Whenever I see an article like Schreier’s (2013) ‘From Halo to Hot Sauce: What 25 Years of Violent Video Game Research Looks Like’ it immediately draws my attention. I know just exactly what the article is going to discuss – Do video games make you violent?. I’m one to immediately go to the defence of video games because I am definitely one who disregards this notion that it’s all video games fault for the violent thoughts or actions of small minority. Schreier (2013) states that it’s a debate that has been going on for over 25 years and there is no signs of it stopping and it is just exactly that a debate, with no justifiable answer. Although I’m going to give you opinion on the situation anyway and with that there is no better example to use than Grand Theft Auto (GTA).
The GTA series has always been acknowledged for its violent gameplay. The argument raised by gamers though is that just like any other art form such as a film, television show or book, GTA V is there to tell a story. It possesses a R18+ rating because its intended audience are mature enough to recognize that it is in fact a game and not real life. However when scenes such as the torture scene in GTA V arise, it creates a reaction from the media in that this game presents a potential harm to a child and society due to incorrect interpretations. However an argument can be raised in that, has the media not recognized that torture scenes are present in other texts and more specifically films? Are the torture scenes in movies such as Zero Dark Thirty, Reservoir Dogs, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Casino Royal any different? Or even in the PG rated film Shrek; where a young audience witnesses Lord Farquaad interrogating the Ginger Bread Man. Despite the example of Shrek, the questions which need to be asked are that, would a parent allow their child below 17 to watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre or other horror films such as Saw? Or would a parent allow their child to watch Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad? The answer would most probably be no, so then why is it any different with violent video games such as GTA V?
Watch GTA V torture scene here…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97_43ajj5Mo
There seems to be a misunderstanding between video games and the media. Focusing on the case of the 18 and under gamers, if the media believes that parents need to raise concerns about GTA V, then why are they buying it for their children in the first place? A child cannot purchase it due to the its rating, so shouldn’t the blame then fall on parents for purchasing it for their child?
We must understand that video games are graphical art. They push the boundaries to evolve just like a player would in the game itself. GTA V success is unrivalled by any other video game title and therefore the boundaries that are pushed by GTA V must be to what gamers want in their gaming experience. GTA V, like any other entertainment source is there to engage, entertain and tell a story therefore captivating its audience, and just like a film or television show it’s not real life. Video games are just that, a game; played in an imaginary world with fictional characters aimed to captivate and not motivate “prostitution, torture and murder” (Morris 2014).
So how can we justify that video games are at fault for small minority who seem to step outside the boundaries? I don’t believe it’s the video games industry’s fault. Maybe we should start looking at the individual rather than making video games the scapegoat?
References
Morris, J 2014, ‘Anyone claiming Grand Theft Auto 5 is just violence for violence’s sake hasn’t played it’, The Guardian, 1 January, viewed 29/3/2015, http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/31/grand-theft-auto-5-torture-violence-video-games
Schreier, J 2013, ‘From Halo To Hot Sauce: What 25 Years of Violent Video Game Research Looks Like’, Kotaku, 17 January, viewed 24/3/2015, http://kotaku.com/5976733/do-video-games-make-you-violent-an-in-depth-look-at-everything-we-know-today
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