Our relationship with video games and the industry has proven to be a complicated one. You love it or you hate. There's not really much middle ground. Anyone who believes that they have found a middle ground is dismissed as a n00b who has no idea what they're talking about! LOLZ – n00bz!!!
Our already complex and ever-evolving relationship with the industry now looks like it is going to get even grittier. Over the past week or so, there has been an epic battle bubbling up between the state of California and the game industry. In short, gaming companies are arguing that bad and unfair regulation of their industry singles them out, and they in turn get more heat than other forms of media. The industry not only claims that their first amendment rights are being stepped on, but also are saying that their work is just as much art as music, movies and television. The biggest bone that the government has to pick with the gaming industry, however, is their claim that parents are the best judge when it comes to whether or not a game is too extreme for their child(ren).
Many of the game industry's opponents cite the extreme violence (and now, sex as well) as their motivation for pushing for tougher legislation. They claim that violence in video games produces violence in those who play them; how many times have we heard about some child who was particularly violent in some way, and the reason for it is their gaming? How many studies have shown us the terrible consequences of letting our children take in violent video games? This is something that we are bombarded with every once in a while, and then it sort of fades away.
What makes this so much more intriguing, however, is that you don't hear about music and movies this way. Why? Maybe it's because if a violent movie comes out, or a violent show is on television you can change the channel, or not take your child to the theatre. You don't have to let your child listen to music that talks about capping motherfuckers, slapping bitches and slinging dope. You can shield your children from those things. And that fact in itself is what makes the federal case against gaming lose some of its credibility. No one is forcing parents to buy violent games for their children, they don't have to be let into your home. You can shield your children from the violence of war, aliens and thug life by NOT PURCHASING THOSE TYPES OF GAMES. The government shouldn't be responsible for taking over a parent's job. Raise your own children. Be in their lives.
My parents are gamers; I grew up surrounded by them and occasionally their violence. Then again, my parents were also open and honest. Life is messy, and art is a more often than not a reflection of the world in which it was created. Video games fall into this category – it is an example of art imitating life. More importantly, however is the idea that children are completely a product of their environment. It's insulting if you think about it. By letting this kind of legislation pass, you are telling the world that a faceless entity has more control, power and influence in your child's life than you as a parent. WTF? Does that not strike anyone else as royally f*^ked up? And how is game violence any worse than the hypersexual, intrusive, bi-polar, borderline voyeuristic society we live in?
The point is not to shield children from the realities of the world that we live in, but rather to prepare them to function in it. Life isn't neat and trouble free, so why paint that illusion? With abstinence-only sex ed., ridiculously harsh gaming legislation and squabbling over what producers of entertainment can and cannot do, we are setting our children up to be scared shitless of the real world. Children are young, not stupid; frankly, they are quite resilient – being honest is the best thing you can do for your child. Explain to your child that a game is not real, and that violence isn't always the answer; make time for them so that the TV isn't raising him or her, because that is your job. Don't punish the gaming industry for fear that 8-year-old Suzy is going to witness a murder while playing Modern Warfare II; don't strip their freedom of speech because of your hyper-protective, nonsensical, irrational fears. Instead, educate Suzy about it if she happens upon it, and in the meantime don't buy the damn game for an 8-year-old! Parents, please use your damn heads – don't let violence into your home if that is what you so choose.
Take responsibility for what happens in your home and spend time raising your children. In the end, if you do well, that's going to have a much greater impact on your child than Gears of War, Modern Warfare, Mario and Mortal Kombat ever will.
I completely agree with everything said here. If you don't want your kid to see the violent game then don't fucking buy it. I have seen so many things on TV that are just as bad if not worse than some games. I remember when my mother refused to let me watch some shows, do to the content, but now she looks back on those show and they are mild compared to the shows that are geared toward the age group. One point I will make is that with TV, Music, and Movies that make them slightly different, is that the view is not the one enacting the violent or sexual behavior. The player of the game is controlling the action. That does not justify the restrictions, but it is a point. The problem is that children today just tell the parent what to buy and the parent doesn't think twice. Kids have this sense of entitlement that is unfounded and parent do nothing to stop it. The game says it is M and intended for mature games, but parents buy it for their 10 year-old kid and wonder why it has gore and sex.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in a family where pretty much everyone was heavily into gaming. So as I reminisce over the countless hours I spent gaming, I really never stood a chance. Somehow, tho, SOMEHOW.... I have managed to avoid being brought up on any sort of charge. All the years of my life that I spent playing Grand Theft Auto, World War 2 simulations, Duke Nukem (which is LONG overdue for a next gen comeback), Syphon Filter, All of Tom Clancy's releases, Metal Gear Solid, Duck Hunt (lol), and the list goes ON AND ON AND ON...... SOMEHOW, I have managed to avoid a criminal record. And none of the friends who I grew up with have managed to commit a violent crime. Now, I know that inner-city Cleveland exists in some sort of bubble where the harshness of reality is unable to penetrate. So far be it from me to claim that I was brought up in the "real world". But I still like to think that my friends, family, and I were able to exercise some measure of sound judgment and common sense along the way. Does exposure to violence make one "more" prone to doing something reckless? Undoubtedly. But hell, hearing someone butcher a timeless song has evoked more rage in me that any video game has ever mustered. Nonetheless, I think using the gradable conjecture is a cop-out. To say that "violent" video games makes one MORE prone to violent behavior is like saying that someone walking on a bridge makes them MORE prone to jump off. In reality, do we typically expect either scenario to occur? No. I would love to see the mathematical models used to justify cracking down on video games. I'm willing to bet they were doing some serious mining if they came up with any material correlation suggesting that video games stands as a lone variable in increasing violent behavior.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of you. At some point it's about striking a balance and being a smart parent. Let's be honest, all this is is another way to shift the accountability away from the people who should be held accountable (read: parents).
ReplyDeleteI think that government intervention will do nothing more than waste countless dollars, because let's be honest: many parents now are far too busy to spend a considerable amount of time with their children. Habits begin in the home, but if you're being raised by your television, then what?
Kevin, you bring up an interesting caveat to the whole "violent game + children = violent children" scenario. Ultimately, what children are exposed to should be monitored by the parent. That is not to say that everything that a parent finds unsavory won't make it into the home. However, if a parent is as active in their child's life as possible, when those unwanted things do find their way in, it won't be completely destructive.