Is storm chasing like a video game to you?

[Jeff Hawkins]

Something I've been thinking about, connecting the storm chasing realityTV shows and the influx of newer chasers...I got to wondering something related...I'm wondering what role, if any, does playing video games have on influencing chasers' idea of what storm chasing really entails (like the risk of injury or death)? And do video games create a 'distance' in their heads, when chasing and seeing things like houses being destroyed or towns being leveled by a tornado? I'm wondering this, based on the history of video games being originally developed for military training years ago...to help shooters to not see their targets as people or families but as just objects. I'm wondering if this could be an effect video games have on those who storm chase? Do they make those chasers see the tornado and the destruction and the lives being destroyed/harmed as being just distant events like in those video games they play?

 

[Marcus Diaz]

I'm a little offended that since I'm a 25 year old chaser that I'm rolled into this niche of chasers that spend their lives trying to become (let's just say it since everyone else is thinking it) the next RT. When I started chasing 6 years ago, I had a few things in mind. I wanted to travel across the country, see some amazing storms, learned to forecast, and one day become respected by my peers. Through a lot of hard work and disappointments, I've accomplished the first 3 goals for the most part. But it seems that I'll always remain a noob or "one of those young chasers" all the veterans seem to talk about. There was no tv show or video game that I'm trying to emulate with chasing. I think I made my mom rent me the "Fury On The Plains" video about 100 times in my childhood. I wanted to do nothing more. But because of my age, I really couldn't chase until 2008 after I got out of high school and went to college. Which is about 4 or more years after I could legally say that I chased the hard way. So because of my age and lack of chasing the old school way, it seems I'll never fully be respected in this community. Shame, because I respect a ton of people, young and old. Of course I'm not demanding respect from anyone, but for those that I've had the pleasure to meet, I sure hope you don't see me as just one of these "young chasers".

 

[Jeff Hawkins]

I'm a little offended that since I'm a 25 year old chaser that I'm rolled into this niche of chasers that spend their lives trying to become (let's just say it since everyone else is thinking it) the next RT. When I started chasing 6 years ago, I had a few things in mind. I wanted to travel across the country, see some amazing storms, learned to forecast, and one day become respected by my peers. Through a lot of hard work and disappointments, I've accomplished the first 3 goals for the most part. But it seems that I'll always remain a noob or "one of those young chasers" all the veterans seem to talk about. There was no tv show or video game that I'm trying to emulate with chasing. I think I made my mom rent me the "Fury On The Plains" video about 100 times in my childhood. I wanted to do nothing more. But because of my age, I really couldn't chase until 2008 after I got out of high school and went to college. Which is about 4 or more years after I could legally say that I chased the hard way. So because of my age and lack of chasing the old school way, it seems I'll never fully be respected in this community. Shame, because I respect a ton of people, young and old. Of course I'm not demanding respect from anyone, but for those that I've had the pleasure to meet, I sure hope you don't see me as just one of these "young chasers".

You mentioned you replied prior to my major self-edit so you rambled...well I rambled in my OP as it was, and that's why I changed it...I was thinking out loud, and realized (as part of my editing) if I specified any age group I'd be missing the point of my thought there (especially since the question really isn't age-restricted in it's nature). So please don't think I was thinking of anyone in particular at all...in fact I had no idea you were under 30, and actually respect your input on threads quite highly.

 

[Jake Orosi]

I'm wondering this, based on the history of video games being originally developed for military training years ago...to help shooters to not see their targets as people or families but as just objects.

That's a...creative interpretation of the history in question.

But in any case, I don't think it's a "video game mentality" that is influencing peoples' mindsets; rather it's a "tourism mentality". Almost everyone is susceptible to it in some form - the basic idea is, when you travel to some "other place" you're typically going to feel a greater or lesser amount of personal disconnection from things you see happening there. Think of the people you know in your town - you recognize the people at the gas station; maybe you have a rapport with the lady at the diner. But in these towns you visit while chasing, you don't know anything or anyone. You see them interacting with each other and you can relate, but you can't join in. It's not that you don't see the people as people; you just don't feel any connection and don't have much of a stake in what happens to them (or their buildings).

 

[Taylor Wright]

I think it was YouTube more than anything that influenced me to start chasing. I quickly realized it was a passion. I didn't watch much of any "reality TV" until after I got into it. I never once thought of it as an outlet to get money, or be the next anyone. I didn't feel the need to put a thousand Skywarn stickers on my car. I just wanted to see a tornado. Nothing wrong with making some cash off of your photography if you have the resources, though.

Thrill can act a bit like a addiction, the more you get the more you want. I would bet this is more of the case than people just wanting to get famous. Wanting to document the experience in the most realistic way possible is just a byproduct of the thrill. I wonder how much of all the reality show hype is just a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 

[Marcus Diaz]

You mentioned you replied prior to my major self-edit so you rambled...well I rambled in my OP as it was, and that's why I changed it...I was thinking out loud, and realized (as part of my editing) if I specified any age group I'd be missing the point of my thought there (especially since the question really isn't age-restricted in it's nature). So please don't think I was thinking of anyone in particular at all...in fact I had no idea you were under 30, and actually respect your input on threads quite highly.

Jeff please don't think I was bashing on your post. It was merely a ramble on things I have noticed the past few years. Sure there's some younger chasers that may give the hobby a bad rep (and some older people too), but there's a few of us, myself included, that don't think of chasing as an income. Instead its a passion that's been in me since childhood.

 

[Jeff Hawkins]

That's a...creative interpretation of the history in question.

In regards to the video gaming element, I found an article mentioning the history of first person shooter games (sorry, off Wikipedia...I know...perhaps someone else has better resources to offer?) and their early use in the US Army training in the 1970's. I can't recall where I read this/heard this, but part of the concept of using those games in the military was to get soldiers to be numb to killing and shooting, and to think of their targets neutrally, not as people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-person_shooter

 

[Dan Robinson]

Storm chasing has always been about the storms, nothing else. Not about seeing massive death destruction, with happens with only a fraction of the tornadoes in the US every year. Lightning causes death, injury, destruction, fires - are we to start feeling guilty for that as well? More deaths and injuries happen during snow and ice than in tornadoes, but no one is blamed for being delighted to see it fall. Clear, blue-sky sunny days contribute to skin cancer.

We need to learn to separate in our conscience the tornadoes that cause the tragedies from those that don't. They're not the same.

 

[Jake Orosi]

In regards to the video gaming element, I found an article mentioning the history of first person shooter games (sorry, off Wikipedia...I know...perhaps someone else has better resources to offer?) and their early use in the US Army training in the 1970's. I can't recall where I read this/heard this, but part of the concept of using those games in the military was to get soldiers to be numb to killing and shooting, and to think of their targets neutrally, not as people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-person_shooter

The military did and does use first-person shooters; but it wasn't to make soldiers "numb" to killing - that's mostly an anti-video-game political invention. Being shot at (or knowing someone will shoot you when given the chance) tends to remove most objections to shooting back; and mankind's incredibly ancient love affair with war and killing on a massive scale proves, without much room for doubt, that personalization of the enemy isn't really a significant barrier that soldiers ever need to be specially-trained to overcome. Rather, the military uses video games because they can be used to create custom and repeatable training scenarios with much less time and resource requirement than using live actors, large training "sets", or mechanical active shooting ranges. Basically? It's cheaper and works just as well.

 

[Robert Edmonds]

But it seems that I'll always remain a noob or "one of those young chasers" all the veterans seem to talk about.

I've noticed the vague experience requirement to be labeled an experienced chaser or 'veteran' chaser creep up as time goes on. Basically, the requirements will always be modified in their minds to fit the same group of people. Don't worry, except for a few who I actually have respect for, many are a bunch of hypocrites. Just chase, have fun, and enjoy the storms.

 

[Todd Rector]

I think it was YouTube more than anything that influenced me to start chasing. I quickly realized it was a passion. I didn't watch much of any "reality TV" until after I got into it. I never once thought of it as an outlet to get money, or be the next anyone. I didn't feel the need to put a thousand Skywarn stickers on my car. I just wanted to see a tornado. Nothing wrong with making some cash off of your photography if you have the resources, though.

Thrill can act a bit like a addiction, the more you get the more you want. I would bet this is more of the case than people just wanting to get famous. Wanting to document the experience in the most realistic way possible is just a byproduct of the thrill. I wonder how much of all the reality show hype is just a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Very well spoken. The rest of this sentence satisfies the 20 character post limitation.

 

[Jake Orosi]

Nobody owns the sky.

There will be clique polity in any hobby; in hobbies like storm chasing that are generally unorganized (i.e., no "clubs" to belong to), people will find other ways to distinguish themselves. And let's just be brutally honest - storm chasing as a hobby has an incredibly low entry cost and doesn't require any real expertise to get started. Modern technology and our information-saturated culture has made it so that literally anyone with a car, a phone, and a camera can go "storm chasing" - and even get decent results. This is not a happy-fun-fact for oldbies who got into the hobby back when it arguably required real skills to have a chance at a great shot; it might make some a little sore.

It's not us young peoples' fault that information is so easily available, but it won't matter to some. Heck, there's some people who believe that nobody who started after the movie Twister came out is a "real" storm chaser - they were "into it before it was popular". But on the contrary, I think somebody taking the time to educate themselves about meteorology and learn forecasting in an age where you can just chase dots or drive to the "MDT" bubble on the Outlook map if you wanted to, has a worth all its own.

 

[Shane Adams]

None of this is really about chasing at all. It's about people, perception, and personalities. The chasing part is just the canvas. These discussions are really nothing more than a reflection of the three things I just mentioned; when there are storms to chase, we're all basically the same: people driving around with cameras trying to see storms and tornadoes. It's when we all step away from the actual, physical activity of chasing storms that our differences begin. What one person deems dangerous or irresponsible, another might see as merely "part of the game." What person A thinks is important relative to being a chaser, person B might not even think about, ever. And what this guy considers qualifications for "experience" or "veteran status" that guy might scoff at.

The one thing I actually think is important (and the next guy doesn't) is one's own self-perception as a chaser. I've seen young guns, over the years, comment about how they hope they're getting respected and don't wish to be labeled as "newbies" for longer than they themselves feel they deserve the title. My message to all you young chasers isn't "just chase and enjoy the storms"...hell, that's obvious to every chaser from day one (and if it isn't you're in the wrong hobby/game/etc etc). It's simply "be yourself."

Being true to who you are as a chaser has nothing to do with chasing. Being a chaser is just incidental. Being yourself means every minute, every day. Living your life. Figuring out who/what you are as a human being will automatically translate to every aspect of life, including storm chasing.

 

[Jeff Hawkins]

Thanks for all of your responses to my OP on this topic. In reading everyone's comments I agree with most everything said so far, but I see I didn't get the topic (even after heavy editing) clear enough, and I apologize for that.

So after reading your responses and thinking a bit further, I will try to clarify here. Part of the challenge with this topic is that it is rather abstract, delving into the areas of emotion and psychology. What I was trying to describe is the idea of 'detachment', which could be defined as 'indifference to or remoteness from the concerns of others' or 'The state of being objective or aloof', and wondering what elements contribute to that being a chaser's mindset when seeing things happening before their eyes in real-time (as opposed to on TV or or a video game)? Jake mentioned "tourism mentality" which I agree is one element...you have no prior knowledge of or connection to that building you're seeing being blown apart, nor the people in it, so it's natural to be detached in that fashion. I'm wondering what other factors might also contribute? Do some chasers react to real-life the same as if it were a movie? Do they watch TV shows with storm chasers going nuts at seeing tornadoes and think that's how all storm chasers react or should react? Do some chasers see chasing the same as playing a video game? I hope that clarifies the topic a bit more.

Mods: should this be relocated in B&G, as this isn't directly weather related? I initially put it here, thinking it relates to the category under the umbrella of "ethics/safety".

 

[Mark Blue]

And let's just be brutally honest - storm chasing as a hobby has an incredibly low entry cost and doesn't require any real expertise to get started.

Although you can chase on a shoe string budget, I feel as though I have a small fortune wrapped up in my chase gear.

Reliable transportation, Jotto desk, laptop, DC adapter or power inverter, Cradlepoint router, internet connection with data service, cellular amplifier, Smartphone, iPad, DSLR with lenses, HD camcorder with extra goodies, software such as Delorme, GRLX, PYKL3, and Radar Scope, and Allison House for data. I'll stop there as I'm only 1/2 way done, and if you have HAM radios and scanners that's even more money! Maybe I should just leave it all at home and go back to the basics one day.

We can leave it here for the time being Jeff. It's an interesting theory and generated some good discussion.