Violent Video Games!

[Nightshade]

Virtual murder! (Well, it's done in video games all the time- but what's the 'right context' for killing anyone at all?)

Anyway, at least my business got to show up on the news again locally.

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/myfox/pages/Ent ... geId=7.1.1

[Immortal Lobster]

Its a game for christ sakes, if your a child and your parents let you buy it, then you actually attempt it, then shame on the parents, if your an adult, and acting like a child playing with it, then decide to do it, then shame on you for buying it, but nobody is forcing it down anybody s throat.

Seriously, if you can't handle it then dont buy it, and dont let your kids buy it.

I don't blame the producers, makers, or the stores, I blame the end product users.

[TIGERassault]

Hmm, yes. I can really see kids going out and stabbing people in the back just because they played as a guy that did it. Really convincing, isn't it?

[Immortal Lobster]

There are some twisted kids that would. (Very Rare) but there are some that don't get enough stimulation or guidance at home, and the vid game becomes the only source of it.

[Foil]

I tend to agree with Lobster and Tiger.

However, I also applaud you guys for making the decision not to be a venue for that kind of gameplay, especially since you sometimes have some fairly young kids as customers.

[Duper]

but WHY do games NEED to be that graphic? I play violent games- GRAW- which involves shooting other people but there it little to no gore.

[Immortal Lobster]

Agreed. Often, a game that goes heavily on the gore, probably has an un-original plot, or lacks in good gameplay. (There are exceptions to this), so I think the question is, why do games like that sell? why do people want the gore? Sociologically, what in our culture and other countrys cultures drives us to want to play games heavily laden with blood and guts, people just don't buy it \"just because\" theres a reason somewhere, and maybe that should be researched and addressed.

[Krom]

It is just a game, violence and other graphic things are still just in a stupid video game turn it off or don't play it if you don't like it. Do video games really need this to be successful? Probably not. But in the end it makes no real difference since it is just a video game.

I'll admit that I found the ending to Half-Life 2: Episode Two more then a little unpleasant, and I don't really care to see it again. But then I quickly remembered there is a difference as big as an ocean between something that happens to you in real life, and something in a video game or on TV. You turn off the video game and it goes away instantly, something that actually happened to you can't be just turned off and made to go away.

[TIGERassault]

I think I speak for all of us, when I don't speak at all:

But then I quickly remembered there is a difference as big as an ocean between something that happens to you in real life, and something in a video game or on TV. You turn off the video game and it goes away instantly, something that actually happened to you can't be just turned off and made to go away.

"WE UNDERSTAND HUMAN.KROM: WE WERE ONLY TRYING TO RETURN YOUR KEYS."

[Gooberman]

Agreed. Often, a game that goes heavily on the gore, probably has an un-original plot, or lacks in good gameplay.

"There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it." -Alfred Hitchcock

[Immortal Lobster]

Good quote, but yeah, sums it up nicely.

[roid]

Agreed. Often, a game that goes heavily on the gore, probably has an un-original plot, or lacks in good gameplay. (There are exceptions to this), so I think the question is, why do games like that sell? why do people want the gore? Sociologically, what in our culture and other countrys cultures drives us to want to play games heavily laden with blood and guts, people just don't buy it "just because" theres a reason somewhere, and maybe that should be researched and addressed.

i'd like to know this too.

i am interested in anatomy, so i can appreciate a good in-movie physics simulation of head being severed by a jet-fighter's wing.

But gore for the sake of gore (and done badly)... i don't get it.
i have heard it called "the pornography of violence" by one of the Bransen brothers (the actor who played the rich owner of Jurassic park). But when it's not even realistic... meh


ie:

Why is everything blowing up and everyone dying? This is not realistic. What is the purpose?

[Testiculese]

The reason, Lobster, is stress relief. Killing and violence is a great release when you can't get laid. If you can do it virtually (whereby you don't go to jail forever) than it's win-win for people.

[Gekko71]

I'm of the \"If you don't like it, don't buy it\" school of thought - but there's a big caveat there.

It's long been recognised that there is a direct link between exposure to violent behaviour and a rise in criminality in children (this research goes back to the 60's - it's a big part of the reason why ratings advice and G, PG, M, MA, R and X ratings were develped in the first place).

Please keep in mind I'm talking about extreme and frequent violence exposure in VERY young children here (under 7). You can see this behavioural trend clearly in children from violent households all over the world - so it's NOT a cultural thing. In addition, there is also evidence that repeated exposure to violent images can have a detrimental effect on individuals with diminished intellectual capacity (up to & including adult-aged individuals).

Seeing as video games and movies often now feature a greater amount of violent content (in greater detail and realism) than any other time in recent history ...and seeing as accidental / uncontrolled exposure of minors / the mentally infirm to violence in the media can happen more often in the current media landscape... and seeing as there are immoral commercial interests who are willing to sell this stuff to kids as well as adults (along with some very slack parents - I know of many personally) ...it's all becoming very serious stuff.


When you consider all the personal and social costs of a lack of censorship, I believe that control over exposure to extremely violent video game content is a good thing. Media saturation has created far more spillage of sensitive content into inappropriate areas... and trust me folks, as a marketer, media professional and media adviser to commercial interests, this 'spillage' is happening far more often than those in power are willing to admit to.

[Ferno]

You should probably look at domestic fights before video games gekko.

[Immortal Lobster]

The reason, Lobster, is stress relief. Killing and violence is a great release when you can't get laid. If you can do it virtually (whereby you don't go to jail forever) than it's win-win for people.

aye, it does release stress, but some people let minesweeper do that

I use D3 for stress release, nothing better than blowing up fellow pilots, but it doesnt require blood splattering all over. heck, you could do it, add some blood spray that eminates from the cockpit. but heres no need, is there?

[Gekko71]

You should probably look at domestic fights before video games gekko.

No arguement there Ferno, I quite agree - still, there are parents out there who aren't domestically violent who really don't give a s**t what their kids watch or play, which has the potential to be damaging.

And I'm with you lobster - D3 is plenty fun without gore. Most of the time I would wager the extreme violence is a market positioning strategy aimed at building differentiation into a game. If you take the gore out of most of these games, they're anonymous - which is not as true for games that are built around a solid point of difference, like D 1-3.

[Immortal Lobster]

Precisely!

[Dakatsu]

To tell the truth I like gore, but Manhunt 2 is just a sucky game. It has cheap ass graphics and a crappy storyline, let alone gameplay. If you look at GoW, it has lots of gore, but has even greater graphics and gameplay. This disproves the gore = suck thing.

P.S: It's hard to show gore when Descent is all about killing mechanical enemies. There was a little bit of gore in the D3 opening and ending cutscenes however.

[roid]

in D3 when a flaming cog bounces off the pyro windshield i cover my amplifier's eyes.

[TechPro]

in D3 when a flaming cog bounces off the pyro windshield i cover my amplifier's eyes.

That's great!