Blame video games for everything?
There has been plenty of debate following the violence and imagery depicted in video games, with games such as Manhunt and almost every single Grand Theft Auto game, that has ever been released, mentioned whenever there is talk of the subject.
Yet, at the same time there have been very few mentions of Visceral Games’ Dante’s Inferno. There was plenty of nudity in the game, violence around every corner, some of the most disturbing imagery ever seen in a video game and an entire level known as Lust.
The only thing missing was drugs, but thankfully Dante did not mention a circle of h**l with that particular name when he wrote his epic poem.
How the game managed to fly under the radar is something that makes one question the standards of those who raise these issues. Was it because the game was based on a poem, so therefore it is art? Or maybe the game was just not mainstream enough to get everyone’s
attention.
The fact that the only institution who actually had an issue with the game was the INA, the International Nanny Association. The INA had an issue with the trophy/achievement gamers would unlock if they managed to kill enough demon babies. The trophy was
titled, ‘Bad Nanny’.
Before readers and fans of video gaming click away from this article, we would just like to clarify, we are not against Dante’s Inferno rather we enjoyed the experience of battling through the seven circles of h**l and are looking forward to the sequel.
The issue that is being raised is why are some video games with violent elements slated by the media and the public, while other, equally violent games are let go. If there is an issue with the games and their content, should it not be universal.
It is for reasons like this that the gaming community seem to react to those stories where the media blames video games as an influence when it comes to individuals committing acts of violence.
A recent study showed that there was no way one could correlate the relationship between those who play video games and those who commit crime, by explaining that there were so many gamers that it could be likened to saying that people who wore sneakers
were just as likely to commit crimes as gamers.
The fact of the matter is that 51 percent of the public in United Kingdom is involved in video games one way or the other. So, if anyone of those commits a brutal murder and an Xbox or a PlayStation is found in their house, then the games he played must
be the reason he committed those acts.
This is not something random, or a hypothetical situation as newspapers recently ran the headline which compared a person going on a GTA style series of killings. True, the person admitted he wanted to go on a type of killing spree gamers can go on in the
game, but was the game itself responsible?
The series has sold over 114-million units, why are the other people who bought and played the game not mentioned?
The fact of the matter is that the violence in video games always has a context. In Dead Island and other zombie games there is plenty of blood and body parts flying in every direction. Any Hollywood zombie movie will have all of that and more, but it is
video games that will ultimately get the blame one way or the other.
Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the editorial policy of Bettor.com
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