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Before I begin, I’d just like to say that this is not going to be the old "Do games cause violence" thing. OK? Right, with that out the way, let’s get started.
Everyone on the Earth seems to value morals and ethics higher than anything else. If you’re a moral person, then you’re a good person. But recently I found out that in Metal Gear Solid 2, there is a point where you have to shoot a pregnant women. In all fairness shooting anyone’s wrong, but a pregnant women? Whoever came up with that must have been sick... Possibly.
Morality has never been abundant in video games. Look at the Rainbow 6 games. Going around on Covert Ops surreptitiously killing people is hardly morally correct is it? The same goes for games like Cannon Fodder and Sudden Strike. But surely none of that’s as bad as killing a pregnant women, is it?
The thing is though, (And here’s the age-old argument) it IS just a game. It’s not real. But even so...
So, here’s the question. Would you not play a certain because of the moral issues it raises?
Let’s look at this from two points of view.
For: 1) Games are just that, games, they’re not real and they never will be.
2) For nearly everyone who plays’s videogames, they are an escape. An escape, possibly, from some kind of trauma that’s happening to them at that time. An escape from anything really. Just somewhere to let off steam and unleash their anger and aggression.
3) Although this might sound a bit perverted, I enjoy doing things like that in games. You can do things that you would never be able to do in real life. Like breaking into a military base and dropping a bomb in there. Or, indeed, shooting a pregnant women. Of course I would never do anything so disgusting in real life because it’s sick, horrible and a stupid waste. But games are made so people can do things that they’ve never done before, and are likely never to do... ever.
Conclusion: It’s actually all right for things like this to be put into games. Everyone knows and understands the fact that games are games, real life is real life and there is a huge difference between the two. In all honesty, if developers were denied the freedom that they are given to put anything, within reason, into games then you’d find a lot of people getting frustrated and maybe ending up doing something stupid. As I said, they are an escape. If you deny someone something then they are going to want it more and more.
And now for the flip side of the coin.
Against: 1) It’s plain sick. Shooting a pregnant women, in effect killing two lives, is horrible. Some people out there do have difficulty understanding the difference between reality and games. It’s not their fault, some have brain disorders, some are Ortistic… it just happens and no one can be blamed for it. The fact is, however unlikely, someone COULD be influenced by it and could be driven to something stupid and regretful.
2) There’s going to be a whole lot of backlash when MSG2 gets released if it has this in it. Angry parents and Clergymen are going to be protesting mightily about the "Damage it might cause to our children’s minds" It would be a whole lot easier for Konami and Sony to take it out and not suffer the public rebuke they are going to face.
Overall Conclusion: On the whole I think it’s perfectly fine to have scenes like this in games. As long as it’s understood by the general public that it’s just a game, and that little Tommy isn’t going to go nick a gun and blow someone’s brains out. Parents have to understand that children aren’t as stupid and easily warped as they think. If a parent or indeed anyone has a concern about this kind of thing then they should have a little talk with their child and make sure they understand what’s what, and that doing things like that in real life would be thoughtless, wasteful, regrettable and daft.
So my answer to my own question. Would I not play a game because of the moral issues it raises? No, I know what’s what. What’s real and what’s not. And I understand that doing something like that is wrong. I’m just playing the game for fun and nothing more.
Your thoughts?
RBS
Everyone on the Earth seems to value morals and ethics higher than anything else. If you’re a moral person, then you’re a good person. But recently I found out that in Metal Gear Solid 2, there is a point where you have to shoot a pregnant women. In all fairness shooting anyone’s wrong, but a pregnant women? Whoever came up with that must have been sick... Possibly.
Morality has never been abundant in video games. Look at the Rainbow 6 games. Going around on Covert Ops surreptitiously killing people is hardly morally correct is it? The same goes for games like Cannon Fodder and Sudden Strike. But surely none of that’s as bad as killing a pregnant women, is it?
The thing is though, (And here’s the age-old argument) it IS just a game. It’s not real. But even so...
So, here’s the question. Would you not play a certain because of the moral issues it raises?
Let’s look at this from two points of view.
For: 1) Games are just that, games, they’re not real and they never will be.
2) For nearly everyone who plays’s videogames, they are an escape. An escape, possibly, from some kind of trauma that’s happening to them at that time. An escape from anything really. Just somewhere to let off steam and unleash their anger and aggression.
3) Although this might sound a bit perverted, I enjoy doing things like that in games. You can do things that you would never be able to do in real life. Like breaking into a military base and dropping a bomb in there. Or, indeed, shooting a pregnant women. Of course I would never do anything so disgusting in real life because it’s sick, horrible and a stupid waste. But games are made so people can do things that they’ve never done before, and are likely never to do... ever.
Conclusion: It’s actually all right for things like this to be put into games. Everyone knows and understands the fact that games are games, real life is real life and there is a huge difference between the two. In all honesty, if developers were denied the freedom that they are given to put anything, within reason, into games then you’d find a lot of people getting frustrated and maybe ending up doing something stupid. As I said, they are an escape. If you deny someone something then they are going to want it more and more.
And now for the flip side of the coin.
Against: 1) It’s plain sick. Shooting a pregnant women, in effect killing two lives, is horrible. Some people out there do have difficulty understanding the difference between reality and games. It’s not their fault, some have brain disorders, some are Ortistic… it just happens and no one can be blamed for it. The fact is, however unlikely, someone COULD be influenced by it and could be driven to something stupid and regretful.
2) There’s going to be a whole lot of backlash when MSG2 gets released if it has this in it. Angry parents and Clergymen are going to be protesting mightily about the "Damage it might cause to our children’s minds" It would be a whole lot easier for Konami and Sony to take it out and not suffer the public rebuke they are going to face.
Overall Conclusion: On the whole I think it’s perfectly fine to have scenes like this in games. As long as it’s understood by the general public that it’s just a game, and that little Tommy isn’t going to go nick a gun and blow someone’s brains out. Parents have to understand that children aren’t as stupid and easily warped as they think. If a parent or indeed anyone has a concern about this kind of thing then they should have a little talk with their child and make sure they understand what’s what, and that doing things like that in real life would be thoughtless, wasteful, regrettable and daft.
So my answer to my own question. Would I not play a game because of the moral issues it raises? No, I know what’s what. What’s real and what’s not. And I understand that doing something like that is wrong. I’m just playing the game for fun and nothing more.
Your thoughts?
RBS
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A good post RBS, Think I shall reply
Everyone is different and all have different morals. The truth is that games are becomming more realistic and that soon they may become more and more like real life. But one thing will always remain the same, games are not real and never will be real, so if you have to shoot someone in a game then most of us will know its only in a game that we do this.
Alot of games get alot of hype and MGS2 is getting alot, but all the things about shooting pregnant women is rumours. If it does then it will attract the wrong type of advertising, people complaining about the contents of the game. The people who complain usually have no or little experience with the game itself just what they have seen or heard. I find it a huge shame that people like this force developers to change their ideas.
If people find the game goes against their morals then they stop playing it and take it back and allow those who enjoy it to have fun and play as much as they want. The fact is though that they would rather complain and make the rest of us suffer and go along with their beliefs which is wrong. Everyone has the right to their OWN opinion and shouldn't be told by someone else what is suitable for them and whats not.
This won't change though, games will always get criticised and their flaws will be picked out by those who dislike them. I say we should be left to play what we want without others deciding what right and whats wrong. Most of us can do that for ourselves.
Everyone is different and all have different morals. The truth is that games are becomming more realistic and that soon they may become more and more like real life. But one thing will always remain the same, games are not real and never will be real, so if you have to shoot someone in a game then most of us will know its only in a game that we do this.
Alot of games get alot of hype and MGS2 is getting alot, but all the things about shooting pregnant women is rumours. If it does then it will attract the wrong type of advertising, people complaining about the contents of the game. The people who complain usually have no or little experience with the game itself just what they have seen or heard. I find it a huge shame that people like this force developers to change their ideas.
If people find the game goes against their morals then they stop playing it and take it back and allow those who enjoy it to have fun and play as much as they want. The fact is though that they would rather complain and make the rest of us suffer and go along with their beliefs which is wrong. Everyone has the right to their OWN opinion and shouldn't be told by someone else what is suitable for them and whats not.
This won't change though, games will always get criticised and their flaws will be picked out by those who dislike them. I say we should be left to play what we want without others deciding what right and whats wrong. Most of us can do that for ourselves.
OK. I need ice cream now.
DeltaJava wrote:
> Hey, I've said it before and I'll say it again... games have got
> nothing to do with real life, and it's up to the players to
> determine the difference... it's up to them if theyy're going to
> take on the role of a war activist.
Exactly what I said.
> Hey, I've said it before and I'll say it again... games have got
> nothing to do with real life, and it's up to the players to
> determine the difference... it's up to them if theyy're going to
> take on the role of a war activist.
Exactly what I said.
Hey, I've said it before and I'll say it again... games have got nothing to do with real life, and it's up to the players to determine the difference... it's up to them if theyy're going to take on the role of a war activist.
EyeCandy wrote:
> I'm trying to think of an instance where I would draw the line.
this isn't going to happen, but surely if the games company want to sell games then they have to think about how it will effect the public, i havn't seen any clips where a solider kills a pregnant woman, but if she was armed, maybe the idea of spearing her life would be different.
> I'm trying to think of an instance where I would draw the line.
this isn't going to happen, but surely if the games company want to sell games then they have to think about how it will effect the public, i havn't seen any clips where a solider kills a pregnant woman, but if she was armed, maybe the idea of spearing her life would be different.
Fogmaster wrote:
> Rainbow 6? Moral? Tom Clancy wasn't being paid to clean windows and
> open car doors for people, if some guys/gals kidnapped some prime
> ministers or some people our country can't live without, the
> 'govenments' going to do whatever they can to get them back,
> colourful language and a feather duster isn't going to do much
> against machine guns, it's your life of theirs, sorry about boring
> you with that.
I know.
two sides to every story.....
Exactly.
> Rainbow 6? Moral? Tom Clancy wasn't being paid to clean windows and
> open car doors for people, if some guys/gals kidnapped some prime
> ministers or some people our country can't live without, the
> 'govenments' going to do whatever they can to get them back,
> colourful language and a feather duster isn't going to do much
> against machine guns, it's your life of theirs, sorry about boring
> you with that.
I know.
two sides to every story.....
Exactly.
Rainbow 6? Moral? Tom Clancy wasn't being paid to clean windows and open car doors for people, if some guys/gals kidnapped some prime ministers or some people our country can't live without, the 'govenments' going to do whatever they can to get them back, colourful language and a feather duster isn't going to do much against machine guns, it's your life of theirs, sorry about boring you with that.
two sides to every story.....
two sides to every story.....
thoughts?
Konami should keep little things like that secret until it's release, because if people are complaning now about a pregnant woman being shot then the whole game will be looked at and maybe force edited. In the games tralier a woman gets stabbed to death by a soldier but why do people think it's for 15 or even 18+ so children don't see it.
Konami should keep little things like that secret until it's release, because if people are complaning now about a pregnant woman being shot then the whole game will be looked at and maybe force edited. In the games tralier a woman gets stabbed to death by a soldier but why do people think it's for 15 or even 18+ so children don't see it.
I'm trying to think of an instance where I would draw the line. Killing babies and children would be a step too far. Not that any games developer would be foolish enough to include such scenes in a game.
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