I don’t hate Jack Thompson, but you have to admit, the guy has a chip on his shoulder. His beef is with videogames, so I’m going to take aim at the real issue at hand to see whether or not its time to hit the road Jack.
The Timeline:
We begin over 20 years ago, with the release of the first real videogame ever: PONG. The international success of the basic arcade game is considered to be the origin of the current multi-billion dollar gaming industry. Pong, probably the most basic game ever conceived was the basis for modern sports game, shooters and side strollers. Even action games and RPGs can take some of their inspiration from Pong. Notice that with Pong, the industry was born, completely free of violence, sexuality, and lewdness.
Fast forward about 6 years to Custer’s Revenge, the first game that sparked international outrage for its poor imitation of rape, indecent sexuality and the dominant male sex organ. For the first time, sex was recognized to be merged with videogames, both deliberately and explicitly.
Move forward again 3 years. It was here on the PC where videogame violence, and more importantly, the publicized fight to stop it began with Doom for the PC.
Enter 2001, and welcome to the next era of videogames, all because of one game. Its not that it was the first game of its kind, on the contrary its name alone makes it part of a trilogy at the time, but indeed, it would be the most significant game the world had ever seen. By now you probably guessed, it was Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. The game that combined sexuality, violence and videogames all in one was born, all in less than 15 years from the release of Pong.
The Accusation:
Videogames desensitize (make people more prone to and less conscious of) violence
Videogames are a major cause of violence in the modern united states, and to a lesser extent, the world
Specific games like Grand Theft Auto, Bully, Custer’s Revenge and Doom can be attributed to specific acts of violence and or sexuality in the time frame of their release and of their influence over the younger generation of the set period
Videogames have addictive qualities that force people to continue playing them, despite the negative effects on a player’s mental state.
People who actively engage in violent videogames are more prone to violence and have a weaker stress reaction (chemically and mentally) resisting or understanding the ramifications of violence than people who do not play them.
The Evidence:
Several studies by professionally and internationally recognized labs and schools including the United States FCC and Stanford University
Scientific studies showing a weaker chemical response to violence in the brain by users of violent videogames
Several murders in 2001, 2003 and more recently, the murder allegedly planned using Rockstar Game’s Grand Theft Auto in 2005.
What I am about to share is a combination of my speculation, opinion and basic fact. It is in no way a substitution for personal or widely accepted reality and should be considered accordingly.
The reality, or at least the way I see what’s going on is a bit different. You have probably heard Jack Thompson on G4, and several other videogame advocates or reverse advocates on the subject, but you are always getting 2 sides of a story. What I think we all need to hear and read and understand is that there is fact, and there is speculation, and 2 sides of a story don’t always tell the whole tale. That is the case here and now.
The United States is the forefront of the world when it comes to entertainment, and more specifically entertainment in the media. You may not realize it, but the average American can see upwards of 2000 advertisements in a single day. While the ads are divided among every type of global industry from food to clothing to charity, one of the largest industries and certainly one of the most publicized is also the largest, and it’s the entertainment industry. Between music, movies, videogames and every other form of media entertainment, there are several hundred billion dollars at work every single year. While videogames are one of the most profitable of these industries, it is also the newest, because it is a product of advanced modern technology, much more so than movies or music.
Last year, the videogame industry was at its peak, finally reaching the status of a multi-billion dollar industry apart from music and movies, a landmark on American and global culture. Games not only sell millions of copies, but make ten times more per copy than on any DVD and movie ticket bought by a single person in the untied states. In short, the videogame industry is potentially the most profitable industry in media, far more than movies and music combined.
So next time you wonder, “why all the fuss over a few violent videogames”, remember the money and the fact that videogames target males ages 12-35, which is the largest, most wealthy demographic of consumers in America.
Unlike movies and music, which are already engraved in American culture, Videogames still have not permeated every level of the American demographic and have not found unanimous cultural acceptance. Simply stated, for better or worse, the industry is moving forward, and the attack to change direction now or never is on.
As responsible gamers, it is our responsibility to asses both the accusations against the industry, and the defense in order to examine the reality. That comes next.
Jack Thompson and the United States FCC and most political unions would like you to believe that videogames deteriorate society in major ways. They solicit violence, sexuality and indecency into areas that your average Rated R movie can’t permeate. Videogames like anything else can be advertised to anyone, but can often contain content unforeseen at the time of purchase. The ESRB rates games accordingly, but there has been activity aimed to up the ratings even more. Lawsuits and legal action have been taken against the gaming industry and what they sell in every box, on every CD, in every cartridge and on every game server.
And why? Because videogames make a lot of money, plain and simple. As I said before, music and movies can’t be battled with and won, they have roots in the American culture that go too deep. However, smart and insightful people can see clearly that videogames do not have the stronghold on the US that other media has, but is going to , and its going to very soon. In fact, it’s doing it right now, go figure you are reading this on an internet gaming website forum.
I showed you the evidence against the industry, now I’m going to tear it down, brace yourselves….
Destroying the Evidence:
First of all, why videogames? Yes it has a great demographic as a target, yes it generates a lot of money, so what? Why videogames, and why now. I’ve got a solution Jack Thompson might like: GO AFTER PORNOGRAPHY! Seriously, it has a wider audience than videogames, reaches more people, generates more money and is in more homes. So Jack Thompson, why not? You tell me. And don’t you dare tell me that videogames are a bigger issue. Porn has been scientifically proven to cause both problems with regular sexual activity for young people who are exposed, and it has been cited in thousands of accounts of rape, sexual assault and torture. Porn is proven to desensitize people to sexuality in an extreme and direct way, its fact, not speculation. If you need to address a problem in society, start at the roots, start where the problem is the biggest and most dominant don’t be a coward and try to pick on the only industry that hasn’t hurt anyone….at least not yet, read on.
Secondly, the tests that have been done to indicate videogames create violent people are stereotypical. They fail to address the murders in which GTA was officially used to plan the murders. As has always been true, violent people have violent tendencies. How violent a person is or how violently they react is 99% a result of their upbringing, their personal values, self control and mental state. Children who are abused, abandoned, physiologically unstable or anything else severe have a tendency towards violence that exceeds any mental or chemical tendency that videogames have shown to have. Bottom line is, you can watch every rated R movie in the world and play every M and AO videogame you can get your hands on, it proves nothing and it is up to the user’s discretion and self control. People cannot be responsible for the poor choices other people make, plain and simple. Don’t blame those murders on GTA. It was a result of an angry teen who was planning a murder and from a mental standpoint, was aggressive and would have murdered the people with or without GTA’s involvement. Pencil and paper have been used to plan murders, should we make a campaign against them? Logic is a weapon Jack Thompson, use it wisely or get wise.
I’m not ignoring the fact that videogames have had an effect on a generation of young people in the United States, I am simply indicating that like TV, Movies and Music, it is all about choice. Nobody forces you to play videogames, nobody forces you to be angry, and nobody told you to murder anyone. The sad truth is that people who cannot control themselves accordingly used the fight or flight instinct to find an excuse, a scapegoat, and there are people foolish enough to buy into that idea that there is one cause, one thing that has deteriorated a set of values and truths in a situation. Believing that is to invest into a lie that has cost the world thousands of lives over the last 100 years. Races and ethnicity have been sighted as the cause of injustice and resulted in war. America faces a new war, a war akin to both world wars in that the enemy is only the enemy in the mind of those who need an enemy. If Jack Thompson can make videogames the cause of all evil, he has won, but if people can realize that porn, music, movies, food, lifestyle, habits, upbringing, religion, values, truth and fact are all just as important, just as significant and just as much to blame as anything else, then we can truly understand.
I guess this means its time to hit the road Jack.
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