gamesecosse

Censorship in Videogames

Violence in video games is always going to be a major issue. I could talk about it for days, and everyone will have their own ideas, but I'll try and stick to what I think is most important.
Firstly, for anybody who has played the game Fahrenheit, you may have noticed a small article on a computer within the game, talking about violence in video games and the effect on our culture. It effectively turns it into a joke - detailing a murder committed by a teenager, mimicking a video game scene. It then goes on to slate video games for their violent material and effect on today's youth; while of course, totally dismissing the fact that this had anything to do with the availability of firearms in the US!
My second point is definitely something that got me thinking. Several years ago, I remember talking to somebody with a military background, who hated violent films and video games. He claimed that they were for twisted imaginations, and suggested that the person who enjoys them should possibly take a trip to Sierra Leone to see piles of dead bodies for real... It then struck me, that just maybe, it is better to release that testosterone by playing a game rather than killing in real life. After all, in this day and age, and in the UK at least, nobody is forced to join the military although I'm aware that that is not the case worldwide...
Finally, I just this minute skimmed over an old article about the murder of a schoolboy relating to the game Manhunt. The first thing that stood out to me was the age of the perpetrator -17. You can't justifiably complain, when he shouldn't have been playing the game in the first place! And he was probably a very troubled individual anyway - so anything, even a film or a book could have triggered his behaviour.

posted by qmchaz64 @ 11:00 am