Violence in video games...I know. So revolutionary right? It seems like we revisit this topic time and time again like it were clockwork. Conservative types and parental units fear they turn precious youth into psychopathic, brainless murder machines. We gamers are hardly that dramatic. Let's face it. We're used to it.
And when I say "it" I am referring to both the gruesome nature of the game of choice and the constant criticism of our entertainment. Is it a bad thing? Is it terrible that we rush to our local game stores, preorder and wait in line during a midnight launch of Bloodborne knowing of the content prior to the experience? If I were to answer the question it would be a no. Actually, a "hell no!" There are several reasons mature titles are enjoyed by us all.
Look at this painting below:
What do you see? Those with a myopic view will simply state "that painting is violent! Outrage!" Broaden your view, if you will. Take in the colors, the shading, the intricate detail and story this piece delivers to the viewer. That, in a nutshell, is the point I am trying to make here. Gamers see more than just the blood and gore and violence of the game; the predictable mass will parody one another's opinion and simply repeat the same simple statement, calling for bans and fines and censorship.
Take the newest game to spark such controversy: Hatred. For those that don't know the game I am referring to, go ahead and Google it. I'll wait....ok fine. Here's a trailer of this polarizing title below. Warning...this video is very graphic:
Just to give a little background, let's take a step back and briefly explain the story of Hatred: A man is on a mission to kill everyone. Yup. That's it. It's not to save his wife from a kidnapper. It's not to enact revenge on a longtime foe. He just wants to kill. Everyone. Period. After this piece hit the interwebs, the floodgates burst open and soon everyone had an opinion. I'm sure you can guess who was for and against such an intense, dark game.
Scanning through the comments on forums and YouTube, it wasn't to my surprise that several people came out in droves to support the game. Many were excited something like this was created. But why? A man kills innocents and the boys in blue who's job it is to protect and serve the people. My answer is this: gamers live to protect the games they love.
It wasn't too long ago that the Grand Theft Auto series fell into the same boat. With the famous line of "a game that depicts the violence against hookers women in games" went viral. Female groups, politicians and everyone in between began to voice strong opinions to remove the game from store shelves. Some were successful (Oh, Australia...tsk tsk tsk). However, it was the infamous "Hot Coffee" mini game gave San Andreas most of its negative press. It became the only GTA game to receive an AO rating.
Since its June 1st release, all eyes have been on Hatred. The ESRB didn't hesitate to slap the AO rating on this one. And they are correct in doing so. Let me explain...I believe in freedom of expression. I played and still enjoy the Gears of War series, Mortal Kombat, Grand Theft Auto, Bioshock Infinite, Hotline Miami and The Last of Us. All have their fair share of violent content. Yet there is a big difference between these games mentioned and Hatred: the premise, story and characters.
I love games that have incredible dialogue, unforgettable characters and are story driven. The violence within takes a backseat to a world that plays with your emotions and makes you think about decisions you make. Hatred does not have any of that. Hatred is a game with a violent premise, story, character and environment (You "execute" innocent victims to regain health, for Pete's sake!). No pathos or ethos. No underdog or antihero sentiment. Just a game that wants to take the first amendment and stretch it as far as it possibly can.
Pardon my French, but this pisses me off.
And this is what the creators want. They want people up in arms for and against this title. It puts the spotlight on them; this creates a name for them. Yet this is the very thing that gives "violent video games" a bad name. Without answering the "why" for a character to carry out such sickening acts on unarmed innocent AI who beg for their lives, more crap gets shoveled on top of the gaming community. Having said that, if people want to pick this up and play it, do it. No one should stop those of age from wanting to enjoy this game.
I'll give you an example:
I hate mushrooms on pretty much everything. You name it. I hate them. A man, let's call him Jim (sorry to the Jims who read this) enjoys them on his pizza. Just because I think they are disgusting does not give me the right to slap the pizza out of his hand. It's his choice to eat it. "Protecting" him from the mushrooms he loves does him no good. Those that deny others from enjoying something they love for their own self righteous reasons are wrong.
Will I play this game? Of course not. As I mentioned earlier in this post, it fails to meet my interest of an epic story, character development and sincere emotional string tugging. Its just a brute slaughtering folks for fun. The main appeal of the game is on shock value alone. Attacking civilians that are ill equipped to defend themselves is morbid in my eyes. Not my cup of tea.
As I write this, the game is being enjoyed by thousands of gamers everywhere. For those that do, I just have this to say: please game responsibly. I do not ask that you share my opinions. I'm just a gamer defending what, at times, can't (or shouldn't) be defended.
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