I still don't believe I have to rebut this.

by Wisdom 

Every now and then, I come across an editorial that defies all sense of logic. I like to refer to these editorials as "rear-enders," to signify where I think they came from. If you haven't guessed yet, the editorial I'm rebutting narrowly skirts this line--and I use the term "narrowly" very loosely. The thesis of the argument, "All I need to know I learned from RPGs," is not only inherently flawed, as the medium the author uses to convey this point is never taught in any RPG I've ever played, but the examples Endarire uses are completely irrelevant. In other words, hello again, everyone. The caustic bastard has returned to play.

Let's start with the basics. Endarire is frustrated with U.S. educational system. That's completely understandable; the fact that our primary and secondary schools are often trumped by their third world equivalents is beyond ridiculous. While I'd be more apt to attribute this to the inherent stupidity of our great nation, (one needs only to look at popular trends to cast that point in favorable light), Endarire instead blames this on the inadequacy of secondary school education. That too is an acceptable frustration, if he'd left it at that. But then he/she goes on to say that RPGs have taught him more than public education did. That's where the lunacy begins.

From this point on, it's mostly a series of ludicrous examples that's supposed to lead us to believe this thesis. All the examples truly do is make the author look socially stunted and, for lack of a better word, ignorant. This isn't to say Endarire is an ignorant person--quite the contrary, his/her editorial is actually well-written. It's the argument itself that's flawed. Let me start with the first example given, that of response time in driving. The possibility that someone's reaction time would be significantly increased by playing video games--RPGs, no less--is laughable. I could sit down and play FFVII for hours, and I guarantee you that if I went outside and tried to start a fight, my reaction time wouldn't be any more responsive than normal. Video games don't do that, and if you think they do, I suggest starting a fight and seeing how well your electronic "reflexes" serve you when you're getting your face kicked in by someone who spent the past hours exercising instead of gaming. Playing video games does two things: improve hand-eye coordination, and define the thumbs. The hand-eye coordination is meager at best; if each of us spent the same amount of time throwing knives as we do gaming, we'd be professionals like the world has yet to see.

But it only gets more ridiculous from here. The author actually credits RPGs for the development of his/her emotional capacity. That's just sad. I can't even begin to point out how amazingly short-sighted that is. One's emotional capacity is determined by their social network and their filial relationships, not by sprites and polygons on a TV screen. If anything, this fact just makes me pity Endarire, if it was said in total honesty. That speaks of an incredibly dysfunctional life. As far as ascribing emotional idols, has anyone heard of books? People, literature existed long before video games did, and last time I checked, the public school system was based around different subjects of literature. What did they make you read in English, for God's sake? Curious George? There are innumerable epics in the history of the modern world that give much more detail to the subject of emotional conflict and morality. I say this even as my heart cries out for Cecil in FFIV; I can't begin to deny that he is a shallow farce of a hero when compared to King Arthur, or Odysseus, or Ishmael, or even Gatsby. Novels all over the world do a much more thorough job of describing ascetic ideals, and while we may not agree on the public system's methodology of presenting these books, how can one begin to deny that they DO present these novels? Half of education lies in your own effort; the teacher could be chirping like a baboob in an attempt to explain Of Mice and Men, but that shouldn't influence your personal grasp of Steinbeck's commentary. On that note, saying he/she learned philosophy from RPGs is outrageous. Unless Endarire was comatose during history class, it is nationally required that one learn about communism, fascism, nationalism, balance of power, and isolationism, to name the bare minimum. These are all powerful political philosophies that have shaped the history of the world, and yet he/she claims that Kefka's insanity taught you more? Give credit where credit is due, Endarire: the public system is one of the worst in the world, no doubt, but it still provides you with an innummerable supply of information.

I won't deny, however, that many RPGs can supply an interesting addition to most philosophical endeavors. Games such as Xenogears and Grandia 2 contain strong religious and political themes that offer a unique and thoroughly enjoyable study. Freudian psychology virtually litters Xenogears's plot development, and the idea of metaphysical rebellion is rife in both games. Legend of Dragoon and Chrono Cross also offer interesting takes on humanity's struggle against existence. Please understand that I do not mean to call gaming futile or worthless, as I myself enjoy gaming quite a bit. I simply will not give the hobby more credit than it is due, and to say that high school is less valuable than Chrono Trigger is ridiculous.

To attack his more central concept of "thought," I believe he misunderstands the point of high school. The first object of primary and secondary school is not to encourage deep, philosophical thought, but to encourage a strong basis of factual knowledge. How can you expect to discuss existentialism in a relevant context if you don't even know what country it originated in, and under what circumstances it flourished? You can't discuss the Constitution of the United States if you don't know what the Mayflower was. That's trying to argue that Rydia should have learned Meteo before she learned to read. There needs to be a basis, often times a very mundane basis, for most abstract endeavors. While I do agree that analytical thought isn't presented enough in high school classrooms, it's a proven fact that the U.S. presents more conceptual and abstract material than any other nation. Japan, while it stomps us in mathematics and science, finds itself on shaky grounds when trying to go toe-to-toe with Western philosophers. So you can't blame high school for not doing what is delegated to college.

Endarire's point about evolution is moot as well. As a general note, Cro Magnon man means "modern man." That's us. We never wiped ourselves out. If perhaps he/she meant Homo Neanderthalis, then the point still remains unfounded: Neanderthals were never smarter than Homo Sapiens. They only possessed the ability to focus more acutely on one task at a time, and that's it--the ingeniuty of our species, and our ability to multi-task, was completely lost on them. Also, there is no factual proof to say that we wiped them out; that's purely a theory. (And one Endarire probably learned in high school, unless there's an RPG dealing with prehistoric man that I haven't played yet.) Knowledge isn't reviled; look at our society. The most resourceful men and women run our country, not the people that "made fun of them in high school." I have no idea how you managed to link Edgar's submersion of Figaro with this point, but it certainly doesn't serve any practical purpose. Fearing difference suggests intellectual stagnation, and our society is ANYTHING if intellectually stangnant. Hell, most philosophers and historians say that the past century and a half since the Industrial Revolution has seen more advances in thought and technology than the whole of human history preceding the modern era. Difference may be feared to an extent, but that hasn't changed that the fact that "diversity" is surging forth with the power of a bullet train.

Endarire makes a listening point which I think has no relevance whatsoever. We read RPGs. Listening and comprehension aren't the same thing, and if comprehension is what Endarire means, I suggest looking to my collegiate references earlier.

That reminds me. Don't use " 'tis."

Endarire's editorial is really nothing more than a drawn-out gripe session against the U.S. educational system. My rebuttal is written accordingly, but I don't think either editorial, (mine or his/hers), belongs in this forum. RPGs are played for fun, not to invoke understanding and interaction with society. Perhaps with more relevant examples and a more plausible thesis--such as gaming can augment formal education admirably--Endarire's editorial would have been better received. Right now, all I really think is that Endarire has lived a frightening life.