One of the things that most annoys me about working in the industry is the stupid questions people keep asking me, and all the media hoo-ha that accompanies the release of many games. Whenever a new game that includes any ammount of sex or violence, people go out all over the media and they always scream 'think of the kids'

I have a plethora of things to say on the matter, most relating to people applying some common sense or minding their own buisness (and some of which i have covered in my Gaming Ethos i the About section) but I will try and restrict it to the following points:

1. Think of the Kids? We have! Just cos its a video game, doesnt mean its designed for kids - what do you think the bright red '18' stickers plastered on the box means? no-one complains about violent films anymore, because kids aren't allowed to see or buy them, and the same is true for games. The developer knows GTA is violent, and so rates the game 18. The game store knows the game is 18 rated, and wont sell it to a child, if for no other reason that staff can be fined or even fired for doing so. And if the parents are stupid enough to buy the game for the child then they're clearly moronic and have no right to complain about the child playing it. If the child managed to aquire it by other means, then parents should stop them, it really is that simple. If you are a bad parent and don't care enough, or lack the authority, to control what your own child plays, then the child clearly has bigger problems that being exposed to these games!

 

2. Its not real, its just a game, and games don't affec everyone in the way that people seem to think. People don't play Mario and go around banging their heads against bricks trying to find coins, or eating wierd looking mushrooms cos they think it will make them fly (... ok, maybe the last one isn't a very good example, but you get the idea).

OK, If some people have problems differentiating the virtual world from the real one then they shouldn't be allowed to play the games. But theres a sense of inevitability about most of this: People with violent tendancies are going want to play violent games, and people with addictive personalities are going to get additicted to World of Warcraft. Its not the developer's fault for making the game, and the rest of us who have restraint and can manage our playing shouldn't be punished.

 

3. The vast ammounts of media controversy that surround the launch of a new GTA game probably at least double the sales of the game, and mean that more people (including the children) are aware of its existence. If you just kept your big mouth shut, the game wouldn't sell as well, but by winging and whining about it you are only helping the games company shift the bloody thing!

 

4. People seem eager to damn the entire industry based on games like GTA, but they forget that for every GTA there is a Wii-fit, a Mario Kart and a Brain Training.

 

[ This rant is named after a DeviantART group. The group has decided to make a stand about people who are offended by boobies, but yet take the time to go round the site looking for pictures of boobies so they can report them to site staff and get the artists work censored or removed from the net. For reasons that I simply cannot fathom, they spend their time doing this rather than MINDING THEIR OWN DAMN BUISNESS and letting those of us who appreciate art (and like to look at/draw boobies) from going about our lives! ]