Poll: What would you ban?

[Terramax]

I haven't chosen one for the same reason as The_tralfalmadorian.

All I can say is computer games do influence bad behaviour in many people. But so do books.

I don't think anything should be banned. I think we should set up a better education system both in schools and after giving the public a greater awareness of the effects of all media.

Personally I think the rascism and one-sided views of the tabloids are responsible for more deaths and ruined lives than any computer game could hope to achieve. Everyone *knows* you shouldn't believe what you read in the papers yet people still pay their .35p or whatever and would still believe The Sun if they gave an exclusive story titled 'Kate Moss gives birth to a three-eyed gremlin'.

 

[Sylic]

They let movies show most of this content, I don't see why video games can't show the same images.

 

[Foss]

I always figured Kate Moss was a mythical figure anyway.

Nothing that screwed up can exist in the real world.

 

[Alphavillain]

If you are going to be influened by a video game to kill/rape/take drugs/dress like a character from a JRPG then you are probably an extremely twisted individual in any case with or without Merssrs Sony and Microsoft. Most people that do terrible thing do not play video games: they're too busy to play...doing terrible things.

 

[propertyofcobra]

I wouldn't ban any of these, really.
For the "sexually explicit and depraved" material, I wouldn't ban this any more than I would ban all books with erotic scenes, or all nude paintings, or even porn flicks for that matter.
For "Exceptionally extreme violence", I believe that it has it's place. The original Soldier of Fortune acted to me in many cases as a chanelling device for rage, not all that unlike beating up inflatable clowns. And if YOU'RE not the one doing it, I believe torture and infanticide can truly bring your blood to a boil, and make victory all the sweeter when you gut the sick freak who did it.
For the "Politically insensitive content", I'm not even gonna bother mentioning how that would involve banning all RTS games where you could ever concievably attack your enemy because they have more of a resource than you do. And of course, banning Warcraft 2 and 3, (And Serious Sam 1 and 2, and Command And Conquer Generals...And every Mario game with bob-ombs) for having suicide units!

Out there stuff has a place. I'm not saying every game should involve graphic decapitation of American Soldiers as you defend Iraq's honor, followed by rough over-the-top onscreen multi-position intercourse with one of your many virgins in the afterlife.
I'm saying that these games need to be CAPABLE of existing. (I definitely would dislike, and never buy, the above mentioned game. But I should be allowed to make it if I really want to. Sure, I'd have to sell it over the internet only, but so what?)

"Rape Sims" and "Murder Sims" have a place, the first with certain scorned and angry men (generally Japanese ones), the second with anyone who has ever proverbially seen red and mused (without any real intent of ever carrying out) bloody murder to make themselves feel better.
If a game lets me graphically slaughter an opponent, great. It might be tasteless, but if I ever feel white hot rage for whatever reason, playing that for a while is a far less destructive way of venting than, say, headbutting walls or punting expensive objects of art.

Controversial games need to exist, but not so that you can feel the thrill of being a suicide bomber, or the sheer joy of shooting high school kids.
But to bring these subjects to light in a different way.

Seeing as most of us live in countries of freedom of expression, you can happily and blissfully ignore games, books, movies and pictures that you dislike (unlike, say, protest rallies to declare Adolf Hitler's birthday a national holiday, or spittle being projectiled in your general direction because of race/sexual orientation), but NOBODY should have a right to say "nobody could ever make this, ever" if it ultimately doesn't hurt anyone at all.

 

[NickCaligo42]

Heavy stuff, Dectilon.

In media there's a term known as the "chilling effect." It means that if you ban one particular product for a censorship transgression of some kind anybody who cares about making money will avoid that transgression at all costs, making sure not even to get CLOSE to crossing the line. Frankly I haven't seen ANY of those kinds of content in a game but for a few low-profile free things on the internet, but pick one and watch the writers misinterpret the rules.

"No sexually explicit content" = "Avoid all sexual references and jokes; don't even hint that characters may have a libido"

"No extreme violence" = "No more survival horror games, and that's JUST FOR STARTERS."

"No politically insensitive content" = "All villains should be Saturday morning cartoon villains and should not hint at real motives or bear any similarity to real-life bad guys."

The problem's not that someone might make a game that goes to such extremes as you've pointed out, it's that developers will take censorship too far as they always have. It's just not a good way of enforcing appropriateness of content. The only reason it seems like such a big deal is that games HAVE to reach a fairly broad audience in order to make any money, unlike books, which can be just as provincial and weird as they feel like. Want a book about a transvestite prostitute looking to scrape together the last bit of money for the operation? You got it, and it'll probably be a pretty good read. A GAME? Not happening and for a whole lot of different reasons.

Of course it doesn't help when politicians are raving, ignorant morons who'll represent games as accurately as they represent the people who elect them...

 

[sapient]

I think we'll have to tighten around the point where games incorporate tentacle monsters and Japanese schoolgirls.

 

[ComradeJim270]

None. Censorship is more vile and obscene than any game could ever manage to be.

 

[Count_de_Monet]

I'm glad the majority of voters believe there should be no censorship. Personally, I believe regulation is more than enough assistance. I'm not sure where the problem even is because my parents were never stupid enough to think a game named Mortal Kombat featured educational content and bunny petting... In a perfect world you should be intelligent enough to tell if a game is violent, sexually depraved, or just plain dumb by looking at the box or *gasp* God forbid you go online and read about it. Regulation is just an affirmation of my belief that the majority of humans on this planet have the cranial capacity of my pet dog but I won't allow myself to think less of humanity by believing censorship is a necessity.

Aside from that rather long rant I think the results of the poll show something fairly ridiculous about our society. Exempting the "no censorship votes" we see a spread of people who think sexual violence is more worthy of being banned than killing children, teaching people who to make weapons and other kinds of extreme violence... I have to say I think that putting a pitchfork through a toddler is more disgusting than rape and, if we were to have censorship, I'd hope that physical violence gets the rubber stamp before sexual violence.

 

[PettingZOOPONY]

Not to hijack the thread though who here would honestly play a rape simulator? I'm sitting here thinking why in the world would anyone want to play that type of game but at the same time simple human curiosity makes me wonder how the game works. I have killed children, stolen, commited genocide, enslaved whole populations in games but I don't know if I could cross that line into virtually raping a npc. Maybe its the fact that the other acts of violence and degradation in those games advanced the game or gave me resources that I needed, I just don't see how rape would advance a plot. Granted a good writer could make it so. To me rape is worse than murder because of what it can do to a persons soul.

All that said though I still stand by my original statement and would not ban anything.

 

[PurpleRain]

Holy crap. The the way the polls add: Everything combind together (not including the last) is at 37. 42 votes say that baby killing, terrorist attacks, rape, torture, school massacres and sexual violence is too soft core. I'm starting to worry about you lot.

 

[PettingZOOPONY]

Holy crap. The the way the polls add: Everything combind together (not including the last) is at 37. 42 votes say that baby killing, terrorist attacks, rape, torture, school massacres and sexual violence is too soft core. I'm starting to worry about you lot.

Its not our fault Jack Thompson was right and we love to eat babies after years of playing video games, we can still blame our fucked up minds on games right? If not its TVs fault, well at least the Fox networks fault.

 

[PurpleRain]

Hey, what's a Pulitzer Laureate, because I'm apparently one now.

Anyway, sometimes the media needs its boundries. It's not censorship to make bounries that people can obide by. Like laws I guess. They're not unfair, well most of the time. Even movies usually get try to avoid the baby killing scene. but movies are allowed to get away with a lot more because they're apparently not 'targeted towards kids as games are' which is just wrong. I would like to see more adult content released on games just not a rape and stalking simulator.

 

[Dectilon]

"Not to hijack the thread though who here would honestly play a rape simulator? I'm sitting here thinking why in the world would anyone want to play that type of game but at the same time simple human curiosity makes me wonder how the game works."

I doubt (hope) that no one here would like to play any, but they do exist. They are, however, so far removed from the mainstream that regulating them is close to pointless. It differs from the actual crime in the same way a movie depicting a murder isn't a crime. Saying this or that isn't meant for kids is, on the same token, equally pointless because kids will find them regardless. The only regulation I can really support is that done by parents with common sense. Parents are taking less and less responsibility these days, prefering to pass blame rather than deal with the actual issue that in general are personal.

Pulitzer Laureate means Pulitzer winner : P

 

[Mister_moi]

i do not think anything should get banned for what reason there might be. If people dont want there kids to grow up as baby killing raping suicide terrorist than they should tell those kids not to play certian games. Not that kids will grow up like that if they play a game, as long as its clear that its is just a game.

But the graphics of the games are getting so realistic lately that it might get harder for simpleminded people (or really sick and twisted people...) to look at a rape scene or baby murder by a clow scene and think: "It's just a game" so i can understand why certain people want certain sick games ideas banned.

 

[Axulciex]

I wouldn't ban a thing.

Standards will change and eventually all explicit content will be allowed, its a natural progression. why hold back progress?
Theres a ratings system for a reason, people of age have to be responsible for their own actions, regardless of stimuli from entertainment. Censorship is backwards and primitive.

 

[Leenix]

I don't see date rape or sexual violence particularly tasteful, which is a nice way of saying that I think it's extremely fucked up.

There are games with sex and there are sex games. its the latter that I think that we should be wary of. Sure, if you really need to beat a girl to a bloody and unidentifiable chunk of flesh to get a hard on, then its much better that you do it in a game and not go any further and redo the scene in reality. Of course, failing that you could always raid a butcher's deep freeze.
This has gone on for far too long...

My point is that it doesn't matter if you do, lets say "socially unpopular" things as long as it stays in the game. It's when those retards who don't know the difference between games and reality show us how clever they are by re-enacting those things on the unknowing and innocent that I get thoroughly pissed off! Especially when its the games that get the blame.

So if you are one of those previously mentioned retards, do us all a favour and repeat a game that has suicide or something. At least cut off/out your sexual organs so you cant breed.

 

[PhoenixFlame]

I can't really go for banning any of those things, mostly because regulation, as many people have said, is not strong enough and should be better in deterring people who shouldn't be playing the games in question. The problem isn't in media - time has shown that media standards and ideas of what is and what isn't allowed can be changed and the envelope pushed, with little problems on "society". For evidence, look no further than what was allowed on TV 30 years ago vs. what is allowed on TV today.

The key is not banning the content, it's making sure that the people who experience the content (such as children) are educated about it. Education starts with the idea that what is in the game, stays in the game, that what is in a game is in essence a simulation, a fantasy, and not something that should be replicated in the real world no matter how ridiculous or edgy it is.

I don't particularly like that games which sensationalize extreme violence or rape or any of those taboos are made. But because there are ways in which to properly regulate and educate in order to diminish the chances of that one child, teenager, or adult who takes the game world too seriously, I can't in good conscience say we shouldn't have those games published at all.

On another angle, I do think that if people were properly educated that games which were published with that kind of content would sell less, telling "soulless" marketing companies that it's not only morally questionable to make said games but also more importantly, not profitable to do so.

 

[KypFisto]

As horrible as some of these ideas are, I don't believe they should be censured. Either their vulgar content will be filtered out by consumers because they won't buy it or it will gain a cult following like snuff films. Maybe one of these games is trying to make a political point. Maybe it'll get people thinking. I don't and wouldn't support anyone banning such content.