Videogame Regulation Is Everyone's Business 50
Thanks to the International Game Developers Association for their editorial discussing why game developers should collectively take a stand against negative views of gaming. The writer, IGDA program director Jason Della Rocca, suggests: "The perception that games are 'bad' for us stubbornly persists, and we have yet to find effective ways to change people's minds on this issue. Game makers may be biased toward games' 'good' qualities, but you'd be surprised how many developers simply don't care about the issue of public perception, don't have an informed opinion, or believe it is all a big waste of time - even to the extent of questioning the need to fight government regulations." He concludes with a message to game developers: "In the bigger picture, resolve to push boundaries and innovate... We need not put a stop to games with violence, but we need other avenues beyond violence as a design crutch."
Re:Interesting (Score:1)
How in the world is the Microsoft's Xbox gaming division using violence as a crutch? Please. Explain it to me, and don't use any of the following terms: Linux, Licensing, DRM, Open Source, SCO etc. Don't post knee jerk anti-ANYBODY sentiments without backing it up.
Let's take a look at the Xbox titles Microsoft Games have been associated with (taken from their website):
Re:Interesting (Score:1)
MechAssault is kinda violent - you crush infantry by stepping on them and kicking their trucks across the landscape.
Just being a troll, though - that would only increase the violence percentile to 16%.
my opinion (Score:2, Funny)
I don't mind games with violence, [rockstargames.com] but I wish they would ban games that suck. [gamespy.com]
A small observation (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:A small observation (Score:5, Insightful)
From what I've seen, this won't change until the generations change. A group of people who grew up on videogames will necessarily have a different perception of the situation than a person to whom videogames were what "kids do." Of course, we need to draw more girls into the fold if we want to make that transition happen faster.
All we can do is continue to make the best, most enjoyable games possible. Tarzan was once considered pulp, just as Pac Man was. Fighting bad perceptions is important too, but in perspective one more Myst would do a lot more than any number of screaming developers to change public opinion. 20 years from now, we will probably be debating the social ramafications of Dune 2, and everyone will have "always" loved good games.
Insert obligatory Penny Arcade link [penny-arcade.com].
Re:A small observation (Score:1)
Implying that the average person today views Tarzan and Pac Man as great art?
Not great art, just worthy of study. (Score:2)
If Disney's Tarzan has re-pulped the novel, then feel free to subsitute Conrad's Heart of Darkness in the above observation.
Same thing, different product. (Score:5, Insightful)
A word from Jack Van Impe: (Score:4, Informative)
"Nineteen hundred seventy-four is the year that they are now planning for
sex on the streets in every major city from coast to coast. And -get ready
for a shock- the 'music' that they're planning to use to crumble the morals
of America is this rotten, filthy, dirty, lewd, lascivious JUNK called
'rock and roll.' It isn't just the lyrics, it's the BEAT! I preached it to
my conversion story which you can get (?) how this 'beat' gets them 400
teenage girls in Detroit interviewed as to why they had illegitimate babies,
they said 'not just the words, the BEAT.' The fertility rites of the jungles
are the same beats (drums on lectern) incorporated in this 'modern rock.'
-------------
Epilogue: this "beat" now dominates Christian music.
Re:Same thing, different product. (Score:1)
Re:Same thing, different product. (Score:3, Insightful)
Misperception? (Score:3, Insightful)
Does anyone really think that politicians act in anyone's interest but their own?
This one's easy.. Then we can move on. (Score:4, Insightful)
Some of us can't move on (Score:5, Insightful)
Penny Arcade's latest comic shows this perception, in that we now have something to point to and say "see, we're not bad people." Why do we have to donate generously and publically to charity just to prove we aren't beasts, as if the donation somehow atones for our pasttime? It's not like community theater actors have to go outside and rake the leaves so that people will say "they may be evil, but at least they rake the leaves."
I'm a game developer. In conversation when I mention being a game developer to non-gamers I'm instantly shunned. Obviously I'm selling violence and sexual debasement to children, along with the worst devil of all, Idleness. Pointing out that the last game I worked on was intended for adults in their mid 30's just makes them think I'm selling old smut to children. Pointing out the one before that was a non-violent basketball game? I'm blamed for frat parties.
It's prejudiced [reference.com] crap, and we shouldn't have to put up with it.
Defending lifestyle choices (Score:2)
Hrm... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Hrm... (Score:3, Insightful)
Contrary to what it seems, devs come up with *loads* of great quality game ideas with innovative gameplay elements. Its the publisher that turns them down - its too much of a financial risk (unless you are an established "name", or have a prestiged lead designer).
Do not for one minute think that game developers can't come up with fresh ideas any more. Its purely a numbers
Re:Hrm... (Score:3, Insightful)
What do you mean? We only do have a few violent games out right now. We have,
GTA3/VC
Postal 2
True Crime Streets of LA
Manhunt
And the already aged Soldier of Fortune 2 (the ways you could 'kill' a person's body makes it notable enough not counting the different weapons).
Out of this list of (relatively) recent games, only GTA3/VC (and maybe Manhunt but the sales reports haven't come in yet) sold really well and thats becau
Re:Hrm... (Score:1)
Parents who didn't grow up with games themselves are always going to seize upon the most violent games and complain about them. In 20 years this will be a non-issue, but I doubt anything but the passage of time will stem the whining.
Re:Hrm... (Score:2)
None of the censorship arguments against videogame violence have anything to do with actual game quality - strictly content. (Likewise, we aren't even really talking about violence per se - games like Civilization depict unbelievable amounts of violence, but you will never hear a news program complain abou
Comment removed (Score:3, Interesting)
Should Vegetarians Play Video Games? (Score:4, Interesting)
Matthew Elton
Department of Philosophy
University of Stirling
1. An Absurd Question?
Many video games feature animated agents that the player attacks with the aim of maiming or
killing. Less dramatically the animated agents may be treated instrumentally, herded or goaded
with no regard for potential suffering, injury, or death. Such activity would be utterly
unacceptable if directed at people. And for many, but clearly not all, it would be repugnant if
directed at animals. For simplicity, if not accuracy, let me call those who do take the latter
attitude ?vegetarians?. In this paper I want to raise the question of whether such vegetarians
ought to refrain from playing video games on the grounds that the animated agents in the game
require of us the same sort of treatment as animals do in our natural environment. Should, that
is, vegetarians play video games?
My answer may strike some readers as absurd, for I shall argue, with some important
qualifications, that vegetarians should not play video games. That is, I shall argue that
between real animals and some of the animated agents that feature in video games there are no
differences that make a moral difference, and hence no ground for a difference in treatment. Of
course, many readers may share with me the overwhelming intuition that there must be some
relevant difference, and this may suggest that there is something awry with my arguments.
But if this is so, I shall at least have shown that the relevant difference is not obvious, and,
hence, that the vegetarian has work to do in justifying her playing of video games.
If you can't see where this is going already, you can view the rest here [216.239.41.104]
Take it up with PETA (Score:3, Funny)
They came into being back in 1983 when the founder was playing Ms. Pac-Man and cried when she saw Inky being eaten. This later led to a protest campaign against "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" when it was realized that animated characters were erased during the production of the film.
Re: (Score:2)
My comment (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:My comment (Score:1)
why not books?
would you seriously want your 7 year old daughter reading a danielle steel novel?
how come parents seem to trust the self-parenting of children when it comes to books but not music, TV or video games?
Re:My comment (Score:2)
Ah, but we do have ratings for books... sort of. Not banned and banned [worldandi.com].
how about (Score:3, Insightful)
There is a sliding scale for "violence" in the options menu, and you can password protect it.
Problem solved - no censorship, all it takes is active parenting.
Re:how about (Score:2, Insightful)
-
-yes i know that it's most probably just a matter of turning off the blood&etc.. but that doesn't really alter the nature of the game, and if that were the case(that violence is simply matter of red pixels) then there couldn't be books that are quite 'disturbing'(and violent) to say the least.. violence(and other things, like sex) are not just about what you show on the screen, you could have a
The Publishers and Console makers... (Score:2)
Shouldn't the game publishers and console makers be the ones fighting this fight? After all they have the money to buy lobbyists to influence politicians.
There is no doubt that children (under 17) shouldn't be playing video games that depict things that would get a movie a R or NC-17 rating. It's up to the video game companies t
Evil Games? Destroy the Source! (Score:2)
Simply stop Akklaim from producing any more games.
And kill the Akklaim marketing department.
Problem solved.
Re:Evil Games? Destroy the Source! (Score:3, Funny)
That would make an awesome game. I would totally play that dude!
Paleeeze (Score:1)
Hrm...
In Soviet Russia, you drive the market!
or is it
In Soviet Russia, the market drives you!
(ow, my head hurts)
Re:Paleeeze (Score:3, Insightful)
I suspect that corporate boardrooms are simply bad at choosing game projects, and the software industry DOES dictate the kinds of games that are made, because they simply have no abilit
Pensioners catch the gaming bug (Score:2)
Pensioners catch the gaming bug
Increasing numbers of over 60s are picking up joysticks to play video games, says a games company.
Nicknamed "grey gamers", they are buying the more diverse games around, like strategy and historical titles.
"Because of the breadth of games now with more universal appeal, they are more enjoyable and social these days,"
History repeating: the Comics Code? (Score:3, Informative)
Some interesting pieces of the code:
Basically, they mandated that America produce nothing but boring superhero comics for several decades, which is why comics tended to become more popular in Europe and Japan than in America.
Could something similar happen to games? The one big advantage games have in the 00s that comics didn't in the 50s is that comics were explicitly targeted to juveniles, which is why there was such public furor over them, while the more violent games made today are (supposedly) aimed at people in their 20s and up.
An industry effort to make more quality games rather than relying on the same old violence cliches could only be a good thing, but I don't think it will really prove necessary--games companies just have to keep emphasizing that they are not trying to sell to kids. (Hey, it works for the tobacco companies--which even with the settlement are rolling in the dough.)
Even if games never leave this sophomoric violent stage, any public attempt to ban them will run into the same problem that is run into when trying to ban guns in America--most people want to eliminate guns, but too many of the people who want to keep guns are single-issue voters.
Re:History repeating: the Comics Code? (Score:2)
Note also that a very famous issue (or was it a three part series?) of Spider-Man got published without the Code seal of approval, because they wanted to do an *anti-drug* story.
Re:History repeating: the Comics Code? (Score:2)
How dare they? (Score:1)