We’re Everyday Killers
by The Rook
To be honest, I wouldn't let my kids near Marilyn Manson either... he looks hungry again, after eating all the pies
There have been numerous stories about how games are having a negative influence on people. It’s always the same thing, violent video games breed violent attitudes and are responsible whenever someone commits a violent act. Quite clearly, there are no other influences in people’s lives that lead them to this, it’s always games, only games, purely down to games. /sarcasm mode off
Games aren’t the only form of media that has caused the downfall of society. I can recall the outcries against Marilyn Manson music or heavy metal music with its satanic messages hidden either within the lyrics or by playing the records backwards. Seriously??? Even rock n’ roll music had its time of being a bad influence on people. Now that playing games is no longer seen as a pastime enjoyed only by geeks, but an accepted form of entertainment, it seems it also has to go through the process of being targeted as a source of evil intent.
It’s always easy to point the finger at one thing being the big evil responsible for everything bad. Ignore the fact that if this were true then everyone who plays games would be turning our world into hell on earth. Forget the fact that games can also be a source of education, or the game could be based on real events from a period of history.
I have been playing games for around 30 years and have never stolen a vehicle, run someone over, poisoned/electrocuted/stabbed/shot to inflict harm or cause death to anyone. Throughout my gaming years I have played a wide variety of games, including those that have you killing. Has it caused me to blur the line between gaming and reality? Has it left a desire to fulfil a need that gaming can no longer satiate? No it has not; I can quite clearly understand the difference between playing a game and how to act in the real world. No game has changed the person I was before I started playing.
Playing Hitman Blood Money generates about as much urge to go out and kill a lingerie-clad woman as Fallout 3 did for swimming in toxic waste and having ones face torn off by a friggin' deathclaw
Anyone against violence in games would probably argue that I’m older and wiser and they are interested in protecting younger gamers from being exposed to certain content in games. This is why we have age certification on games. It helps retailers from selling games to anyone under a certain age and to allow parents/guardians to be aware if a game is suitable for a child. The same way there are age certificates on movies to determine who should be considered eligible to view the content of the movie. The same rules apply to both formats and the age rating is clearly displayed on the front and back of the game box. The consoles today even have the technology to identify the age certification of a game from reading the game disc and options within the console can be set to allow only games meeting a certain age criteria to be accessed. This can be password protected so a child cannot override this. Of course, parents will know their children better than anyone and have the discretion to decide whether their child is mature enough to play/watch something labelled with a higher age rating. Not that I am blaming parents on being irresponsible, but there are steps available to help protect children accessing inappropriate content.
This cute kid has been playing violent video games since she was 7h 55min old, and it's not affected her in the slightest. She's minding that sniper rifle for her nan, apparently.
Of course, it’s not only children that play games; teenagers and adults play them too and they have access to a greater number of games. It’s just the attitude that when something goes wrong that is must be because of a game that person played. To not take any other factors into consideration about other things going on in someone’s life is ridiculous.
There have been many studies and reports done on the influence of gaming and violent games have on people and there are arguments made by both sides to say they have or haven’t been able to see significant correlations. If the plan was to ban violence in computer games, then you should also ban violence in TV shows and films, or the mention of anything violent in music, in fact you should probably not even go outside for fear of seeing something bad.
And it’s not always violent computer games that get bad publicity. A few years back there was outcry because of sex scenes in Mass Effect. You didn’t control the scene to manipulate any part of the interaction, the most nudity you would have seen was a bare back and there were no moans and groans throughout. It was not a quickie between two random characters either but based on how you developed a relationship with another character throughout the game. Yet, because it was in a game, it was seen as inappropriate. The phrase ‘sex scene’ probably didn’t help either as it conjures up images that the scene might have been more explicit than it was.
Looks harmless enough just now, but in a few seconds she'll produce a MASSIVE tube of lube, and you don't WANT to know what happens next!
Gaming is a widespread part of our lives now, not only creating games for us to play, but providing countless jobs for talented people in our ever developing world. As technology grows, so does the ability to make more creative gaming and add more depth to the story to provide a great gaming experience.
At the end of the day, we all spend time relaxing with one form of entertainment or another, but that doesn’t mean it defines the person we are. We build our sense of morality and conscience by how we live our lives, not by what a game shows us
Last five articles by The Rook
dont get me started on the whole video game violence thing, it drives me mad that parents cant be botherd to see what their kids are playing then go on the news or alan titschmarsh and talk about things which they have no knowledge of like its fact. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
I think Rook protests too much. I reckon he goes on daily rampages through N. Ireland
Calm Lee, Calm, repeat these words, Serenity Now, Serenity Now. I also saw the Alan Titchmarsh clip that you are referring to.
@Kat – no rampages – too bright outside.
great post as usual!
I agree. I guess the argument is that it’s the interactivity of games that causes them to be a greater threat than passive pursuits such as watching a film or listening to music. But it’s just not the case. Healthy people can tell the difference between a game and reality, and those who become influenced by a game would have become influenced by something else if they had not played that game. The execution of the violence may have been inspired by a game, but the violence itself would have surfaced regardless.
Celeste out.
To be fair, certain publishers court the controversy. Especially Rockstar.
Society always needs a scapegoat. A violent crime is more likely to be caused by passion, poverty, drugs or whatever else.
That said, I’d like to kick the fucking shit out of Rebellion for what they did with AvP.
I hope they don’t make a Lego AvP game Richie, that may just drive you over the edge.
I’d shit bees from my face, Rookie.
I agree with Celeste that games can be considered separate as the interactivity mixes things up potentially.
I think there is a potential issue with young children playing violent games.
But
I think it’s down to the parents to make that choice. As long as they are in control and aware then that can work with certification to provide a sensible and appropriate system going forward. What I would like to see is this system discussed properly, off the pages of the tabloids and onto primetime television in an effort to educate.
I agree with Wick (Cuddles).
Yes there are issues but it is for the parents to make the choice and they should always always have to be the ones to make a purchase on an age restricted product to verify that.
My problem is that having worked in VG retail for years, I found that no matter the parent, no matter how well, how strongly or how forcefully you tried to get across what was in a game with an 18 rated certificate that they intended to give to a 9 year old (or younger child), the parent would buy it anyway because he’d either already saw it all before, played it before, his friends had it or it would just shut him up (Genuinely had that one).
There were so few occasions where a parent there and then, on the spot said “Oh! Well then! No way!” and even fewer where the parent came back the next day to say “I agree, this wasn’t appropriate”. Makes you kinda sad.
That said, me and Lee lived a very unrestricted life with age restricted games and I’ve only killed 3 prostitutes and Lee’s only enslaved four minor ethnic countries.
I would love to educate the masses on the subject, both the dangers of games and the epic win of gaming it can have with life. I’d love to counter argue the anti-social view of gaming in particular and in a sad sad sort of way, I’m actually looking forward to the next time something did put this issue back in the spotlight so we can maybe look forward to the chance to setting it out straight (A bizzarely pessmistic, optimistic wish where I believe that the mainstream would listen to anything other than what Rupert Fucking Murdoch was telling them. Shit, there’s the sociopath)