Poll: What would you ban?

[PurpleRain]

I actually found this poll out of an xbox magazine, so just to save the heartache later when people find out on there own.

But pretty much it had all these options and I thought not even I would like to see some of those in games. People are always pushing for more adult games with R ratings so the line has to be drawn somewhere.

 

[the_tralfalmadorian]

I'm not gonna lie... pretty much all of this is quite fucked up.

 

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

I chose none, but that's because I don't have a problem with controversy.

 

[Knight Templar]

was the mag OXM? the new editor turned it into fanboy world and yells at EVEYONE to send in a letter.

 

[Deathbird]

We shouldn't Ban content just regulate who has access to it based on age.If it's a crap game worth nothing but a door jam then the community will slam it and reviews will slaughter it and it won't sell, therefore making people less likely to produce weak items like that.

Censorship is personal preference.

 

[Wetall]

Totally agree with Deathbird, I voted none but not because they were "soft-core" but instead that I don't believe banning something has every really helped.

 

[tendo82]

This poll isn't very useful because it doesn't provide a context in which any of these acts are taking place. All of that content has a place in art, but what the poll assumes is that these horrible acts will be part of videogames' goal oriented structures; that the player will feel rewarded for engaging in any of these activities within the game. As games get more sophisticated this will not be the case. Killing will move beyond being a simple scoring mechanism, which it still very much is metaphorically, even without a score.

Do I think we should regulate games whose sole purpose is to reward engaging in sexual violence? Yes. Do I think a game that includes sexual violence as a means of showing the tragedy of it, or of proving some larger socially responsible point should be banned? No.

It is not a matter of what we find offensive, but of whether or not that offensive content is used for frivolous ends or for making a comment upon or observation about society at large.

 

[Annom]

I'd opt not to play a game containing things like "date rape", "Baby killing", and "school massacres" but I don't think they should be banned. Like manhunt the graphic natural of these kind of games usually come first stone, all other things that make the game playable are pushed to the back. This results in what I like to call "violence Gimmick game play."

Whats really bad about this kind of thing in video games is when the mainstream media decides to sensationalize these types of games (Manhunt) because of how graphic they really are, and that in the end gives the entire industry, video game players, and other game titles a bad name even if their totally different.

In an abrupt conclusion no they shouldn't be banned but the developers and publisher's should see a decline in sales for AO content (currently they do).

 

[ShadeOfRed]

All of those... wow. I'd really want to ban Mario Party 8 because is used "Spastic." =o

 

[Duck Sandwich]

This poll isn't very useful because it doesn't provide a context in which any of these acts are taking place. All of that content has a place in art, but what the poll assumes is that these horrible acts will be part of videogames' goal oriented structures; that the player will feel rewarded for engaging in any of these activities within the game. As games get more sophisticated this will not be the case. Killing will move beyond being a simple scoring mechanism, which it still very much is metaphorically, even without a score.

Do I think we should regulate games whose sole purpose is to reward engaging in sexual violence? Yes. Do I think a game that includes sexual violence as a means of showing the tragedy of it, or of proving some larger socially responsible point should be banned? No.

It is not a matter of what we find offensive, but of whether or not that offensive content is used for frivolous ends or for making a comment upon or observation about society at large.

A good point, but it's possible that there are those who would attempt to get around this by throwing in whatever depraved crap they want with a half-assed "story" or something.

There was controversy some time ago (not sure when) regarding something similar to this. There was a sculpture of a soldier carrying off a woman (to rape her) who was standing over the body of an enemy soldier. Apparently, this sculpture was a depiction of some war in which the victors raped the women from the village they attacked. Whether this was meant to show the tragedy of such an event, or to be something to cater to pervs was up for debate.

Then again, such content to some extent acts as a mirror. How a person reacts to something reflects to some extent who they are. For example, a regular Joe might have no strong feelings one way or another towards a depiction of a naked person. However, Johnny Conservative might reel in disgust, while Jacky Perv may take some perverse delight in seeing it.

One might argue that many societies seek to control extreme violent/sexual content in order to avoid catering to perverts and sadists.

 

[PurpleRain]

I decided to go with the rape and sexual violence one. I think it's assuming that we're playing the main instigator here. I guess they're pointing the fingure at some of those Japanese 'dating' games.

I would have no problem with tortue. A FPS with scenes like Hostel or Wold Creek would be awesome, but the baby killing wouldn't be so flash. Unless it was funny, like a clown was doing it or something.

 

[Pinata_Diplomacy]

I decided to go with the rape and sexual violence one. I think it's assuming that we're playing the main instigator here. I guess they're pointing the fingure at some of those Japanese 'dating' games.

I would have no problem with tortue. A FPS with scenes like Hostel or Wold Creek would be awesome, but the baby killing wouldn't be so flash. Unless it was funny, like a clown was doing it or something.

To be honest, guy, that might make it even worse.

 

[PettingZOOPONY]

I wouldn't ban anything, like other people here I would regulate who has access to the content.
Regulation is just another way to take peoples freedoms away one little bit at a time until we have no freedom left.

 

[Keet]

Somehow, I can't quite think of the last game that allowed me to kill babies. I hate to say it, but this reeks of using loaded phrases in order to stir up debate such as the one we're having right now. What immediately comes to my mind is a radio interview I remember from when the N64 was still the new kid on the block. The narrator went on to describe that in Goldeneye, you play a cold-hearted butcher who traps and tracks poor, defenseless scientists who "kneel down on the floor and plead for their lives" in a hellish concretion labyrinth. Obviously this person has never played the game or seen more than a five minute clip from it, as those of us who grew up during this time remember that the models were as stiff as ironing boards and anything as dramatic and tear-invoking as a mournful soliloquy was obviously the result of an enhanced Saturday night bender.

True, we are becoming more technologically advanced, but a kid playing Oedipus in a high school play has as much chance of believing he is the character as I do believing that Gizmondo will become the greatest handheld of all time.

As the topic has already been mentioned, yes, content does have a point, however this goes on the assumption that a lone "mad-scientist" personality is single-handedly producing, performing reasearch, coding, and modeling this entire game in the dark corners of their spike-laden catacombs. Just because someone summons every depraved monstrosity his mind can conjure into a game disc, does not necessarily mean that there are enough people who care enough for it to justify the processing costs. Everyone has their own particular tastes, and some people actually prefer a return to a more innocent time in gaming history. "Blue skies in games campaign" anyone?

It is actually amusing that the industry is worried about Japanese "dating" sims, as most of these titles are produced with relatively no budget and are never translated or made available to the general worldwide public. The vast majority of releases are either fan-patches or non-official torrents. Besides, they are really, really funny to review on occasion as they were created by very sad little men with sad little lives.

If I wanted to be really base, I could bring up the fact that porn videos, fantasy rape smut, and probably even snuff films are more easily accessible on the net, and even mail order, than isos of some of these titles that have been so controversial.

That is just my opinon on the matter.

 

[Masked Designer]

Video games are in part a visual and auditory presentation, sort of like a total work or art or at least your typical movie. As such, it's acceptable that they present subject matter that is not always inoffensive; such are decisions the creator makes and assume that much responsibility for. If you disagree with their decisions or find them done in poor taste, it's wholly within your power to forgo partaking in the experience without having to detract from others who find it permissible.

It should not be up to a select, chosen few to determine what is and what is not acceptable. Perhaps the masses of individuals don't always do the smartest things but they can definitely choose for themselves what suits them.

 

[wilsonscrazybed]

What I am about to say is going to make me the least popular kid in school. I'll try to temper that with explanation.
Rape simulators have their place, just like the so called murder simulators. I had a friend say "You don't go crazy, you already are crazy and something triggers an episode." You can no more attribute a game about rape causing someone to brutalize a woman than reading a book about Jack the Ripper causing you to dress in a cape and top hat, stalk the streets of London, and murder prostitutes. If someone hates women that much he's going to find an outlet for his pain. Personally I'd rather see him act out his fantasies on a computer program than real life, wouldn't you? But, can a game be a catalyst for rape? Sure, so could seeing Snoop's back up dancers on TV, going to your daughters cheer-leading practice, or reading too deeply into Leviticus. I dare you to name one form of media that HASN'T objectified women in some respect. As a society we have gotten our noses into everyone else's business. Oh, but think of the children renting these rape simulators!
If you let your kids have access to pornography at an impressionable age, you are a bad parent. End of story.

 

[PurpleRain]

Seriously, I don't mind violence, poltical content and such, but I would really think twice about playing the game if it's protagonist(?) was made to go around raping women or gang banging girls. And unless, in context, it was fine somehow, I would seriously question where the gaming industry was heading.

 

[gnaw]

I would prefer to ban BAD GAMES. I'm not amused by the gimmicky sh(l)ock value that so many mediocre games are developed around, but nor do I approve of censorship. If somebody wants to make a game about raping aborted baby unicorn corpses, that's fine with me so long as they make it a *good* game about raping aborted baby unicorn corpses. (Personally I'd prefer something more cheery, like a flower picking sim, but I haven't seen anyone make a good one of those yet.) Whatever the game makers do, they should not include controversial content as an excuse for not putting any effort into making the game fun.

 

[Wildcard6]

There will always be somebody, either an artist, or a kid in his basement, or a crass multi-million dollar corporation that will push the boundaries of taste and ethics. It's where much of what's wrong with our culture can be found. It's also where much of what's great is found. It's a fair trade-off. We're good, smart people, we can see the difference for ourselves, and decide which is which. I don't need anyone making the choices for me, nor my kid.