Political Issues in the Video Game Industry Violence

Political Issues in the Video Game Industry: Violence and Gaming Alisdair Owens

The Situation n Video games receive a lot of negative attention in the media. Particular emphasis on potential damage to children. This presentation covers a history of violent games, the case against them, and the potential solutions to the perceived problem.

Death Race n n n Arcade game based on the movie Death Race 2000. Released in 1976 Gameplay involved running over ‘gremlins’.

Early 80 s n n n Arcades wildly successful. Violent games considered a useful tool for training children by the US army. First game linking sex and violence.

Early 90 s n n Games garner consistent public attention. Mortal Kombat causes congress-level debate in the US. Massively ‘gory’ fatalities n Less violent Nintendo version relatively unpopular. n n n Wolfenstein 3 D banned in Germany for Nazi references. Doom

Late 90 s-Current n n n Columbine linked to Doom. Carmageddon Grand Theft Auto 1 -3 Adult games massively popular among children. n Sex/violence link. n n Manhunt linked to murder of a 14 year old in the UK.

The Situation n Parents are worried that violent games negatively impact their children. n n n Some blame misbehaviour on games. Politicians and the media have picked up on this concern, particularly in the light of Columbine. Gamers blame parents for improper supervision.

Evidence n n Large body of evidence that links violent games to short term aggression increases. Little hard evidence of this causing long term violent tendencies. n Largely theories based off work on other types of media.

The Problem n n Potential damage to children. Violent games clearly attract children. Disparity in SEGA/Nintendo MK sales. n Games are clearly getting both more violent and more realistic. n n n Little legal regulation. Many parents unwilling/unable to supervise children sufficiently.

Solutions n Greater parental education. n n n Limited efficacy? Stronger regulation. ‘Chipping’ consoles. Differing regulations by country. n Doesn’t solve the issue of multiple age groups using the machine. n

Conclusion n Violent games are not going away. Chipping consoles is inconvenient, and may cause difficulties for manufacturers. Imperfect solution: Parental education n Stronger legal regulation. n