I thought it was overrated and unfairly critised, compared to movies and other forms of media, but I think they actually have a point, and I feel at this present time it is an issue.
Video games are about what you do, and about your desicions, which leads to the option that you can always persue the non violent option, but that nearly always detracts from the real experiance, it may mean you can't even pass the tutorial level.
But it's not so much the violence, but the gore that's gets to me, I mean, it's alot more common now, I mean, the punisher was a shock to me, but now there's several games that include manhunt that are quite gory, in fact, in the reviews I have read, this was the highlight and point of the game, and then there are games that encourage cold blooded murder, in order to continue, from what I gather, one of those games is Kane and Lych.
And there are cases where cold blooded murder is fun, like the GFA series (with random rampages happening when people are bored, or randomly running over people, and the fact that is so hard, at least for me to go around without killing a sole, with the exception of missions), and in all videogames involving combat, it is expected to be a highlight, and fun to kill people I guess (There are exceptions, with the G and PG titles, or most of them I guess)
I reckon games like fable, pokemon, mario and oddworld are fine with there violences, despite their surprizing critisms, and in RPGs, you mostly have a choice not to kill cold blooded, or kill an innocent, or someone that has done nothing to you, yet you could argue there's still that option, just like there's an option to play violent video games.
The Australian government has tried to control this with rating restrictions, which is done all around the world, but also makes Ma, restricted to 15+, the highest level, while movies can have an R18+, at the max, to my understanding, X ratings are band.
So the government of Australia is clearly putting more restriction in controlling exposure to video violence, and I guess those pursye enough can always find, but the general market is safe.
To sum it all up, yes, I think it is an issue, and there is a point with it being encouraged, but maybe it's just violent people playing violent video games, rather than passive people becoming agressive and violent due to video games.
I mean, you can also argue the same thing about Heavy metal and violent movies.
But maybe media exposure is changing us, just like in some ways it has shaped our beliefs and points of views.
But violence in video games has been overated in the past, now I think it is an issue, and will be a bigger one in the future if not properly addressed.
*edit* I'm just provding arguments, so don't get too fired up, and is highlighting some of the beliefs, I agree with it, yet play violent games all of the time.
But it's not the whole kids thing, but the impact it is having on everybody, including people old enough to get these games, so far nothing etreme's happening, but, expecially with our youth population, this could increase.
Then again, it cheers people up, releases steam, hell, another point of view is that it may in fact stop real world violence in a way.
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Last edited by mudling; 11-27-2007 at 09:28 PM..
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Violence in video games
