So Videogames Are Great...

I love mainstream media. No, really, I do. They're great; the way they don't ever generalise, their even handedness, the way they always look at both sides of an argument. I particularly like the way they treat videogames and hip hop. Alright, I believe I may have reached my sarcasm quota for this particular post. So mainstream media shits me to tears. They're not the only ones though. The general uninformed-right wing-mass-of-gray-hair (URMOGH) also shits me.

Grand Theft Auto is the biggest selling series of games pretty much ever (this may not be true, but it's close enough for our purposes, it sells like a mofo regardless). It's also one of the most violent, does contain lots of morally questionable behaviour from many of the characters (especially the main character), and has been blamed variously for the War in Iraq, Sars, at least two shootings, and the degeneration of a whole generation.

It's also one of the funnest games to play ever.

There are many sides to the arguments surrounding the game, and they're not just black and white, there is a whole lot of gray. Here are a few points of interest/facts/things to remember when thinking about the game, and also games in general:

1. The average age of videogamers is now 25 and rising.

2. GTA is rated as highly as it can be in all countries where it is sold, pretty much M15+ at the least.

3. This hasn't stopped Rockstar from advertising heavily in magazines directed straight at kids.

4. Two kids got their father's rifle and shot people in their cars from a bridge over a freeway in there states after playing GTA Vice City.

5. The game is called Grand Theft Auto. Wonder what it's about?

6. A Grandmother tried to sue Rockstar because she bought the game for her 13 year old grandson without realising what the game was about.

7. The game has moments of complete hilarity and excellent social/political satire, and in it's creation of a massive simulated LA, Las Vegas and San Francisco manages to say a lot about American culture and it's failings, America's recent history and race relations.

8. It has an excellent story and great voice acting.

There is a misconception among a lot of parents that games are for kids, therefore automatically making them all suitable for kids to play, clearly this is not the case. Obviously, given the average age of gamers now, games have grown up in a lot of respects (Though they still have a long way to go).

At the end of the day, I really wish that mainstream media (Today Tonight, ACA, I'm looking at you) and parents could be a bit more informed with their opinions. I'm actually also more for strict policing of the ratings system. I'd rather see games get released with an R rating say, than just get banned. Stores must also take their jobs more seriously and actually attempt to not sell to minors. But the buck must stop with parents, surely. Don't Just go out and buy GTA because your 12 year old wants it, have a look at what the game is about, maybe even play the game yourself, make a conscious decision.

I think game makers are at a cross roads. "Cinematic experience" is a phrase bandied about way too much these days with reference to games, "adult content" usually just means the game is violent, has some swear words and maybe a naked lady or two. We've reached critical mass with the amount of violence (the realist in me says we're gonna punch straight through critical mass though); it's time for a change, though it will be hard for two big reasons:

1. Violence sells.

2. The instinct to shoot/hit things in games is almost hard wired into gamers. Even if the game doesn't call for it, if you're stuck the first thing you try will be to shoot whatever is holding you back. Switches et al

nonetheless, game makers, players and marketers all need to have a look at themselves and try and move the art form forward. (And the argument of whether it's art or not is a whole other kettle of polygons)

That's all for now I reckon.