Games Aren't Numbers

I definitely agree. This is very similar to something I often run into in discussions of one of my other primary interests, science fiction books- this desire for validation and legitimacy that can supposedly be attained if only video science fiction were more like other, less stereotypically geeky genres. The video gaming field seems to be developing more and more of that same insecure or even self-hating mentality, which is unfortunate.

I think part of the desire for acceptance is the feeling that it would shield video games from the scrutiny they receive whenever there's a school shooting or other tragedy.

The truth though is that movies and music also come under scrutiny in these cases and it's the content, not the form, that everyone points to as the problem. Both The Basketball Diaries and Natural Born Killers were cited as influences to the Columbine massacre in addition to Doom at the time. It's not video games or movies that are seen as a menace, just the ones that seem pre-occupied with violence.

I don't see how any number of "mature" games can change that.

Gah! in my previous post, that phrase in my second sentence should have read "if only video games/science fiction were more..."

shMerker,

People do sometimes blame violent music, movies, or television for real violence, but in my experience nowadays it's seldom if ever as reflexive as the blame for video games is- when some kid commits a violent crime, people in the media seems much more likely to say "Did Grand Theft Auto/Doom/Halo drive him to it?" than they are to raise the same question about action or horror movies. As video games have become more prominent in the culture, they've increasingly displaced movies and television in popular demonology. In addition, I think a lot of people regard violence (and sex even more so) in video games as more objectionable than comparable or worse content in films or television because of the perception of many people that games are entirely or almost entirely for kids.

Attempts to blame movies, music, and TV are much more likely to be met with prominent, outspoken opponents. Other forms of entertainment (especially movies) have much more cultural status than games, so while attacking them can have rewards it also has a serious [i]price[/i]. People who attack movies as corrupting, or who call for some movie to be censored or banned, meet a storm of criticism and are accused of being philistines, prudes, fascists, etc. They get support, too, but they have a real fight on their hands. Go after games in the same way, and you don’t suffer nearly as much of this sort of attack, and when you do get it it’s not likely to be from anyone with much prominence or prestige outside the gaming industry.

So, I do think gamers and game developers do genuinely have greater cause for concern than fans of more established and respectable forms of entertainment, though I certainly don’t think the linked article’s proposal to make games less-like is the answer.

I used to focus so much on the idea that games should be more like movies or literature....with more meaningfulness within them. But as I stop and think more about this, I can honestly say that games are evolving as every other medium (except comics, which are pretty much stuck in the super hero realm). If you examine the video game industry more carefully, you will see that it doing pretty well. Not many gamers are familiar with the terms "serious games," which means games that are not primarily about fun and focus more on subjects like politics, health, business, etc. These types of games are quite meaningful because they raise awareness about issues in society and others provide good tools for learning about careers (i.e. pilots, paramedics, entrepreneurs, etc.).

Games are where they need to be. Though serious games need to be made more publicly known, there are plenty of game designers that are heading in the right direction. Also, even some games on the entertainment side are meaningful (i.e. Shadow of the Colossus, Metal Gear Solid, FFVII, The Witcher, etc.), so we really shouldn't be that pessimistic about this medium.