Censorship in games.

[hellthins]

Yes. I am aware of that. My response was directed at several people even if I wrote it as a reply to you. I don't see how my or your personal opinions on the subject really matter.

I'm not saying we should censor opinions. That we should never do. I said that the only place I can see censorship as viable is when it's used to censor advocationg of hate crime. I'm okay with someone saying "I hate gays", I don't like it, I think it's horrible that such people exist, but I'm okay with them saying it. Someone saying "We should go out and kill gay people, they are a blight on our society" though, that's where I say stop. And that goes for any medium. If the message of a movie, or a game, or a book, is advocation of crime, or hate, or misogyny, or homophobia, or whatever, then I think censorship is viable.

And on the topic of bombs; I can make it go boom loudly. That's enough for me to consider it a bomb. It might not be as big as it could be, or detonate when I want it to. But it's because of nuclear fission it says boom, and that's enough for me to consider it a nuke.

I'm fine with even advocating a crime, because that's just too vague to tie to anything. The people that are going to listen are already probably interested in doing something anyways. Censoring the message "Kill the gays" won't decrease murder of gay people. It'll just put a pretty dress on a very ugly problem. Now if it's an explicit instruction, like say "Hey, we're going to all go kill a bunch of gay people outside X club on Y date" that's different, that's an attempt at organizing a crime and is going to directly result in the harm of at least one person if not multiple people.

EDIT: Well, not fine with advocating perse, so much as I don't think it should be censored.

 

[Silver]

Didn't mean a game that ends with a screen saying "Kill the gays", but rather a game that throughout the whole experience subtly enforces the message that gays are bad, and should be exterminated.

But I think you got that, didn't you?

 

[Rankao]

All right so here is the thing. As far as I know the game industry in the united states is self regulated. There is no law in the Federal Level(Possibly No law even on state) that says that AO games can't be sold in stores. That is the stores decision. The Industry tells itself when it thinks how far it can go. The ESRB is what keep freak like Clinton and Thompson from trying to control my mind.

The difference between games and other media is that they cost a lot! So you need to optimize sales. So game companies who do international releases will submit to country "x" in order to get their game in their because I know some federal governments in other countries are censor happy, and well.. That's your fucking problem. Your forefathers should have written a better Constitution.

 

[Yokai]

Video games don't kill people. People kill people.

It really does bug the crap out of me how irrational the ESRB is when it comes to ratings. I could rant on and on about Oblivion, but I'll try to keep it short. I'm sure we all know how the ESRB re-rated Oblivion due to a third-party mod and a rotting corpse. This sort of censorship is ridiculous for several reasons. First of all, it seems really odd to me that various forms of gratuitous violence can be passed by in T games and PG-13 movies, but even the most nonsuggestive nudity is out--and of course any form of actual sexual content gets an automatic M. The game Titan Quest, for example, is rated T and originally contained some very mild nudity--a bare-chested harpy with *gasp* nipples, viewed from about 40 feet overhead(noticeable in the original demo). The ESRB made the developers remove said nipples if the game were to keep a T rating. They did, and now several female humanoid monsters appear to be missing a rather standard part of humanoid anatomy. Think about this--if videogames are so influential, do we want to be influencing people by showing them boobs or by showing them scenes of people getting whacked to bits? Sex or violence, take your pick. Which is more of a danger to society?

And of course, in terms of violence, one can think about, say, World of Warcraft. The Forsaken Abominations are massive, corpulent zombies made of stitched-together chunks of flesh, with a massive, gaping hole in their abdomen through which rotting intestines dangle out onto the floor. This seemed to fly by the ESRB with a T rating, but Oblivion got an M for one scene with a corpse in an "advanced state of decomposition". Earlier on, one of Blizzard's other hit games, Starcraft, contained not only profanity that would most certainly procure an M rating now, but also, most of the units explode (boom, splatter, wet gore noises) when they're killed. Starcraft got a T as well. I certainly don't mind violence in games in the least, but I just with the ESRB would be a little more consistent with their rating system.

Perhaps this really only bothers me because I'm a minor, and consider myself mature enough to handle the "mature content" one sees in most M-rated games these days. But, living in the US, I can't even buy said games until I'm 17. The ESRB should give a clear warning of content that gamers might find inappropriate, but also let people decide for themselves what they're ready for.

 

[Sewblon]

you are correct, sadly you are preaching to the choir. A better use of your time would be saying this on a political forum.

 

[Cinder Block of Oppression]

I live in the land of the free, dammit. I should be able to play games with all the gore, porn, and swearing I can handle.

 

[DethFan666]

I live in the land of the free, dammit. I should be able to play games with all the gore, porn, and swearing I can handle.

Amen.

 

[chronobreak]

I live in the land of the free, dammit. I should be able to play games with all the gore, porn, and swearing I can handle.

The only thing that logic proves is that you are free to make your own game, full of gore, porn, and swearing, and play it all you want.

 

[Rushin]

Censorship is needed at some points I mean their is a limit where things just become tasteless but I think a majority of the time people should back off from trying to censor everything.

 

[EeveeElectro]

I believe the remade Resident Evil 1 intro was censored and remade for America because it was supposedly too gruesome.
I think America are a bit more cautious about what they show. We got a more gruesome intro over here.

 

[Jamash]

I didn't mean literally shot in the head smartass. And anyways like I said. If you think video games affect your attitude. Your mentally retarted. If it was true that they did affect you in the manner you think. Everyone would be out there excecuting eachother. Oh wait they all ready do. Long before even pong existed. Can you blame WW2 on video games? Is it R* fault that Hitler invaded Europe? I bet you do. Oh and very good by using my name in your quote. It makes me so happy when people do.

If you didn't mean it literally, then why did you end you post with, as a standalone sentence

You need to be shot in the head.

What was that a metaphor for?

Also did you know misspelling 'retarded' actually makes you look dumber than the person you're trying to insult?

Besides, it's wrong to call people 'retarded' because they disagree with you and think video games affect peoples attitude, because its true.

For example, hypothetically say there's some kid who is a big fan of death and violent video games, and who want his game to have more gratuitous violence and porn like sex, (basically he wants porno-snuff games).
Anyway because he's fanatical about violent games, he can't accept any other people's opinions on the issue of censorship, or see that censorship doesn't only exist to limit his enjoyment of violence (he can't see that the world doesn't revolve around him and his issues), so he has to resort to cheap insults at the expense of the mentally handicapped.

Ergo, video games have affected his attitude towards others, and have turned him into an obnoxious little brat.

 

[Ago Iterum]

Well you seem like a chap who will listen to reason when it comes to the portrayal of violence... Dethfan666?!!? Okay, maybe not.

Some degree of censorship is needed, or some media would take it too far.

 

[DethFan666]

I didn't mean literally shot in the head smartass. And anyways like I said. If you think video games affect your attitude. Your mentally retarted. If it was true that they did affect you in the manner you think. Everyone would be out there excecuting eachother. Oh wait they all ready do. Long before even pong existed. Can you blame WW2 on video games? Is it R* fault that Hitler invaded Europe? I bet you do. Oh and very good by using my name in your quote. It makes me so happy when people do.

If you didn't mean it literally, then why did you end you post with, as a standalone sentence

You need to be shot in the head.

What was that a metaphor for?

Also did you know misspelling 'retarded' actually makes you look dumber than the person you're trying to insult?

Besides, it's wrong to call people 'retarded' because they disagree with you and think video games affect peoples attitude, because its true.

For example, hypothetically say there's some kid who is a big fan of death and violent video games, and who want his game to have more gratuitous violence and porn like sex, (basically he wants porno-snuff games).
Anyway because he's fanatical about violent games, he can't accept any other people's opinions on the issue of censorship, or see that censorship doesn't only exist to limit his enjoyment of violence (he can't see that the world doesn't revolve around him and his issues), so he has to resort to cheap insults at the expense of the mentally handicapped.

Ergo, video games have affected his attitude towards others, and have turned him into an obnoxious little brat.

Talk dirty to me.

 

[BallPtPenTheif]

I'm less bothered by censorship and more bothered by video game creators thinking that swearing, sex, and gore are a guaranteed way of selling a game. Unfortunately, the teenage demographic proves them right time and time again (funny how that group are the ones most likely to complain about censoring or ESRB ratings).

I don't recall the roman colliseum being filled with blood hungry teenagers waiting to see christians being eaten by lions. I think throwing that appeal onto teenagers is a bit condescening and misplaced.

 

[Jamash]

Talk dirty to me.

Um, ok.

Spoiler: Limescale, Rust, Ground-In Dirt

There you go Champ.

Was that dirty enough for you?

 

[DethFan666]

Talk dirty to me.

Um, ok.

Spoiler: Limescale, Rust, Ground-In Dirt

There you go Champ.

Was that dirty enough for you?

Spoiler: Limescale, Rust, Ground-In Dirt

No you are an amature. I wan't my money back!