How Video Games Companies have evolved to the Ever Changing World of Censorship Laws

As I mentioned in my previous article, video games have had a long history of facing the wrath of censorship. In the early stages of video games, such as during the Era of the Atari 2600 for example, it was sort of a wild west Era for video games. Anybody could theoretically program a video game, and sell it to the public. 

After the release of videos games such as Mortal Kombat and Night Trap in the early 1990's, the ESRB was founded, and similarly to the MPAA, it acted as a rating system for video games. The important thing to remember is that the ESRB is not government affiliated. One of the biggest reasons why the ESRB was founded in the first place was so that they could act as a mediator between the gaming companies and the government. The ESRB acting as the mediator meant that the government did not have to take a censorship role themselves. The rules were simple. If your video game was rated M for mature, then only people over 17 could purchase that game. If your game was slapped with a A for adults only rating, then more likely than not, your game will not be sold in most major retailers. This rule in a way able to indirectly affect the overall content on popular games. You could still make and release an Adult's only video game, but the fact that your game would then not see a wide release would scare video game companies into editing their games for content in order to release it under an M rating.

One of the best examples of this dynamic in action occurred in 2003 with the stealth horror survival game Manhunt. The game depicted brutal acts of violence and torture. The player would be put in a position to commit increasingly sadistic acts to people throughout the game. The content of the game was so violent in fact that it gained the attention of U.S. representative Joe Baca, who was a known staunch opponent of video game violence. Of course Manhunt was released by Rockstar Video Games, a company that is no stranger to garnering controversy. They're the same company who distributes the popular Grand Theft Auto games. The game was so violent, that it toed the line form getting slapped with that infamous A rating. However in the end, the violence was slightly toned down to the point that it could get an M rating.

But getting back to the original point of this article, how have video game companies had to adapt to censorship laws? Well, as stated earlier, the ESRB acts as a defacto censorship apparatus. While games such as Manhunt do get outright banned such as in New Zealand for example, video games with very violent content can still be released in the US. In order for video game companies to see a good commercial return, then they all pretty much try to ensure that their games get at least an M rating; that way major store retailers will sell their games to the public.

Make no mistake though, U.S. representatives such as Joe Baca play a major role in being watchdog to the video game industry. Even in today's social climate, where it seems like society is being increasingly desensitized to things, video game violence still draws the ire of a lot of people, and video game companies are still very well aware of it. These lawmakers in Washington keep video game companies on their toes. Every time there is a school shooting in this country, video games still get brought up, 25 years after Columbine.

This should tell us something important. If video games are still being named as a culprit in the influence of real world violence, then when will it not be seen as a culprit? Potentially, video games will be seen as the enemy by parent groups and representatives in Washington for the rest of time, forever keeping the video game industry in check. The only good thing is that there is no direct form of censorship by the government. Only indirect censorship by the ESRB. Still, even the ESRB doesn't stop violent video games from being released, and ultimately, generating controversy.

Orlando, Alex. “Do Video Games Cause Violence?” Discover Magazine, Discover Magazine, 8 Mar. 2023, www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/do-video-games-cause-violence. 

Heaton, Andrew. “New Documentary Discusses Rockstar’s Most Controversial Game, Manhunt.” Game Rant, 22 Nov. 2022, gamerant.com/manhunt-documentary-rockstar-controversial-game/. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Group Reflection

I think the one thing our group can agree on video game violence is the fact that children cannot be exposed to violent scenery or obscene material so early in their lives. Parents being angry with the content in video games from the 1990's, 2000s, 2010's, and today is redundant becasue of the ratings on the covers that say who this games appeals to, children, 18+ teens, and adults. The simple actions of looking at the back of the cover should be easy. Parents need to supervise their children and what they watch, say, or play. Without supervising, it enables the children to play as many violent games as they please. Thus, their growth and development hurts them because of the effects from the violent and obscene material. Parents must check on what their kids are watching, or playing to make sure they can grow up to live healthy and active lives. We agree that parents need to be aware of the video game their child plays, and that children should not be exposed to violence ...
Read more

Parents Pushing Politicians Stronger Censorship on Video Games

Throughout the time violent video games have been out, there have been many attempts to set bars by state lawmakers to prevent minors from buying violent video games at a young age. From Mortal Kombat to GTA, the range of violent video games out there are plenty. While there are plenty of minor laws, parents have been pushing to get violent video games to get banned or at least reduce the violence shown in video games.  According to the article "Video Games and Children & First Amendment Law" published by Justia, it writes that the state of California had law try to regulate the sale or rental of violent video games to children. Writing for the majority however, Justice Antonin Scalia had ruled that video games qualify for full First Amendment protection which is similar to books, movies, films, and plays. Unfortunately for the parents, the law makers claim that there are no long standing traditions of restricting children's access to depictions of violence. The stric...
Read more

My Opinion on The Censorship Of Video Games

      One thing I will definitely agree with lawmakers is that children should not be exposed to explicit and violent material. Parents need to understand that there are ratings on the back of the cover. However I believ that children will still try to find a way to access these games because they are fun and entertaining. That said, in regards to almost everything else from the law about their opinions about violent video games and censorship I disagree with, some of these games are fun and entertaining and nothing more than that, and to assume that it causes real life violence by poisoning the minds of children and teens is untrue and ridiculous. Some games are trying to be more of an art form, and when violence is contained in it it is trying to make a point like a book, play, or movie would.       One criticism I would give would be that a lot of people against lawmakers, not just people working in the law is that I believe a lot of them are out of...
Read more