Are games evil?
Wednesday 28th May 2008
People are increasingly looking to the media in all its forms and pointing the blame for society’s evils. One concern people have is that children copy crimes they have seen from a gory film, a questionable web campaign or more recently a video game.
I have always been skeptical of this blame culture, why is it always somebody else’s fault? The vast majority of children know at an early age what is right and what is wrong.
One franchise that has caused much controversy is Take Two’s Grand Theft Auto. If you have been following the stories surrounding the latest game in the series you will be familiar with Jack Thompson, a man extremely loquacious on this subject. Thompson, a lawyer, is obsessed with Take Two and threatens court action against them every other week it seems.
It is a shame he conducts himself in the manner in which he does, as amongst the rhetoric and hyperbole he loses his core question, which is worthy of contemplation: should games that feature questionable content be allowed?
I believe they are perfectly fine as long as they are marketed to adults and carry an appropriate age rating. If children, in particular, copy what they have seen in a game, it is of course unfortunate but games are a form of entertainment in which developers should have free creative license. It is up to responsible advertisers and parents to ensure children can’t access these games.
Tags: age rating, Grand Theft Auto, Jack Thompson, media, Take Two, video games
