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Even though the recent GTA inspired bomb scare was just an innocent mistake (see: [URL] http://jpzrq.url.cjb.net/ [/URL]), it will probably cause self-appointed moral guardians to highlight the 'ethical dangers' of video games. Therefore, it might be a good time to reflect on the past moral panics video games have created to explore the implications this may have for violence in video games in the future.
Video games are known to send the public into a moral panic over their content. Although many would think this is a recent topic, games have been creating moral panics since the release of ‘Space Invaders’ in 1978. It was a world craze but many parents believed it would poison the minds and values of their children. A Texas town tried to ban it, but failed.
Even at this early time period, developers released that many gamers got a joy from killing things but the primitive technology ment producing outrageous games was difficult. As technology improved, the panics increased, causing many people wanting a ban on violent games. Children who played games in the 70’s are now adults playing games. People like Guy Miller developer of ‘ShadowMan’ [PS/N64/DC/PC], feel that violent “subjects are in films so why not in video games” [Guy Miller].
A major moral panic was created in 1987 with the release ‘Operation Wolf’ [ARCADE]. One of the first truly popular lightgun games it was condemned for teaching innocent children how to shoot. It is not known whether lightgun games influence people to shoot but in 1995, Sega classic ‘Virtua Cop’ [ARCADE/SATURN/PC] appeared in the American news. It did not create a major panic but did get people talking. A man had killed his wife’s divorce lawyer from a distance with frightening accuracy. Police discovered the man was obsessed with ‘Virtua Cop’ and found no hard evidence of him ever training with a gun. Could playing the game really have made him a killer?
One of the most famous moral panic creating games of all time was ‘Mortal Kombat ’ [ARCADE/ALL SEGA, NINTENDO & SONY SYSTEMS/PC] released in 1992. Considered to be a tedious game, its blood filled, spine-ripping features were considered to be the primary factor in its high sales. The developers took advantage of this selling point resulting in the creation of over 10 sequels and spin-offs.
From 1992, the improvements in technology saw games opening up to the mass market, which also resulted in more moral panics. From the offensive and racist ‘Wolfenstein’ [PC] (a game featuring Nazi themes) to ‘Duke Nukem 3D’ [SATURN/PC/OTHER] a game considered to have influenced the killers in the Columbine High School incident.
The release of the interactive movie game, ‘Night trap’ [MEGA-CD] in 1992, lead to many people campaign for games to be rated by the B.B.F.C. (British Board Of Film Classification). In Europe, in order to keep freedom in the games industry, E.L.S.P.A. (European Leisure & Software Publishers Association) launched a self-rating system in conjunction with the V.S.C. (Video Standards Council). This system shows the age suitability of the game. In spring 2003, PEGI (Pan European Game Information) replaced ELSPA ratings, providing additional information about content in the areas of violence, sex, drugs, discrimination, bad language and fear. Extremely violent games are sent to the B.B.F.C. for legal classifications. However, PEGI ratings are only designed to guide consumers and so it is possible for underage gamers to buy a game with an 18+ age rating.
The most violent games in recent times are ‘Grand Theft Auto’ [various formats] and ‘Kingpin’ [PC]. Both let people take the role of bloodthirsty criminals. Hundreds of articles appeared over the media, demanding that violent games should be banned. Interestingly, ‘Grand Theft Auto’ had a sequel that did not create a large moral panic, resulting in many key media figures believing that standards are slipping.
As technology improves the number of moral panics are bound to increase. It will not be long before games have cinema-beating visuals, making their violent content seem even more real. Games are an easy target to blame as they can be “switched off” [Dave Perry, Shiny Entertainment]. This also makes them an easy vote winner, especially in America, and so self-appointed moral guardians are likely to call for all games to be banned. However, there are many non-violent games and gamers hope their hobby will not be stripped from them, because one developer crossed the line, in trying to create an outrageous game. In my view, the best solution for the future of gaming would be to subject games to same legal classifications as films. Therefore, it would be illegal for underage gamers to buy video games with violent content. This would help to direct blame away from video games and to irresponsible retailers who allow games to be sold to underage consumers.
Video games are known to send the public into a moral panic over their content. Although many would think this is a recent topic, games have been creating moral panics since the release of ‘Space Invaders’ in 1978. It was a world craze but many parents believed it would poison the minds and values of their children. A Texas town tried to ban it, but failed.
Even at this early time period, developers released that many gamers got a joy from killing things but the primitive technology ment producing outrageous games was difficult. As technology improved, the panics increased, causing many people wanting a ban on violent games. Children who played games in the 70’s are now adults playing games. People like Guy Miller developer of ‘ShadowMan’ [PS/N64/DC/PC], feel that violent “subjects are in films so why not in video games” [Guy Miller].
A major moral panic was created in 1987 with the release ‘Operation Wolf’ [ARCADE]. One of the first truly popular lightgun games it was condemned for teaching innocent children how to shoot. It is not known whether lightgun games influence people to shoot but in 1995, Sega classic ‘Virtua Cop’ [ARCADE/SATURN/PC] appeared in the American news. It did not create a major panic but did get people talking. A man had killed his wife’s divorce lawyer from a distance with frightening accuracy. Police discovered the man was obsessed with ‘Virtua Cop’ and found no hard evidence of him ever training with a gun. Could playing the game really have made him a killer?
One of the most famous moral panic creating games of all time was ‘Mortal Kombat ’ [ARCADE/ALL SEGA, NINTENDO & SONY SYSTEMS/PC] released in 1992. Considered to be a tedious game, its blood filled, spine-ripping features were considered to be the primary factor in its high sales. The developers took advantage of this selling point resulting in the creation of over 10 sequels and spin-offs.
From 1992, the improvements in technology saw games opening up to the mass market, which also resulted in more moral panics. From the offensive and racist ‘Wolfenstein’ [PC] (a game featuring Nazi themes) to ‘Duke Nukem 3D’ [SATURN/PC/OTHER] a game considered to have influenced the killers in the Columbine High School incident.
The release of the interactive movie game, ‘Night trap’ [MEGA-CD] in 1992, lead to many people campaign for games to be rated by the B.B.F.C. (British Board Of Film Classification). In Europe, in order to keep freedom in the games industry, E.L.S.P.A. (European Leisure & Software Publishers Association) launched a self-rating system in conjunction with the V.S.C. (Video Standards Council). This system shows the age suitability of the game. In spring 2003, PEGI (Pan European Game Information) replaced ELSPA ratings, providing additional information about content in the areas of violence, sex, drugs, discrimination, bad language and fear. Extremely violent games are sent to the B.B.F.C. for legal classifications. However, PEGI ratings are only designed to guide consumers and so it is possible for underage gamers to buy a game with an 18+ age rating.
The most violent games in recent times are ‘Grand Theft Auto’ [various formats] and ‘Kingpin’ [PC]. Both let people take the role of bloodthirsty criminals. Hundreds of articles appeared over the media, demanding that violent games should be banned. Interestingly, ‘Grand Theft Auto’ had a sequel that did not create a large moral panic, resulting in many key media figures believing that standards are slipping.
As technology improves the number of moral panics are bound to increase. It will not be long before games have cinema-beating visuals, making their violent content seem even more real. Games are an easy target to blame as they can be “switched off” [Dave Perry, Shiny Entertainment]. This also makes them an easy vote winner, especially in America, and so self-appointed moral guardians are likely to call for all games to be banned. However, there are many non-violent games and gamers hope their hobby will not be stripped from them, because one developer crossed the line, in trying to create an outrageous game. In my view, the best solution for the future of gaming would be to subject games to same legal classifications as films. Therefore, it would be illegal for underage gamers to buy video games with violent content. This would help to direct blame away from video games and to irresponsible retailers who allow games to be sold to underage consumers.
Even though the recent GTA inspired bomb scare was just an innocent mistake (see: [URL] http://jpzrq.url.cjb.net/ [/URL]), it will probably cause self-appointed moral guardians to highlight the 'ethical dangers' of video games. Therefore, it might be a good time to reflect on the past moral panics video games have created to explore the implications this may have for violence in video games in the future.
Video games are known to send the public into a moral panic over their content. Although many would think this is a recent topic, games have been creating moral panics since the release of ‘Space Invaders’ in 1978. It was a world craze but many parents believed it would poison the minds and values of their children. A Texas town tried to ban it, but failed.
Even at this early time period, developers released that many gamers got a joy from killing things but the primitive technology ment producing outrageous games was difficult. As technology improved, the panics increased, causing many people wanting a ban on violent games. Children who played games in the 70’s are now adults playing games. People like Guy Miller developer of ‘ShadowMan’ [PS/N64/DC/PC], feel that violent “subjects are in films so why not in video games” [Guy Miller].
A major moral panic was created in 1987 with the release ‘Operation Wolf’ [ARCADE]. One of the first truly popular lightgun games it was condemned for teaching innocent children how to shoot. It is not known whether lightgun games influence people to shoot but in 1995, Sega classic ‘Virtua Cop’ [ARCADE/SATURN/PC] appeared in the American news. It did not create a major panic but did get people talking. A man had killed his wife’s divorce lawyer from a distance with frightening accuracy. Police discovered the man was obsessed with ‘Virtua Cop’ and found no hard evidence of him ever training with a gun. Could playing the game really have made him a killer?
One of the most famous moral panic creating games of all time was ‘Mortal Kombat ’ [ARCADE/ALL SEGA, NINTENDO & SONY SYSTEMS/PC] released in 1992. Considered to be a tedious game, its blood filled, spine-ripping features were considered to be the primary factor in its high sales. The developers took advantage of this selling point resulting in the creation of over 10 sequels and spin-offs.
From 1992, the improvements in technology saw games opening up to the mass market, which also resulted in more moral panics. From the offensive and racist ‘Wolfenstein’ [PC] (a game featuring Nazi themes) to ‘Duke Nukem 3D’ [SATURN/PC/OTHER] a game considered to have influenced the killers in the Columbine High School incident.
The release of the interactive movie game, ‘Night trap’ [MEGA-CD] in 1992, lead to many people campaign for games to be rated by the B.B.F.C. (British Board Of Film Classification). In Europe, in order to keep freedom in the games industry, E.L.S.P.A. (European Leisure & Software Publishers Association) launched a self-rating system in conjunction with the V.S.C. (Video Standards Council). This system shows the age suitability of the game. In spring 2003, PEGI (Pan European Game Information) replaced ELSPA ratings, providing additional information about content in the areas of violence, sex, drugs, discrimination, bad language and fear. Extremely violent games are sent to the B.B.F.C. for legal classifications. However, PEGI ratings are only designed to guide consumers and so it is possible for underage gamers to buy a game with an 18+ age rating.
The most violent games in recent times are ‘Grand Theft Auto’ [various formats] and ‘Kingpin’ [PC]. Both let people take the role of bloodthirsty criminals. Hundreds of articles appeared over the media, demanding that violent games should be banned. Interestingly, ‘Grand Theft Auto’ had a sequel that did not create a large moral panic, resulting in many key media figures believing that standards are slipping.
As technology improves the number of moral panics are bound to increase. It will not be long before games have cinema-beating visuals, making their violent content seem even more real. Games are an easy target to blame as they can be “switched off” [Dave Perry, Shiny Entertainment]. This also makes them an easy vote winner, especially in America, and so self-appointed moral guardians are likely to call for all games to be banned. However, there are many non-violent games and gamers hope their hobby will not be stripped from them, because one developer crossed the line, in trying to create an outrageous game. In my view, the best solution for the future of gaming would be to subject games to same legal classifications as films. Therefore, it would be illegal for underage gamers to buy video games with violent content. This would help to direct blame away from video games and to irresponsible retailers who allow games to be sold to underage consumers.
Video games are known to send the public into a moral panic over their content. Although many would think this is a recent topic, games have been creating moral panics since the release of ‘Space Invaders’ in 1978. It was a world craze but many parents believed it would poison the minds and values of their children. A Texas town tried to ban it, but failed.
Even at this early time period, developers released that many gamers got a joy from killing things but the primitive technology ment producing outrageous games was difficult. As technology improved, the panics increased, causing many people wanting a ban on violent games. Children who played games in the 70’s are now adults playing games. People like Guy Miller developer of ‘ShadowMan’ [PS/N64/DC/PC], feel that violent “subjects are in films so why not in video games” [Guy Miller].
A major moral panic was created in 1987 with the release ‘Operation Wolf’ [ARCADE]. One of the first truly popular lightgun games it was condemned for teaching innocent children how to shoot. It is not known whether lightgun games influence people to shoot but in 1995, Sega classic ‘Virtua Cop’ [ARCADE/SATURN/PC] appeared in the American news. It did not create a major panic but did get people talking. A man had killed his wife’s divorce lawyer from a distance with frightening accuracy. Police discovered the man was obsessed with ‘Virtua Cop’ and found no hard evidence of him ever training with a gun. Could playing the game really have made him a killer?
One of the most famous moral panic creating games of all time was ‘Mortal Kombat ’ [ARCADE/ALL SEGA, NINTENDO & SONY SYSTEMS/PC] released in 1992. Considered to be a tedious game, its blood filled, spine-ripping features were considered to be the primary factor in its high sales. The developers took advantage of this selling point resulting in the creation of over 10 sequels and spin-offs.
From 1992, the improvements in technology saw games opening up to the mass market, which also resulted in more moral panics. From the offensive and racist ‘Wolfenstein’ [PC] (a game featuring Nazi themes) to ‘Duke Nukem 3D’ [SATURN/PC/OTHER] a game considered to have influenced the killers in the Columbine High School incident.
The release of the interactive movie game, ‘Night trap’ [MEGA-CD] in 1992, lead to many people campaign for games to be rated by the B.B.F.C. (British Board Of Film Classification). In Europe, in order to keep freedom in the games industry, E.L.S.P.A. (European Leisure & Software Publishers Association) launched a self-rating system in conjunction with the V.S.C. (Video Standards Council). This system shows the age suitability of the game. In spring 2003, PEGI (Pan European Game Information) replaced ELSPA ratings, providing additional information about content in the areas of violence, sex, drugs, discrimination, bad language and fear. Extremely violent games are sent to the B.B.F.C. for legal classifications. However, PEGI ratings are only designed to guide consumers and so it is possible for underage gamers to buy a game with an 18+ age rating.
The most violent games in recent times are ‘Grand Theft Auto’ [various formats] and ‘Kingpin’ [PC]. Both let people take the role of bloodthirsty criminals. Hundreds of articles appeared over the media, demanding that violent games should be banned. Interestingly, ‘Grand Theft Auto’ had a sequel that did not create a large moral panic, resulting in many key media figures believing that standards are slipping.
As technology improves the number of moral panics are bound to increase. It will not be long before games have cinema-beating visuals, making their violent content seem even more real. Games are an easy target to blame as they can be “switched off” [Dave Perry, Shiny Entertainment]. This also makes them an easy vote winner, especially in America, and so self-appointed moral guardians are likely to call for all games to be banned. However, there are many non-violent games and gamers hope their hobby will not be stripped from them, because one developer crossed the line, in trying to create an outrageous game. In my view, the best solution for the future of gaming would be to subject games to same legal classifications as films. Therefore, it would be illegal for underage gamers to buy video games with violent content. This would help to direct blame away from video games and to irresponsible retailers who allow games to be sold to underage consumers.
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