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