Plea to Game Makers to Act Responsibly

I remember the first time I played the grandpappy of all violent PC games. It was on an old DOS box the keyboard player in my band used to run his sound software, and the machine itself couldn?t possibly have been more alien to me at the time. I can recall the rush of adrenaline the first time I heard the solid thud of the shotgun, followed by the plaintive wail of the demon-possessed trooper who?d just taken a gutload full of buckshot. I was instantly hooked, and my thirst for ever-increasing gore hasn?t lessened with time. However, the longer I indulge my love of virtual carnage, the more acute my sense of awareness becomes. Recently, I had an epiphany of sorts, one that even a year ago I probably would?ve scoffed at: something needs to be done about the violence in video games.

I realize the above statement is one of the most loaded one can say when discussing our beloved pastime, but please bear with me. I?m not being flippant for the sake of mere controversy. If it isn?t already patently obvious from the opening salvo of this column, I?m all for the advancement of realistic blood and guts in the pixel-shaded realms. Want to assure that I?ll sit up and pay attention to a title? Offer as wide a plethora of different ways to die painfully as possible, and wrap the entire affair in darkly surreal environments for good measure. As far as I?m concerned, offerings like American McGee?s Alice, Clive Barker?s Undying and Painkiller are full of chewy nougat (metaphorically speaking, of course), so utterly alluring that I can?t help but be taken in by them. So let?s be clear: I?m not an advocate for peace, love and happy puppies with watery eyes. Give me gleeful excoriation, please.

However, I?m 29 years of age. My love of digital maiming is tempered by the fact that, at this stage of my life, I can tell right from wrong. I have a fully developed set of ethics. I wouldn?t say my nine-year-old nephew has quite had the time to develop these tools. Imagine my reaction when I discovered that he was fervently beseeching his mother to purchase Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for him, and that he wanted it because he?d already played it extensively at a friend?s house. Great, one parent?s lack of attention means my own blood wants in on a game that boasts virtual rape. That?s a warm fuzzy feeling. It?s with that in mind that I began to seriously start thinking about the issue of game gore. What can be done? How can this problem (and it is a serious one) be addressed without spilling over into censorship? I?d rather fold my arms the wrong way than walk down the path of what can and can?t be done. There?s no such thing as friendly fascism. Is there a subtle approach, or are we faced with an all or nothing situation? I think there are many things that need to be done, but I only want to talk about what I believe the first step should be. Publishers and developers take heed; I?m looking in your direction.

What exactly is the problem with young people and violence? Is there a problem? After all, I was raised on media that was saturated with guns, explosions and death. Yet I?m a (fairly) respectable member of society; I don?t believe it?s right to solve conflict with a curb stomp and a witty catchphrase. Many of my friends from my childhood years cut their teeth on the same high calibre entertainment, yet none of them are inherently vicious, either. The line that separates the entertainment of my past and that of today is an important one. Simply put, somewhere along the line, context has fallen into disuse. Please forgive me as I slip into Old Man Durocher mode (?You kids get off my lawn!?), but in my day, there was always a very clear line between the good guy and the bad guy. That line seems to be missing now. The search for the ever cooler anti-hero has produced a slew of central characters so willing to stoop to the level of their opponents that there really isn?t any difference anymore. Is it so surprising that ?shoot first, ask questions later? seems to be the way to resolve problems any longer, no matter how small? I don?t think it?s the violence that?s the problem, it?s that there?s no real reason for it to be happening.

Who among us hasn?t heard all about the supposed evils of Grand Theft Auto? Rockstar Games? flagship release is roughly analogous to Dungeons & Dragons for notoriety by now, thanks to a reactionary media. The stunning amount of negative press generated by this title has created a hulking monster of precedent. It?s nominally ironic that the louder anti-game violence groups get in their vitriolic attempts to suppress this release, the more they lend strength to its longevity. The sequel, Vice City, has thus far been icing on the cake of controversy, fueling the lawsuits and headlines. You know that old adage, ?There?s no such thing as bad press?? Say hello to the poster child of that phrase. Hysterical conservatives want to see it eliminated, but instead squawk so loudly that it sometimes seems like the whole world knows about it. What?s the end result? Publishers and developers brainstorming like mad, trying to rework future offerings to meet or exceed the extremities that are proving to be so lucrative. One of the first examples of this new standard is Manhunt. Apparently, the formula is working. Shock is all that matters now, everything else is secondary. While that?s great news for us jaded old folks who need to be ham-fisted upside the skull to elicit a reaction, it doesn?t bode so well for the impressionable thought-meats of kids being exposed to simulated rape and murder.

Grand Theft Auto isn?t the only excessively, and formlessly, violent game available, it?s just the best known example. There are many companies that seem to have latched onto an ideal of ?attention is attention, no matter if it?s good or bad.? Postal 2 is a perfect example of this; it?s one of the most violent games on the market today, but once you look past the blood, there?s really nothing else to it. Running With Scissors are quite proud of their gunfest, but its lack of substance made me think of a lone meatloaf on the table, devoid of fixings. It?s what it is, though; few titles in recent memory can boast its level of sheer brutality. There?s also Gangland, a game that isn?t quite as explicit as these other examples, but is certainly no slouch when it comes to glorifying bad guys. Extortion, murder and racketeering, oh my! It doesn?t look as if the immediate future offers much hope, either; Midway?s upcoming remake of the classic arcade hit, NARC, will feature the option to become a crack smoking, drug dealing cop along the lines of Harvey Keitel in Bad Lieutenant. I could go on, but that?s not the issue. I?m not trying to point fingers, nor am I trying to pass judgment on these titles as the root of all evil. What I?m trying to do is proclaim my opinion that a loss of focus in the entertainment young people are absorbing is a small part of a much larger problem - a small part that can easily be fixed.

Certain things need to be taken as given before my point is allowed form. One I?ve already mentioned is the parent who blindly dismisses all video games as ?kids? stuff? and doesn?t bother looking into what it is their kids are (virtually) doing. My own sister had absolutely no clue that her son was playing a game that featured rape, murder, theft and high-speed destruction as part of the deal. However, parental responsibility is another (extremely important) topic entirely. We need to look at where the process breaks down even earlier than inattentive mothers and fathers. Where does it all begin? That?s simple, it starts with developers and publishers.

The coding wizards who come up with the products themselves are the first tier of the issue. It?s from this group that we hear the tired excuse, ?These aren?t meant for kids.? That doesn?t fly, and ties directly into the problem. Ultra-violent titles might not be designed with kids in mind, but there comes a point when a reality check is in order. Children are playing these games. Publishers and developers can bury their head in the sand for only so long, parroting the freedom of expression mantra.

This is a complex, convoluted Gordian knot of different angles. Cause and effect gets positively fractal when we look at the overall problem of violence in media, specifically games. However, the very first step toward achieving balance is also the first step in the creation of the titles themselves. Developers and publishers, hear my plea: start injecting a strong sense of right and wrong into your stories. I don?t want you to pull back on the gibs, I don?t want anything more than a stronger sense of ethics and perhaps a small dose of moral fiber. Take into account the fact that kids are playing, no matter that they shouldn?t be. Weave into your bullet ballets more than just excessive machismo, make sure that by the end of the day, everyone knows that there was a good reason they?ve been caving in skulls with crowbars. It might seem like the tiniest goal to reach toward, but it?s my belief that the ripple effects, over time, will be tremendous. You have the power to be the beginning of the solution; all it takes is some foresight and willingness to inject a little responsibility into your creations.

< Despite how it seems and what you've heard, kids aren't any more violent today than they were X years ago. There are games that are violent and bloody, and games that are happy and fuzzy, exactly as it should be. Each child has a gardian, and it is that person's sole resposibility to determine what is acceptable for that child. When we let society push it's views in on anyone and everyone, there is no longer the little thing called freedom. Kids should be rasied a million different ways. Some should play lots of violent video-games, some should be banned from them, depending on the particular circumstances of that particular child. Trying to take action against a whole set of something that's not a problem in and of itself, is a problem. Aside from influencing some kids who may or may not need that removal, you also target everyone for whome those games were perfectly suited. Don't do that. The answer to the problem lies in first admitting that the problem isn't across the board. Tons of kids play these games with no harm to their lives or psyche. Then you can go target the specific areas where there IS a problem and find a specific solution to them, not make everyone do what only suits a few. >