The Video Violence Debate

THE VIDEO VIOLENCE DEBATE

Darren Turpin brings you the latest news and gossip from the world of games. This week he looks at the issue of violence in videogames.


In the past week the issue of videogames promoting violence has once again been thrust into the media spotlight, with the furore surrounding the tragic death of Stefan Pakeerah, who was murdered by his friend, Warren Leblanc.

Rockstar Games' Manhunt has been criticised after it was claimed Leblanc had become obsessed with the title.

Reactions to the claims have been predictable, with some of the tabloid newspapers seizing upon the opportunity to continue their 'games are evil' crusade.


This is not the first time such allegations have been made. You can go back over 10 years to the original Doom to see how much of the media - and indeed society as a whole - has reacted with unease to videogames which feature guns and violence.

Unfortunately over the past few years videogames have become a convenient scapegoat for violent incidents.




Doom: An earlier target


It would appear that it is far easier to pin the blame on games than to address the real causes.

I believe the reason for this is that many people don't understand the appeal of videogames - and where there is a lack of understanding, fear grows.

People see gamers shooting guns and hacking people with swords, and they wonder about the mentality of somebody who would gain pleasure in such a pursuit.

Then they do a little research, and find that a few people who have committed violent crimes also play violent videogames.

They add two and two together and they get 65.

The problem with this approach is that it completely ignores the fact that for the vast majority of gamers, videogames are a joyful, relaxing pastime.



Ico: Positive emotions


Too many people don't realise that videogames promote positive emotions too - that Ico can make you care more for a fictional character than you would have believed possible, or that gamers can become lifelong friends with the people they have been playing against in Counter-Strike (a game which involves shooting each other, by the way).

Of course I don't expect non-gamers to know this. However, it would be nice to see a little rationalisation bought into the debate, and maybe some consideration of the possibility that somebody with violent tendencies might naturally be drawn towards violent games, rather than necessarily being turned violent by them.

A lot of extremely damaging unfounded accusations have been flying around this week, but if there is one good thing to have come out of the past few days it is the renewed focus on the classification of videogames.



Age warnings need to be heeded




There is no doubt that inappropriate material should be kept away from impressionable youngsters - and that means stronger enforcement of controls on shops selling adult games to children, and regulations to stop the promotion of adult titles in magazines with predominantly underage readerships.

Game shops often fail to request identification when selling games, and too many parents buy games for their children without checking the content in the same way they would with a film.

In general parents don't know enough about games, so they don't look out for warnings.

Modern games are designed to be fun, but they are becoming ever more realistic, and as the industry expands we are going to see more and more adult-oriented games appearing on shelves.

This in itself isn't a problem, but more needs to be done to ensure that games don't end up in the hands of young children.

Contact Darren at darren.turpin@ntlworld.com
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