http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liKV4Ij8LtU

I don't know how many of you are familiar with the Halo series, but I recognized a few symbols I thought I would share. It's amazing (and awesome) that these underlying mythological concepts are being subconsciously told to millions of people. Alien forces want to unleash a dangerous organism (The Flood, interestingly, because of their religious views) that can attach itself to anything else and mutate it into a deadly member of a hive mind (the matrix theme, again) There are two groups of aliens that agree with this "Prophet of Truth", the "Brutes" and the "Grunts". I think the symbolism is pretty obvious there. The "Elites" realize this is foolish, and side with humanity. The controllable Elite is called the Arbiter, which, according to Dictionary.com is "a person who has the sole or absolute power of judging or determining" - in other words, US, the players of the game. (the Arbiter is also branded a heretic by his alien comrades) The main human character is Master Chief, which has a similar God-like connotation.

Next, my friend recently acquired the latest Half-Life installment, Orange Box. Included in the package is a short game called Portal. This game puts you in control of a test subject given a "gun" that can only create entry and exit portals. The concept becomes increasingly complex and is amazing to see in action. (here's a video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb7aDZeO_MQ ) Anyways, here are the lyrics to a song played at the end of the game (you destroy the facility and this is the voice of the machine (the Companion Cube, a cube with a heart on it) that chose you for the portal gun (who would be akin to our concept of "God" or "the observer", symbolically) - Black Mesa is the scientific research facility responsible for the outbreak of hostile aliens in the original Half-Life)  The deadpan computerized comedy makes this game an absolutely hilarious puzzle.  "Query, insert-subject-name-here, does this remind you of insert-hometown-here?"  The turrets say before they shoot,"Hello, friend."

you can download the song here, it's very playful and catchy
http://itsthedoc.net/music/portal_still_alive.mp3

This was a triumph
I'm making a note here
HUGE SUCCESS
It's hard to overstate my satisfaction
Aperture Science
((see! "God" (whatever that means to you) loves us))

we do what we must because we can
for the good of all of us except for the ones who are dead
((we live on the shoulders of giants after all))
but there's no sense crying over every mistake
you just keep on trying until you run out of cake
((life is really all about making and eating delicious cake!))
and the science gets done and you make a neat gun
for the people who are still alive

I'm not even angry
I'm being so sincere right now
even though you broke my heart and killed me
and torn into pieces
and threw every piece into a fire
as they burned it hurt because I was so happy for you!
((we break down our barriers and we are better for it after all))
Now these points of data make a wonderful line
((our particle nature becomes more quantum, wave-like, a line))
and we're out of beta, we're releasing on time
((beta is the normal brain-state, as kids we function much more at theta and alpha))
so I'm glad I got burned
Think of all the things we learned for the people that are still alive
((think of all those things we've learned... and very few people apply it!))

go ahead and leave me
I think I prefer to stay inside
maybe you'll find someone else to help you
maybe black mesa
that was a joke, haha, fat chance
anyway this cake is great, it's so delicious and moist
look at me still talking, when there's science to do
when I look out there it makes me glad I'm not you
I've experiments to run, there is research to be done
on the people who are still alive

and believe me I am still alive
I'm doing science and I'm still alive
I feel FANTASTIC and I'm still alive
While you are dying I'll be still alive
and when you're dead I'll be still alive
STILL ALIVE, still alive

I love the emphasis this rational god-like machine places on cake and being alive. So remember, you're still alive and you're gonna die but there is always more cake!

You might enjoy watching your alien videos and games  with the EziusionVideoEyewear-Ipod Video Glasses and the Pramet Alien Projector.

http://www.find-me-a-gift.co.uk/pyramat … ector.html

http://www.find-me-a-gift.co.uk/ezvisio … asses.html

I will look forward to seeing future threads regarding these technologies regarding ethics, brainwashing, or just entertainment and the latest fMRI studies that show how violent images and angry words affect borderline personalities.

Does anyone in the UK reading this own these gadgets?
Are they the new thing there?
Does anyone in the US own them?
Just curious to new waves of technologies.
Wait till you see the new LED belt buckle fad where people can program in there own message. This would also make a good thread for someone to start that has a keen interest.

I can't see myself wearing Ipod Video Glasses unless they come in the right colors and styles. I imagine Retro and Niveau Riche models to match my wardrobe. Then I could watch youtube videos on public transportation and still look cool. I need to be original and make a statement like my other friends who are individualists as well. Violent images and angry words do not affect me because I take antidepressants. Anyways I think borderline personalities are the new in thing. It makes blogging worthwhile.

LED Belt Buckles will bring my Sigil Magick to a whole new level.

Have you accepted Bucky Beaver as your one and only personal savior?

Most games that involve levels of dehumanization and human mutilation will do so by utilizing a glazed over or watered down version of these themes making it easier to digest by player.

Just small little pin-pricks, injections. Increasing the temperature so no one knows the difference. Then you got them trapped.

http://www.find-me-a-gift.co.uk/pyramat … ector.html

http://www.find-me-a-gift.co.uk/ezvisio … asses.html

I will look forward to seeing future threads regarding these technologies regarding ethics, brainwashing, or just entertainment and the latest fMRI studies that show how violent images and angry words affect borderline personalities.

Does anyone in the UK reading this own these gadgets?
Are they the new thing there?
Does anyone in the US own them?
Just curious to new waves of technologies.
Wait till you see the new LED belt buckle fad where people can program in there own message. This would also make a good thread for someone to start that has a keen interest.

Most games that involve levels of dehumanization and human mutilation will do so by utilizing a glazed over or watered down version of these themes making it easier to digest by player. Not Prey. From the very beginning the game uses effective character buildup introducing the player/hero (Johnny), his grampa and girlfriend. After a full scene of character buildup including a 'pep talk' by grampa concerning the tribulations ahead, you as player are forced into a half-cocked barfight before the UFOs ascend over the bar to end the scene in a mass abduction of the reservation residents.

Prey Intro - Reservation

Scene 1 - Human Processing

Here is one that shows the actual processing of humans. WARNING. Not for faint of heart.

http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=8sp_7NU_D … re=related

[ul]Half-Life[/ul]
[li]As Gordan Freeman you are a scientist working in a lab called Black Mesa. It starts with you putting a sample into this generator of sorts. It then creates a portal with an alien world, Xen. Xen proceeds to invade Black Mesa. Eventually invading Earth. The G-Man, a mysterious entity who you have seen glimpses of through the game, at the very end of the game offers you to either work for him, or die.[/li]
[ul]Half-Life 2[/ul]
[li]This game starts off some years in the future with earth having been invaded by an alien force called the combine. Little is known about the combine except that they assimilate races of people. The once hostile Xen is now allies with the humans against the combine. As Gordon 'Freeman' you must rescue humanity from the Combine forces.[/li]
[ul]Prey[/ul]
[li]You play as a Cherokee Indian named Johnny. You are basically caught in the middle of mass invasion of Earth. You find yourself on a giant living spaceship facing certain doom. However, a group of humans, named the Hidden, living on the ship help you escape. Throughout the game you learn that Earth's humans are being harvested for food for this giant spaceship organism. At the end, you battle the mother, the being controlling the Sphere, and when you defeat her you take her place. However when you do that Johny's grandfather contacts him and says that such power is an illusion, so Johnny drives the ship straight into the sun. He then finds himself back on Earth reunited with his Grandfather and girlfriend.[/li]
[ul]Quake 4[/ul]
[li]Humans are attacking the Strogg, a race of biomechanical cyborg beings. Essentially they are harvesting humans for their ability to produce protein. Towards the end, you are caught and partially transformed into a Strogg, with this you have the ability to access, and destroy, the main Strogg core. Saving humanity from the tyranny of the Strogg.[/li]
[ul]Crysis[/ul]
[li]The game starts out with your group receiving distress signals from a group of archaeologists on some islands in the south pacific. You soon learn that there is an alien force there. These aliens send out cybernetic robots against you. However you learn, when going through their ship, that these aliens cannot leave their ship; thus the cybernetic robots. These aliens absorb energy. So when the US nukes the aliens they receive a huge amount of energy making them stronger.[/li]

All of these games have manipulation of humans by some invading force. It seems that most of the time it is because the aliens need energy or something that we have that they don't; STS anyone?
There is a theme of assimilation, such as the Borg collective in Star Trek, oppression, etc etc.

There too is always hope though. Presented with terrible odds the main characters in these games eventually prevail.
How lame would it be if the invading forces always won? I personally think it's much more exciting with the odds against you.

Thank you for your time,
Rhyo