Enforced Game Restrictions

While colleges and universities are gearing up to expand the field, gaming is beginning to feel increased pressure from those with political aspirations due to the sometimes gory, sometimes racy content in today’s games.

With Rockstar Games HotCoffee fiasco (or clever marketing ploy), where a mod to their GTA: San Andreas game allows for some rather explicit sexual scenes, the content of video games has come under renewed scrutiny by concerned parents, and campaigning politicians. With high power names like Hilary Rodham Clinton pushing regulating bodies to take a careful look at what children and young adults are accessing during gaming, it’s hard to say whether game developers will continue to push political buttons (bad press is still press), or will adhere to whatever more conservative regulations may come in the near future.

I find myself kind of torn on the matter, in that I feel very strongly that “freedom of expression” should include creative ventures like video games, and that I, as an adult, can more then handle the violence of Doom, or the explicit nature of GTA. On the other hand however, there is a line that I draw called “necessity for game play and upholding common decency”, where some things that are being stuck into games to boost the buzz through shock tactics have absolutely nothing to do with the point of the game, or show racial/sexist/bigoted ideas. These are the things that I’m not sure I want my future children to get their hands on. I don’t put a lot of weight behind the accusations that video games have caused a more violent society, but the fact remains that kids are impressionable little creatures. They may not go out and beat a police officer with a baseball bat, but the validation of these behaviours at an early age may lead to a sort of subconscious confusion of acceptability.

What kind of things am I talking about?

There were a lot of things to come out of the Tokyo Game Show, but a couple of things that caught my eye were not of the exciting new game variety. Take, for example, Ragnarok 2, where enterprising gamers eager to get a peek under their characters skirt can take advantage of the fully 3D characters and environments to get the camera angle just right for a look at her undies. Now normally I would say “ugh, gamers” and think that someone somewhere actually thought to do this of their own accord (in desperation?), but when looking at screenshots of this phenomenon, I noticed to my horror that the game developers had actually planned this. The woman’s underpants were just as carefully rendered as the rest of her body, meaning that the upskirting ability was intentional and expected.

The obsession with women’s nether regions is by no means restricted to in-game fun. Now, thanks to Capcom, you can own your very own PS2 Chun Li controller, complete with a wonderful view of the kung fu champ’s crotch. While the male characters have their own controllers as well, they are shown in rather more dignified stances than a high kick with a full on view of their goods.

I will not even touch on the latest version of Rumble Roses, a girl-on-girl wrestling title for the Xbox 360 that seems to rely on large chests and little clothing as much as it does on wrestling. Rumour has it that there is even a nude match type incorporated into the game. Um hmm.

Hilary’s ears must just be burning.

Politicians all over the United States are taking up arms and making video games the target of their “keep the children safe!” warcries. In Illinois, they’ve drafted the Safe Games Act, that allows authorities to fine vendors for selling violent/explicit material to people under the age of 18. It also requires adequate labelling, like the parental advisories on Eminem’s CDs, which warns if this type of content is present in the game. Michigan is considering the same.

My favourite quote from this side of the debate was made by Dr. David Ames, president of Eastern N.C. Council on Substance Abuse, discussing child addiction and substance abuse of all types (gaming as a gateway drug??) who said: “When you play football regularly, you develop muscle, when our kids play these games they develop something in their heads that can’t be good.” I think perhaps he needs to exercise his brain a little more regularly.