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