I remember as a teenager wanting a game system (and no I am not going to mention which one it was — that would be telling :) ). I learned a number of important things about life (at least I think they were important) through the simple fact that we did not get a game system. So when my kids asked for a game cube a couple of years back the answer was a reasoned ‘no’. 
When I say reasoned I mean that we actually talked about it, we discussed my reasons, and we went around the issue until they were “satisfied.” Al-hamdulillah the boys are smart enough to get what I am saying so I don’t try to dumb it down for them, and I guess they are diplomatic enough to pretend to be “satisfied” when they sense that I’m unlikely to change my mind :) so we all get to pretend it’s a real democracy :D. Nonetheless, and this should come as absolutely no surprise to anyone, “getting it” and being “satisfied” are entirely different from actually letting the matter rest. And when there’s a grampa in the picture, all parental logic is at risk [ despite the fact that we’re talking about the same person that said no some number of years ago 
].
So the kids got their cube and, what the hey, as long as we have it might as well enjoy it. Enter EA sports and the annual FIFA game 
.
Turns out there’s actually a lot about life one can learn pretending to play football (that’s what the game’s really called you know 
) on a game system.
Consider this:
- There’re 11 players on a team but you can only control one of ‘em at a time. That means the computer has to move the other 10 in some “logical” fashion.
- You can’t control the goalie yourself. So the computer’s gotta decide which way he’ll jump, whether he’ll clear the ball properly or just throw it into the path of an oncoming striker, etc.
- You can tell the computer to “goalie charge” meaning your goalie will come out of net and run towards the striker with the ball. But the computer may delay before obeying your instructions, and it’s the computer
that decides when, if at all, the goalie throws himself down to stop the ball. To complicate matters, if you don’t ask for goalie charge the computer might do it any way. - You are allowed to declare what attack and defense strategies your team will use. But as far as any of us can tell that has very little effect on the actual game play.
And these are just the features you can figure out immediately as you start playing. As you continue to play more you discover:
- The computer has favorites that don’t seem to make any sense and are completely undeclared. For example, Argentina is ranked higher than Germany. And even though they are ranked higher than both France and Spain, Brazil will tend to under-perform when playing those two teams.
- There seems to be a strong luck factor determined by the computer. So the same player using the same team against the computer or another player will have things relatively easy one game and very difficult the next.
- These undeclared luck factors (game-wide and per-play) seem to play a very large role in whether a play makes it into the net. So again, the exact same cross by the exact same player followed by the exact same header will go in or not with seemingly total randomness.
So why does any of this matter?
Well, without really going into the reactions of the boys as their fortunes changed over time, let’s just say it can get very frustrating when to everyone’s eyes (players as well as audience) it seems that you hit the button to pass and the computer then delayed the pass until it managed to send one of your players offside; or when you hit the cross bar three times in a row knowing that the computer simply doesn’t give you that kind of fine control over ball direction so hitting the cross bar is completely a matter of dramatization by the computer once it rolls the dice and decides you ain’t scoring! Etcetera.
And then one has to sit back, really chill, and ask some relevant questions.
How do we cope with situations in life (I would argue the majority of situations) when much of what happens to us is determined by the actions of others?
How do we cope with the disparity in opportunities available to people?
Much of the constraints imposed on us are the product of many interlocking pieces that we pseudo-mystically anoint “The System”. What part of “The System” must one accept? What part can one change? How?
What does it say about us as individuals that we can feel genuine frustration over trivia? Then can we understand that frustration over matters considerably more real and considerably more important is no less futile? Can we experience rida (~ contentment) with the decree that has come to pass and the decree that is yet to pass without abdicating the responsibility to act or losing passion along with hope?
And finally, a question that for me is most important. When all the thoughts have been shared, and all the words have been spoken, and the mind knows, and the body acts either through submission, or constraint, or just giving up, how, pray tell, may the heart understand? Or how may it nurture and be nurtured, and grow and allow growth, and how may it change so that it can be given light?
when I saw cube and kids, I thought this would be the typical post from a dad about the long-term harms of these machines, but then I was proven wrong just like I never thought he would have a blog!
may we remain unpredictable :)
Salam,
Up until about halfway through the article, my comment was going to be “Wow, and I thought I was a nerd for calculating the shortest path between any two points on campus”…(shows how much I’ve internalized this Active Listening stuff :p) Having these discussions with the boys might end up putting the Cube as a learning tool…I WISH I knew this when I was younger :)
You seem to know a lot about the intricacies of the game….are you sure you’re letting your boys play or are you hogging the controller to relive your ‘missed’ childhood experience :P
And yes, it is called football.
I don’t think we can be a normal breed of human beings. That was an overkill akhi and the funny thing is that I didn’t feel it was. I liked the analysis of the game but I feel wierd that I did :)
The true question is whether your boyz after playing Madden for several years will still prefer the anachronistic usage of “football” to describe the modern sport of soccer.
A friend of mine used to challenge all immigrant brothers “your children will call it soccer :) ” so they have been well trained to respond to him of all people by identifying the sport by its proper name!
As for me, I prefer anachronistic to non-sensical :)
There’s a good discussion of the history of “football” and “soccer” at the following Wikipeida link –
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football.
Here’s a relevant quote: “The name ’soccer’ (or ’soccer football’) was originally a slang abbreviation of association football and is now the prevailing term in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand where other codes of football are dominant.”
In addition to being an anachronism, it seems that “football” (soccer) is a part of the imperialistic and colonialistic legacy of the UK and Europe which the US & Canada, Australia and New Zealand have shed. (Yes, Mr. Bush and his administration are a tragic regression in that evolutionary advancement of human history.)
Which intellectual tradition do you want to belong to? :-)
I still like to call it “Goal”…that’s what we called as kids growing up in Lebanon.
Well br Raider, the intellectual tradition that I like to belong to is that of actual logic :) as opposed to parochial interpretations that are backed up by sheer size and the bushite mentality :D
Quoting from the article you cite, the etymology of the word comes from “foot ball” and is “widely believed” to refer to “the action of a foot kicking a ball”. While Wikipedia offers a “rival explanation” it is freely acknowledged that “there is no conclusive evidence for this explanation” other than the seeming desire to non-sensically accommodate the parochial tendencies of four countries.
There is also the force of history. The oldest games in the tradition of football are the Chinese cuju and the Japanese kemari (I will post the picture from wiki on the blog :) ).
Finally, what more imperialism is there than to tie the name of the game to the English Football Association? That’ exactly what you are doing when you insist on the name “soccer” which is an abbreviation of “association football” as your article mentions.
p.s. Some people are just a fitna waitin’ to happen!
i just read your article!!..hehe
that’s amazing!! I remember how much i bugged my parents about the first playstation 1 and then the playstation 2 and now hopefully playstation 3. (haha..I wouldn’t wanna have me as my son…lol)
Actually playing videogames (i read somewhere) has many benefits (if properly balanced of course).
Some benefits include:
1. better hand to eye co-ordination
2. visual identification and memory tends to increase
3. knowledge
About # 3, i actually first learned about ‘mitochondria’ by playing an interactive video game. In fact, i ended up picking electrical engineering just cuz of playstations!! (i’m a huge fan…)
-abdul
ps. btw….you GOTTA tell what system it was that you wanted…..the oldest video game system I had was the one my grandmother brought back from hajj..haha. It was an Atari system.
Asalamu alaikum br. Yasser. It was nice to see you on the weekend! Hope you liked the London MAC Youth Centre! Alhamduillah, it’s a blessing.
I enjoyed your article on ‘the cube’ and wanted to comment on the questions you asked at the end of your article:
Yes, I do think we can experience contentment with the decree that has come to pass (or will pass), but I think it will be a life-long struggle for some things, and an easier struggle for other things. It is very easy to lose passion and hope. However, instead of losing hope or giving up, I think we need to continue to remind ourselves constantly that Allah sw knows what’s best for us, and to thank Allah sw for the blessing that He sw has given us. Can the heart ever understand? I’m not sure, but the constant rememberance of ALlah sw and enough effort may help the heart begin to understand.
that’s a good response Reem Ansari..i like it
Reem asked the question “if the heart can ever understand?”
I was faced with a fresh disappointment today so here’s my feedback. I thought this may add to the discussion.
Deep down I keep asking myself ‘why didn’t the thing go as I planned it’ I think the heart feels the pain but you need to ‘override’ that emotion with the mental intellect that has been given to you. One way to enhance this intellect is through reading the Qu’ran and realizing the finite nature of the majority of things in this world.
However, I do agree that at some point in life, one realizes why a certain disappointment had to have happened. One realizes the wisdom behind going through extreme stress in family relations to school to work. This realization of the wisdom behind the hardship may not come instantly but may come several months to years after the event has occured.
lol…i don’t know if I got my point across or not…Okay so like i’m basically saying that if you get hurt or if your heart says things should have gone this way or that way, you have to hold steadfast and just say Alhamdilla. Patience is for the brave! Suffer through your sufferings and eventually you’ll come out to be a strong person.
…do you guys get what i mean?
I believe this to be one of god’s signs for us in this life in search for justice. A lot is kept out of our control first and foremost because if we do have more control we will mainly mess things up. It’s like the programmer’s decision in making goal tending semi-automatic. We just can’t handle too much. But back to the idea of one’s efforts towards achieving particular goals and not being able to control the outcomes. This fact is what should drive a sane wise human being into following allah’s path. Clearly that is the only goal for which you get rewarded for your efforts and not for the results. You are in control and therefor are accountable. This frustration is there for a reason. It leads us to that path of fairness. The only path worthwhile because it is in our hands.
Jazaakumullahu khayran everyone for these beautiful contributions. It is always uplifting to receive such insights, answers, reminders, and reflections from sisters and brothers willing to share.
Reem: it was wonderful to see you again last week in the youth center. I must say that I was very jealous of the MAC London people for this phenomenal place maa shaa Allah. As I told Wael and Jalal you folks have to lend us your interior decorator :). If you have pictures I’d love to be able to put them up here so please share. The pictures on the website are all of people not of the actual center. I don’t mind people in the picture - actually it’s better, but I’d like something that shows off the place as well.