pretend, as I have suggested earlier in this post. And that's the problem. The brain makes you literally feel good when you are killing.

It is not a passive activity like watching a movie or reading a book or listening to a CD. You are actively participating in "pretend" murder, along with the sensory inputs of gun shots and screams and bloodshed. So you have physical sensation of the game controller in your hand, auditory sensation, and visuals which are increasingly realistic. The brain "records" information alot quicker and with easier recall when something is learned through more than one sensation. That's why people use flashcards for little kids, and why Television in general is so hard wired into our culture.

Imagine the video games of the future, when scent and taste become involved!  (No wonder the military put so much money into their development! In what other profession is such hand-eye coordination and "push-a-button" technology so well suited, as well as a built-in detachment from actual killing, if not for war?) The brain doesn't do "pretend" in this situation. And when you sit in front of the game for 15 hours a day (like a 20-year-old neighbor of mine who I have NEVER seen out doors!!!) there's a problem.

Maybe this is like beer. It's great. It's natural. Been around for centuries. Lots of people drink it everyday and lead normal functional lives, all over the world. But for some people, the brain chemistry changes. The "user" gets addicted to the alcohol in the beer, and pretty soon you're a bloated 40-year-old frat boy with an enlarged liver and a 12-pack-a-day habit which takes over and destroys your life.

I'm not saying having Daniel's music associated with a video game is a terrible idea, or even this particular game. I'm just reporting, based on my wife's research (and my careful editing of her papers!) what seems to be a cause for concern with playing these "types" of games in general. And although they are "for adults," so is internet porn, cigarettes and alcohol. But find me a 13-year-old boy who hasn't tried or been exposed to these and other highly addictive adult cultural accessories. If kids are not allowed to play these games or do these things at your house, then they most likely are doing them at the friend's house whose parents are not as cautious, or are simply not around. When in doubt, just remember what YOU tried to get away with when YOU were around 13! 

If Daniel makes $50,000 in revenue from his music being on the soundtrack, then great! All the Beatle Bootlegs he can carry! I just don't think the games are as innocent as many people who "play" them believe they are, and there is scientific evidence from years of study to back this up.

(PS: I’m sure by now many players of GTA and other such games are snickering at such ignorant and foolish suggestions, but have you ever watched yourself playing? Google "video games and brain chemistry" and check it out for yourself...)

http://exn.ca/Stories/1998/06/12/59.asp             ...for example

[I ARE 1031]

Well, I get over video games. I mean, the first few weeks (or months) I might really be into them. But I think I kind of stopped playing video games too much ever since I started playing guitar. I still love the games though, I think it's fine. For every 12 million kids that play them maybe a handful will imitate the games. What about hunting? Hunting is real life killing and people do that all their lives. So, maybe we should be outraged that kids are learning to hunt animals. I think people are making a big deal out of it, I mean, when I go outside and see people I don't see them as targets in a video game, if you do, then you have problems beyond the games. I love racing games and I hardly ever drive over the speed limit anymore. I used to be more reckless, but that was just because I was used to seeing the people around me driving like that. Let's just be responsible for ourselves, I think it's a good idea.

If you kill someone, you can blame music, movies or video games for it, but you're totally full of it if that's your defense. Plus, a lot of the video game violence really only effects kids in this country. Those games are in Europe, Canada and Asia too. The US is the country that has the big gun violence problem.

[Henry Long]

The US is the country that has the big gun violence problem.

Indeed. I agree 100%, I ARE 1031. See Michael Moore's award winning documentary "Bowling For Columbine"  for some excellent questions and thought provoking insights on the nature of FEAR in our culture, and the real problems of gun violence.

http://www.bowlingforcolumbine.com/

One thought about hunting. On a hunt, you get, what...ONE deer, maybe 5 squirrels, a handful of ducks? Then you eat them. Sound perfectly natural. But in what situation do you gleefully shoot down hundreds, even thousands (if you're addicted) of your fellow human beings for "entertainment?" That's the point I was trying to make. I think the games, if ABUSED (like anything else which is abused) can detach you from your own reality. I think hunting, at it's best, helps one to live in accord with Nature. And although I have never fired a weapon, nor have I ever hunted, my goal as a human being is to live in accord with that Nature as best I can.

[bouche]

It is not a passive activity like watching a movie or reading a book or listening to a CD. You are actively participating in "pretend" murder, along with the sensory inputs of gun shots and screams and bloodshed. So you have physical sensation of the game controller in your hand, auditory sensation, and visuals which are increasingly realistic. The brain "records" information alot quicker and with easier recall when something is learned through more than one sensation. That's why people use flashcards for little kids, and why Television in general is so hard wired into our culture.

What was the age range for the study?  I would bet that the results followed that pattern with younger kids where the brain is learning at a fast pace.  That's why they have age limits, unfortunately, any kid under the age for a violent game/movie has the knowledge to get them using BitTorrent.  So I always believe that no one will be able to stop digital entertainment distribution, but there is a way to stop gun violence.  Stop automatic weapons.  IF a kid can download a game for free, he can certainly obtain the key to his dad's gun cabinet.

Imagine the video games of the future, when scent and taste become involved! 

I can't wait for that.  They had some technology a few years ago that never made it to market that could simulate ANY smell by a very simple programming API and 4 basic chemicals in a device that plugged into your computer via USB.  That's where you'd smell gunpowder in a shooting game.

Maybe this is like beer. It's great. It's natural. Been around for centuries. Lots of people drink it everyday and lead normal functional lives, all over the world. But for some people, the brain chemistry changes. The "user" gets addicted to the alcohol in the beer, and pretty soon you're a bloated 40-year-old frat boy with an enlarged liver and a 12-pack-a-day habit which takes over and destroys your life.

Beer has age limits too, but kids can still get it.   I think it's all about making sure that there aren't a means for shooting.  The US needs to get rid of the guns.

[wickedwill]

If a kid can't tell the difference between shooting a bunch of characters in a game and shooting a real person..........then he needs to be locked away.
If "Stairway to Heaven" makes you want to shoot yourself then you need to step away from the turntable.

[I ARE 1031]

If a kid can't tell the difference between shooting a bunch of characters in a game and shooting a real person..........then he needs to be locked away.
If "Stairway to Heaven" makes you want to shoot yourself then you need to step away from the turntable.

Yes, common sense people!

 

[jjoechump]

I think its a good thing that his music will be included in the upcoming game. Even if it is a violent game or whatever at least its more publicity for Daniel.

[Green Monkey]

Maybe it's just me but riding around a giant city mowing down cops and gangsters on a harley while listening to Speeding Motorcycle or Harley Man while rockets, cars and bullets fly past your head sounds like fun!

apologies to any cops or gangsters out there.

[billybob]

I propose Daniel have his OWN game!

Hi, How Are You.

you nailed it.  i would buy that.

[Liefhebber]

Hahaha that Daniel Johnston video game part is great!!!