If a kid sitting down watching TV and sees Battlebots and says to him/herself, "I wish I could do that. I wanna build robots".. maybe they'll go get a job to afford it.. sign up and work harder in upper level classes in school.. maybe even be convinced to go to college.. maybe participating will keep some kids off the street... maybe just maybe the intentional rough 'n tumble robots can do it too.... i firmly believe they can.
Battlebots inspires a crowd that we could never touch.... and getting people involved in robotic sports is wonderful.. having kids decide "i want to do that" and take physics, statics, mechanics, calculus, etc.. it's a good thing.
And no matter what their robot is built to do in the end... it is the journey that counts.
When people ask me "What is FIRST?" my most common response is usually "Have you ever seen Battlebots? Take out the wailing arms and axes and add in some scoring mechanism and some high school kids.."
MrB has his opinion, which I have a lot of respect for and happen to agree with here. We're all doing something for this world, whether we can see that or not, we just choose different ways of doing it..
If you remember the days before last year at all... you will recognize the game we're talking about. Interaction isn't anything out of the ordinary.. it's not destruction mode... it's like playing football vs. golf. Personally I think that latter is much worth watching... so let's play football, cause penalty flags & unneccessary roughness still exist...
I respected the choices of Mr.B and Team 23 when they left FIRST and got involved in race cars... I respected them when I heard they were going for Battlebots.. I cheered when I saw those guys with a little spot during Battlebots one night on Comedy Central... I respect those choices because MrB and his fellow teachers and parents and doing the same wonderful things for the kids on their team as we all are here... they are inspiring them to do something they probably never dreamed of doing before.
Long-winded but needless to say... we are not BB, never will be.. we're not supposed to be either.. nor is GM17 going to make us that is any way.. its simply making the game into pre-2k1 mode again...
This arguement can go on forever. The point is simple. Either you respect the athletes who play golf and football because they have worked hard and excel at that sport.. or you discrimnate against one or the other because you don't think their game is worthy to play.. it's either about the people or the game..
I agree with MrB, it's about the people.
(there was a point to this if i never seemed to make it
)