State of the Industry - The Ramblings of a Nintendo Fanboy #6

Responsibility

Now I’m sure your position in life will determine how you feel about the issue of responsibility and videogames so with that being said, let me explain to you what my feelings are as a 24-year-old (checks) male with no children.

I have been playing videogames since I was 5 year old and violent videogames ever since the original Doom, Wolfenstein 3D, Mortal Kombat, Pit Fighter, Carmageddon, etc. And I have and will continue to find it ridiculous when the blame is put squarely on the developers and hardware manufacturer. The blame needs to be focused on the correct individuals/institutions.

Violent videogames are becoming more and more popular because the videogame audience that enjoyed Frogger in the 1980’s is now enjoying Grand Theft Auto as their taste and age mature. With this being said, why are games such as these being banned? Shouldn’t these games only be getting into the hands of the people who should be playing them? Is it just me or does every game made in the last 10+ years have a rating on the front of the box that clearly says what age the game is designed for. When I was 15, I knew without my parent's permission that I could not see an R or NC-17 rated movie. The same goes for videogames. I understand I was legally old enough to purchase Grand Theft Auto III when it came out but explain to me how an 11 year old can also be playing this game when on the box it says that it is for mature audiences 18+. This means that no person under the age of 18 should be able to purchase this as long as the retailer is even remotely competent and understands what it is that they are selling to the customer. Here is where the first blame is placed, retailers. If the person at the ticket booth stops an 11 year old from seeing Requiem of a Dream, than why isn't the retailer at the videogame store also doing the same? I understand a few people will get away with sneaking into a movie that they should not be allowed to see but there really is no justification for this when it is your job to make sure your product is getting into the correct customers hands. I recently went into a store where a parent had Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in their hands and she asked the cashier if the game was appropriate for a 12 year old and to my surprise, he said “no.” This parent walked out probably upset that her 12 year old child even asked for a violent game but I left happy that the cashier is one of the people who are helping the problem that the videogame industry is facing. Thanks to this gentleman, there is one less 12 year old playing an 18+ videogame.

Now I am not putting the blame squarely on retailers since there is another huge ingredient in the entire equation. Parents need to share the responsibility with retailers in making sure their children don’t play a game that wasn’t intended for somewhere their age. With all this talk about the ESRB and how bad and inaccurate they are at rating games and even worse, enforcing them, this just seems like an excuse for absent parents who decide to let television and videogames raise their children instead of doing it themselves. I understand a lot of parents work full time and don’t have the option of being able to watch over your kid but maybe, just maybe, you shouldn’t have had children because you are making bad decisions by not watching what they are doing and later finding out they are an 11 year old playing Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and finding out what “hot coffee” is all about. It disgusts me when I hear parents mad at videogame developers for the games they produce but you never see the parents looking at themselves saying how come I was unaware of this. The only real excuse a parent has is that their 18-year-old child owns it and the 11 year old found it. At least this way it would all be happening without the parent knowing but even this excuse just shows how uninvolved parents are in their kid's lives.

Jack Thompson. I am almost positive that this man would not agree with my article, after all, he is a guy who accused Microsoft of making a terrorist training videogame when they made Microsoft Flight Simulator. I think we should also sue Nintendo for making Mario, which encourages the ingestion of mushrooms, or Pitfall for telling us to use alligator heads as a means to jump over a pond.

Videogame developers should be able to create whatever they want without fear of backlash because it is this backlash that destroys artistic integrity and creative freedom. Whether or not you think Grand Theft Auto is the downfall of our society, understand that it is an absolute technical marvel and should be applauded on its technical merit no matter what the content is. Videogame developers should not be responsible at all in the violence in videogames debate. They create the games (just like the movie studios create the movies) and its up to the ESRB, retailers, and parents to make sure the adult themed game they created is only played for people it is intended for. I don’t care how much an 11 year old wants to play Postal or Narc, they shouldn’t, that's why we have Mario and Donkey Kong so their is always a safe alternative for children to play that is both entertaining and non-violent. Jack Thomson beware, you’re wrong and hated.