Ethical Gaming
With the gaming industry rapidly becoming the biggest entertainment industry in the world, many think we should be fearful of its influence or is it just another harmless factor of life that has been blown out of proportion in a media frenzy? Should some video games be vilified for the affect they can have on children or is it down to the parents? The days of harmlessly slotting oddly shaped blocks into place and batting a virtual ball across a line are certainly behind us.
One of the original games - Pong by Atari engineer Allan Alcorn who designed and built it as a training exercise. Wikipedia
If you haven’t ever played video games or you have rarely played them then you should know that you’re in a minority. The effect of video games upon the world is staggering and the influence they have had on current world culture is massive, even if it’s not highly visible. Whether you perceive this as a good thing or a bad thing is up to you. I personally believe that their contribution has been positive and as a gamer, I can say that I have never experienced any of the ‘demons’ that surround the industry. These very real problems come in the form of gaming addiction, raised aggression levels and an isolation from family and friends. Of course, when I was younger I had the odd bad dream from a game that I may have played, however, surely that is no different to a nightmare which originated from a film, or is it? Does the aspect of control over an avatar in a video game make it seem more real?
There are over 200 million gamers in the entire world and with a statistic like that, it isn’t surprising then that there are some incidents of violence caused indirectly by people gaming. One example of horrific violence that is thought to be caused by video games is the Columbine High school massacre in 1999. Two students killed 12 people because of an obsession they had with the game ‘Doom’, however, from reading about the backgrounds of the two individuals involved, it was clear that they were already fairly unbalanced and a danger to society without the influence of the world renown game. So, are the games simply triggers to set off an already unbalanced individual or do they have a more sinister grip over the players? I personally believe that the games themselves are harmless but it’s impossible to restrict who plays them. Lazlow Jones defended Rockstar Games‘ violent games in 2010 by saying
“Our games are not designed for young people. If you are a parent and buy one of our games for your child, then you are a terrible parent”.
In this modern world though, it’s very easy to get your hands on games, especially with the massive increase in digital downloads.
"Natural Born Killers" Theatrical release poster. Wikipedia
Looking at the gaming industry now is like looking at the film industry in its adolescence stage, a few decades ago the media was rife with controversy and horror over how some films could display such horrific violence and explicit sex scenes. Now, the title of scapegoat has simply been passed on to games and they’re used wrongly to explain even the slightest wrong doing of someone who plays them. The film ‘The Warriors‘ caused controversy when it was reported that there was an increase in crime around where the film was set due to it glorifying urban warfare between gangs. The 1994 movie ‘Natural born Killers‘ had 12 murders linked to it, some of the copycat killers also used imagery and dialogue from the film. I’m not attacking the film industry in anyway here, I’m simply trying to say that no matter what the influence, there will always be a minority that takes it too far. We should be more worried about helping the individuals who play these games and watch these films rather than concerning ourselves with their content.
I recognise that there does need to be some form of control over game content, there are some disturbing aspects of real life that shouldn’t be included in a game unnecessarily, just as some things shouldn’t be displayed in a film without valid reason. By valid reason I mean that if it’s particularly disturbing then it must be within the context of a game story and not simply there for the pleasure of the player. There have been games in the past that have attempted to display quite pointless horrific acts for no reason apart from to incite hate. These are usually independent game makers who would never have a chance of publication but are nevertheless quite a dangerous influence. One such game was released in 2002 and was called ‘ethnic cleansing‘ ,the protagonist had to kill black, Hispanic and Jewish people for no reason other than the satisfaction of the player.
Shot from 'No Russian'- Modern Warfare 2
All the game did was promote racism and was known for being fascist propaganda. It may seem like there is little difference between this and the controversial level ‘No Russian’ on ‘Modern Warfare 2′ where the player has to massacre individuals in a Russian airport. However, the difference is massive and very visible. ‘Modern Warfare 2′ had a warning before the level started that it could be offensive and it was also part of a wider story which when put into context makes the player aware of the abhorrent nature of the situation. The violence in most published video games is also indiscriminate and therefore less dangerous. An analogy that can be used is the difference between a fictional story of Nazism from Hitler’s point of view and then ‘Mein Kampf‘. Both are to do with very similar things but they are ultimately extremely different. Context in video games is highly significant and the fictional nature of games must be enforced and made obvious to the player.
Probably the most controversial game of late is the ‘Grand Theft Auto‘ franchise by Rockstar. The game is well known because the protagonist can kill who they want, sleep with prostitutes, drink drive and generally do things that would normally give you a hefty life sentence in the real world. There have been many instances of the game being banned or sued by members of the public because of family members becoming violent. However, isn’t it just the individual’s fault or the lack of help towards that individual for these instances occurring? The game is blamed for its strong violent themes, if the player wanted to, they could control the person to shoot anyone in the game’s virtual city but in my opinion this is harmless and the gore is nothing that wouldn’t be allowed on a film rated 15. Many members of the public believe though that the aspect of control makes it more vivid and real than a film. In a modern age where violence is rarely seen for real in a western country, I have wondered if a child who grew up only watching censored entertainment would perhaps have a more dangerous view of the world.
Anvil dropping in a Wiley Kyote cartoon. Wikipedia
At least in a violent game it shows what happens when you shoot someone. Most people don’t then want to do that to somebody else or to have it happen to them. There are many incidents where small children have attempted to drop objects on top of their siblings or do something they have seen on a cartoon because it looks like it has no consequences. If a child was never exposed to violence in films, games or books then would their view of the world become distorted?
There will always be controversy surrounding the various different entertainment industries but it’s important to look at the games objectively. They must not not be immediately linked to the behaviour of some individuals. Instead, we have to consider why some people may act the way they do. The gaming and film industries sometimes just reflect an innate, inevitable problem within human beings. I believe that game designers should be given almost complete freedom to make what they want providing it’s in context. Games are ultimately there to be enjoyed and not taken too seriously, this idea should be reinforced constantly as games develop.
That's a really good point. Dopamine controls many functions in the brain and can really destroy a person's life if it isn't under control. I read about a case where a teenage boy unfortunately got addicted to a game called EverQuest and eventually committed suicide to break the cycle he was stuck in. Help towards these individuals should be a priority and gaming addiction needs to be taken more seriously.
great article. it's not the violence of video games that worries me so much (i agree with Rory here) but it's game addiction that i feel is the biggest concern. recent studies have shown a correlation between gaming and the release of dopamine in the brain, similar to that which is released when using drugs. how do you think gaming addiction can be controlled/regulated? how can we ensure that game providers don't exploit this chemical release in the brain to make sure people carry on playing?
I personally don't have any problem with violent video games - it's like you said, if you see a violent movie, you're not going to go out and kill people based on what you saw in the movie. I think it's about responsibility, I'd far prefer people take their anger out on virtual reality characters as opposed to real people and in the cases people do, I think they're most likely a danger to society in the first place.
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