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