| Ever since video game designers were able to | | | | spraying a gusher of red upon their |
| put red pixels on their imaginary characters | | | | demise.Whenever some young person somewhere |
| that had recently deceased, there have been | | | | commits a violent crime these days it seems |
| people crusading against their subversive | | | | to get blamed on a video game, from "Duke |
| ways. The outrage at video games seems to be | | | | Nukem" and "Quake" being accused for the |
| cyclic, fading very briefly before exploding | | | | Columbine High massacre, to a more recent |
| into the public eye once more with renewed | | | | incident involving a group of minors |
| frenzy. The controversy seems to have sparked | | | | attributing their violent actions to the |
| up again in recent times, with numerous | | | | "Mortal Kombat" video games. Without any |
| crimes being blamed on the corruptive | | | | solid evidence either way it's hard to say |
| influence of video games. There have also | | | | whether or not video game violence actually |
| been various "controversies" surrounding | | | | has much of an influence on players. To |
| recent video games and their content in the | | | | really be sure you'd probably have to have a |
| areas of both violence and sexuality.The | | | | control group of isolated children that have |
| first game to receive widespread criticism | | | | never seen a violent movie or played a |
| and media attention was the martial art | | | | bloodthirsty video game. History does however |
| fighting game "Mortal Kombat". This game | | | | show that brutal crimes were committed long |
| included large spurts of blood emitted from | | | | before video games or even movies came into |
| attacks and also "Fatalities" that could be | | | | existence.Children are quite easily |
| performed on stunned opponents after their | | | | influenced by something that they're excited |
| defeat. These Fatalities were gruesome | | | | about and I've seen this happen a lot. |
| animation sequences showing the victorious | | | | Playing a wrestling video game with a group |
| player killing their defeated opponent in a | | | | of eight year olds often leads to the eight |
| vast variety of ways. Gamers revelled in this | | | | year olds screaming raucously and trying to |
| new experience and the controversy | | | | pin each other down on the ground. Pre-teens |
| surrounding the violence caused mass hype | | | | will often punch and kick their way out of a |
| that informed the less informed gamers that | | | | cinema in terrible combat stances after |
| the game was out there. Consequently gamers | | | | having viewed a martial arts movie. The |
| played the new game just to find out what all | | | | current content rating system in place is not |
| the talk was about, thereby greatly | | | | geared towards consumer restriction; it is |
| increasing revenue.One of the largest sparks | | | | largely aimed at simply informing the public |
| of controversy has been the recent "Hot | | | | about what they are going to experience. |
| Coffee" modification for "Grand Theft Auto: | | | | Legal restrictions are not actually put in |
| San Andreas (GTA:SA)". This involved | | | | place until the higher, more severe ratings |
| unlocking a sexually oriented mini-game that | | | | like in x-rated films. Parents, guardians, |
| had been removed from the game before | | | | and society in general need to start taking |
| release, although evidently not from the | | | | an interest in who is viewing certain types |
| source code. The creators of the game, | | | | of content. Instead of complaining about the |
| Rockstar Entertainment, obviously realised | | | | entertainment a child is enjoying, the parent |
| that this particular part of the game was not | | | | could be there at the beginning looking at |
| appropriate for the video gaming public and | | | | the rating that is printed clearly on the |
| removed access to it. An enterprising fan of | | | | packaging of all entertainment. A simple "I |
| the game found out and modified the original | | | | don't think that's suitable, how about this |
| code to give access to the content once | | | | game? It has a lizard!" distracts the child a |
| again. Lawsuits were brought against Rockstar | | | | surprising number of times. In my experience, |
| for including such content in their game, | | | | children genuinely just want people to take |
| although the validity of the lawsuit has to | | | | an interest in what they're interested in, |
| be questioned. If the game is simply | | | | not just murmuring indistinctly, "Yes dear, |
| purchased and played as intended by the | | | | that's nice." as the child installs the |
| developers, this admittedly tasteless and | | | | newest violent game.What about the children |
| inappropriate mini game would never be | | | | that are playing the games in the restricted |
| encountered. It is not until the user-made | | | | ratings categories? The only way that they |
| modification is downloaded and installed that | | | | can even get the game into their possession |
| the player is able to access the | | | | is if a parent (or someone of legal age) |
| content.Regardless of who's to blame, "GTA: | | | | purchases the game for the child, or if the |
| SA" was re-rated in America and banned from | | | | store disregards the rating guidelines in |
| sale in Australia. Oddly enough the | | | | place and sells it to them regardless. Either |
| gratuitous and encouraged violence in the | | | | way the fact that a game's content has fallen |
| game went largely unnoticed in the wake of | | | | into a minor's hands is not the fault of the |
| the "scandalous" sex scenes involving | | | | game developer.I'm not out to defend the |
| clothed, cartoonesque people.When examined | | | | integrity of artistic vision presented in |
| objectively almost all games contain a | | | | video games as many other gamers are. Frankly |
| certain amount of violent content. The | | | | there seems to me to be little artistic |
| kid-friendly bright and colourful "Mario" | | | | integrity in rendering blood that is ever |
| games by Nintendo feature a character | | | | more liquid in appearance. I do however enjoy |
| stomping on animated creature's heads. In | | | | playing some games that are quite violent in |
| fact the majority of games, even children's | | | | nature and in many cases the violent nature |
| games, involve the protagonist crusading | | | | of the game increases my enjoyment. Video |
| against an enemy horde of some sort and | | | | games are escapism, there's (arguably) no |
| generally "disposing" of them in some manner, | | | | point in playing a video game that simulates |
| whether it be striking them with a weapon or | | | | something you can just walk outside and do |
| body part (feet, hands, possibly a tail | | | | (and yet sports games somehow consistently |
| depending on the nature of the character). | | | | sell in large numbers... curious...). |
| The only real stand out difference is that in | | | | Interestingly I have never yet felt the |
| a children's game the 'bad' characters will | | | | overwhelming desire to break down into a kung |
| generally bounce backwards in a cute manner | | | | fu stance and commit murder. Perhaps more |
| and explode with a humorous puff sound (or | | | | important than simply banning questionable |
| simply disappear) whereas in a game oriented | | | | content in video games would be studying why |
| towards older mature players, the characters | | | | this content is so appealing to today's |
| are more likely to be (somewhat) realistic, | | | | society? |