A Brief @!#? ing History Of Swearing In Video Games.In December of 1.I received Donkey Kong 6.It was a birthday gift from my parents and even came with a shiny yellow controller, though sadly not the limited edition banana one.Regardless, I popped it in my N6.My thirteen- year- old brother and I watched as Donkey Kong and his band of misfit apes flailed about to the infamous “DK Rap.” Then came Chunky Kong, noted as “the last member of the D.K. Crew!” As we laughed at Chunky’s awkward attempts to grab an out- of- reach banana, the final line of his segment graced our young ears: “But this kong’s one HELL of a guy!”This piece originally appeared 6/2. Puppetshow 5 Destiny Undone Ce . We were both stunned. Did Nintendo just authorize a swear word? We were far from sheltered kids and had both seen our fair share of adult content, but not from video games. My parents had bought this game for me. This game with cursing. Obviously now, as an adult, I look back and laugh at how mild the word “hell” comes across in any situation, but to a prepubescent kid it was exciting and, dare I say, dangerous. Good thing my parents never bought me Conker’s Bad Fur Day or my brain would have melted. There are those who are put off by swearing, and while it’s still considered offensive by many it’s far from the worst thing you might see in a game today. Let’s take a look back at some of the titles that brought dirty words into the gaming spotlight and how some of them came to be. Cubes. Hot on the trail of arcade hits such as PAC- MAN and Donkey Kong was the cube- hopping puzzler known as Q*bert. The Gottlieb- produced title, which was originally named both Snots and Boogers and @!#?@! One of the most unique aspects of Q*bert was its implied swearing when players sent poor Q*bert to his doom. What he’s actually saying has never been revealed, but I’m sure anyone would curse their luck if a snake knocked them off a floating pile of blocks. The game’s audio engineer David Theil was assigned to make English phrases for the game using only a synthesizer. The Ultimate History of Video Games recounts how this process proved rather difficult and after many frustrating tests Theil decided it would be better and more fitting to just generate incoherent strings of sounds. Thus Q*bert’s oddly charming gibberish swearing was born. · Dropped an iPhone in Water? Here’s How to Save It from Water Damage.![]() I really would have a hard time choosing between the plethora of available films so here are five that haven't been mentioned (I don't think). The first three had. Over 100,000 HQ DivX TV & Movies! All DVD Quality! 99.99% Active Links! The Fastest Streams! Updated Daily! No Cams! And we love you too :). Batgirl's peril continues.that buzzsaw is getting a little too close for comfort. This swearing was revisited in the 2.Wreck- It Ralph, where Q*bert is seen as a homeless game character living in the surge protector known as Game Central Station.The bizarre symbols and noises are noted by Fix- It Felix as “Q*bertese,” implying that it was not cursing at all, but a foreign language.Land of the Rising Sin. . The Famicom, Nintendo’s “family computer,” took Japan by storm in the mid ‘8. Many thought the video game craze was over after the devastating collapse of Atari and the average arcade scene in 1. Nintendo intended to prove everyone wrong and launched their influential home console that same year. Japanese games tend to be a bit zanier than your average title, and many times they feature bits of English. Often this text is a referred to as “engrish” due to its poor translation, improper spelling and grammatical errors. Well known examples being lines like “A Winner is You!” and “All your base are belong to us.” While many games presented information in broken sentences and phrases, only one title dropped the F- bomb right in your lap. Bakutoushi Patton- Kun, or “Explosive Fighter Patton” was released in 1. Famicom Disk System. ![]() This multiplayer tank game was known for its aggressive instructions which stated, “TURN TO SIDE B AND INSERT TO FUCKING BOX!” Ok, ok. Yeesh. No need to yell. Two years later a title appeared bearing the name Download. The NEC Avenue- developed game was made exclusively for the PC Engine, which you might know better as the Turbo. Grafx 1. 6. The game is barely known, and let me tell you that searching for a game named Download online is a special kind of hell. Download is a side scrolling shoot’em up set in the city of Kabukicho. The year is 2. 09. Syd, a man hell- bent on rescuing his lady friend Deva from the corrupt Kabukicho police. How does one do that? With a flying motorcycle that shoots lasers! The title is pretty standard fare for a game of that time and is considered a solid action experience. It’s when you fail that things get a little blue. While the game never saw a release in North America, it still had some seriously intense “Game Over” screens that appeared in English. The next time you mess something up and someone has the gall to tell you about it just frown and yell, “No shit! I got the wrong way!”The Damn That Got Away. Back in the late ‘8. Nintendo was an eccentric electronic juggernaut. According to the newly- released novel Console Wars the gaming giant controlled a thereafter unheard of 9. The Big N approached this power with cautious optimism, not wanting to become the next Atari. For this reason Nintendo set out to make sure all the titles for their new cash cow, the Nintendo Entertainment System, had quality gameplay and family friendly content. Games from Japan were heavily censored so as not to include too much violence, sexual content or swearing. But of course, some still made it through. The game Commando was already an arcade hit when its sequel was released on the NES and Famicom in 1. The game was dubbed Hitler’s Revival: Top Secret in Japan, and lord knows that wasn’t going to fly in America. The game’s name was changed to Bionic Commando and the gameplay itself differed greatly from its arcade father. All Nazi symbolism was changed for the North American release, yet the scene at the end of the game when Hitler’s head exploded stayed intact. Yep. That’s the one. Oh, and that isn’t Hitler. Capcom decided to change his name to “Master- D” for all regions outside Japan. Despite the name change, the loss of his Nazi attire and the lack of head exploding Master- D still managed to get a “Damn” past the North American censors. Of course, you had to beat the game to get to this fabled line of dialogue, but it was well worth it. Maybe the “D” in Master- D stands for “Damn.” I guess we’ll never know. Dirty Duke and a Foul- Mouthed Fantasy. While Duke Nukem was no stranger to guns and pixelated carnage, it wasn’t until he stepped into the world of 3. D in early 1. 99. Featuring nudity, graphic violence and some of the most memorable one- liners in gaming history, Duke Nukem 3. D took the world by storm. The game was developed by team of only eight to twelve people and went on to become one of the most influential titles of the late ‘9. While Duke’s classic dialogue—such as “Eat shit and die!” or “Life’s a bitch and then you die”—caused a small stir amongst parents and the pure at heart, it was actually Duke’s interaction with the ladies that caused the most controversy. The game was censored in various countries and on multiple ports, but it remains one of the most badass games to grace a PC. Hail to the king, baby! A year after Duke Nukem muscled his way into gamers’ hearts, a different kind of classic made its way to every RPG fan’s radar. Final Fantasy VII is hailed as one of the greatest role playing games of all time, with many citing it as their favorite title. While the game was not nearly as raunchy as some of the “Mature” rated outings, it still introduced a generation of Play. Station owners to some choice language. Most of the cursing in FF7 comes from Barrett Wallace or Cid Highwind, both of whom are integral characters in the game’s story and action. Almost nothing beyond “damn” and “hell” made it past the Q*Bert- esque censoring seen above, though in early versions of the game the word “shit” can be seen in all its glory. Later versions, such as the PC and “Greatest Hits” titles, have the word fully censored. Why this happened is unknown, though it’s most likely so the game could stay true to its “Teen” rating. But honestly, who gives a shit? A Rare Occurrence. Back in the late ‘9. Rareware could do no wrong. Goldeneye 0. 07, Banjo- Kazooie, Donkey Kong 6. Rare could deliver hit after hit on Nintendo’s 6. One of Rare’s early N6. Pro- AM 6. 4, a racing game that would be the follow- up to the popular NES series of the same name. Over time the game evolved into Diddy Kong Racing, a title whichalso featured playable critters Rare had been developing for other blockbuster hits. Among these were Banjo of Banjo- Kazooie fame, and the infamous Conker the Squirrel. In fact Conker was seen in his own game before he made an appearance in Diddy Kong Racing. How to Fight Depression & Feel Awesome Without Drugs. Depression is rampant in today’s society. It’s safe to say that if you’re not on antidepressants yourself, you know someone who is. But these medications only treat the symptoms of depression – not the root cause(s). If you’re like most people, some days just rock. Sometimes you feel superhuman, other times it can feel like something is just missing. For example, most people know that low amounts of sleep make them perform poorly, and that’s just a part of life, or they believe that in order to be thin, you should just get used to being hungry all the time. We’ve seen how those ideas stand up to Bulletproof methods. Depression, however, can require medical attention – seek out your doctor for diagnosis and treatment. It is normal to have small amounts of sadness or depression, and they manifest themselves in different ways. Or maybe you’ve experienced a loss and it’s totally normal to feel sad and grieve. In those cases, if you don’t feel sad, you’re probably not processing an emotion so you can let it go. However, sometimes sadness and depression persist. When this happens, some people feel lethargic, others tearful, or maybe you just lack your normal level of motivation. Or maybe it manifests as irritability or even numbness. Whatever it is, at the end of the day, it saps your performance and makes you feel less Bulletproof. If you are diagnosed with depression, seek medical attention immediately. There are also some alternative treatments you can read more about below. CES technology in particular has shown beneficial for insomnia and mood, as well as treating some cases of depression. If you don’t have depression: mood hacks for the blues. So maybe it’s not depression, but hey, what if you could avoid those little grumpy moments that make your kids stay away from you, or those times your co- workers get coffee from a different floor instead of the coffee bar next to your office? What if you could build your resilience and even prevent it before it starts? The rest of this post will give you some ideas to help transform the type of mild depression that sucks your energy into simple feelings you can work through and release, bringing you back to full strength. The traditional approach to treating depression is to balance certain neurotransmitters with drugs. Drugs have their place, but many of the ones targeting depression are failures. They often work only as well as placebos, and they have a lot of unwanted side effects. Just like statins, these drugs don’t target the real cause of the disease – just the symptoms. They might help in the short term, but to really solve the problem you need to fix it with a more holistic systems thinking, Bulletproof methods. While researching the Better Baby Book I came across a study on the topic of depression. The study focused on mothers, but the recommendations in it apply to us all. This study’s four main recommendations for how to fight sadness without drugs are: happiness, spending time outside, exercise, and diet.[1]I used to have serious mood swings and unjustified bursts of anger that impacted my own health and my relationships with people I care about. That was until I hacked my brain and Bulletproofed my body. I started eating the Bulletproof Diet, lost 1. Now, I’d be shocked to feel myself wasting that much productive energy on being angry or depressed. Here’s how you can do the same: 1. Redirect your thoughts. Ok, this might sound annoying simple. But studies show that when you redirect your attention to the positive, your serotonin levels increase.[2] There’s some evidence that your thoughts can alter blood flow to the brain, but only recently have scientists discovered that how you think can also alter neurotransmitter levels. Meditation has been shown to increase dopamine levels,[3] and feelings of happiness also alter serotonin levels in your brain. Low serotonin receptor function is associated with poor mood,[4] and high serotonin levels are associated with better mood.[5] Basically, while low serotonin may cause you to feel sad, feeling happy may also increase your serotonin levels. It’s not clear which is more powerful, but one way to increase serotonin may be through psychotherapy methods like cognitive behavioral therapy, meditation, and my personal favorite, Heart. Math training. Doing Heart Math training literally strengthens the part of your brain responsible for turning on the “happy state.”2. Get outside morephoto by baaker. Mark Sisson has written some excellent articles on the importance of sunshine and light exposure. He’s made a great point about how working outside can increase your productivity, happiness, and health. The problem is that it’s hard to move your office outside (although there are some tricks you can use to make it work). Nevertheless, working outdoors is not something most people are going to do. However, other research is showing that bright light exposure may be a way to help increase serotonin levels and alleviate depressive symptoms.[6]Bright light therapy is especially effective in pregnant women.[7] On a slightly macabre note, autopsies have shown that people who died in the summer have higher serotonin levels than those who died in the winter.[8] If you’ve been suffering from depression or unexplained sadness, try to get outside more often. If you can’t, think about getting a wakeup light or installing some halogen bulbs in your work area. In fact, since I live in Canada where it gets dark in the winter, I have 1. Exercise. If you’ve been reading the blog or listening to the podcast for any length of time, you’ve probably figured out that excess exercise is not Bulletproof. However, the right kinds of exercise can be beneficial for a number of reasons. A massive review of most of the available evidence found that exercise is extremely good at improving depressive symptoms and increasing mood.[9] Some forward thinking agencies are even prescribing exercise instead of antidepressants, taking into account the poor risk- to- benefit in patients with mild depression. In other words, exercise is more effective and safer, at least for people with mild depression. In animals, exercise increases serotonin levels and the firing rates of serotonin neurons.[1. Does this mean you should start training for the Boston Marathon? No, but it is evidence you might benefit from a strength plan like the one we’ve laid out here. To learn more about the benefits of Bulletproof exercise, listen to our interview with Dr. Doug Mc. Guff, M. D. 4. Diet. The last, and possibly most effective way to increase serotonin levels in your brain and improve your mood is to eat the Bulletproof Diet. In animals and humans, tryptophan increases serotonin levels. In cases of light to moderate to depression, tryptophan can also improve mood.[1. Even in healthy people who are ranked as slightly more irritable than most, small amounts of tryptophan can make them more agreeable and less irritable.[1. However, there is a difference between dietary and supplementary tryptophan. Tryptophan supplements raise serotonin levels, but dietary tryptophan does not.[1. If you do take tryptophan as a supplement, don’t take it when you have recently eaten protein, the other amino acids in protein compete with the absorption of tryptophan in the brain. There is also evidence that a high tryptophan diet may be bad for you over the long- term. However, there are a few foods that may increase serotonin levels. Some of the proteins in whey can improve mood in humans after just a few hours.[1. This might be one of the reasons people feel so much better eating Upgraded Whey. In the end, changing the types and amounts of protein you eat is probably less effective than the types and amounts of fat you eat. Studies have shown that consuming omega- 3s improves mood. On the other hand, consuming large amounts of oxidized artificial trans fats can decrease your mental performance and hurt your mood. When you eat these fats, they’re assimilated into your brain and other tissues. They replace the fats that you need like omega- 3s, and make you more irritable, less intelligent, and less Bulletproof. The Bulletproof Diet is high in omega- 3 fats, clean saturated fats, and moderate amounts of animal protein to give your body what it needs for a stable mood, but not too much to cause inflammation. How to Bulletproof your brain against depression without drugs.
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