Chapter 10: Electronic Games and Entertainment
10.5 Controversial Issues
Media and Culture
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
�. Describe controversial issues related to modern video
games.
�. Analyze the issues and problems with rating electronic
entertainment.
�. Discuss the e�ects of video game addiction.
�. Examine the gender issues surrounding video games.
The increasing realism and expanded possibilities of video games has
inspired a great deal of controversy. However, even early games, though
rudimentary and seemingly laughable nowadays, raised controversy
over their depiction of adult themes. Although increased realism and
graphics capabilities of contemporary video games have increased the
shock value of in-game violence, international culture has been strug-
gling to come to terms with video game violence since the dawn of
video games.
Violence
Violence in video games has been controversial from their earliest days.
Death Race, an arcade game released in 1976, encouraged drivers to
run over stick �gures, which then turned into Xs. Although the program-
mers claimed that the stick �gures were not human, the game was con-
troversial, making national news on the TV talk show Donahue and the
TV news magazine 60 Minutes. Video games, regardless of their realism
or lack thereof, had added a new potential to the world of games and
entertainment: the ability to simulate murder.
The enhanced realism of video games in the 1990s accompanied a rise
in violent games as companies expanded the market to target older de-
mographics. A great deal of controversy exists over the in�uence of this
kind of violence on children, and also over the rating system that is ap-
plied to video games. There are many stories of real-life violent acts in-
volving video games. The 1999 Columbine High School massacre was
quickly linked to the teenage perpetrators’ enthusiasm for video games.
The families of Columbine victims brought a lawsuit against 25 video
game companies, claiming that if the games had not existed, the mas-
sacre would not have happened (Ward, 2001). In 2008, a 17-year-old boy
shot his parents after they took away his video game system, killing his
mother (Harvey, 2009). Also in 2008, when six teens were arrested for
attempted carjacking and robbery, they stated that they were reenacting
scenes from Grand Theft Auto (Cochran, 2008).
There is no shortage of news stories that involve young men committing
crimes relating to an obsession with video games. The controversy has
not been resolved regarding the in�uences behind these crimes. Many
studies have linked aggression to video games; however, critics take is-
sue with using the results of these studies to claim that the video games
caused the aggression. They point out that people who enact video-
game–related crimes already have psychopathic tendencies, and that
the results of such research studies are correlational rather than causa-
tional—a naturally violent person is drawn to play violent video games
(Adams, 2010). Other critics point out that violent games are designed
for adults, just as violent movies are, and that parents should enforce
stricter standards for their children.
The problem of children’s access to violent games is a large and com-
plex one. Video games present di�cult issues for those who create the
ratings. One problem is the inconsistency that seems to exist in rating
video games and movies. Movies with violence or sexual themes are
rated either R or NC-17. Filmmakers prefer the R rating over the NC-17
rating because NC-17 ratings hurt box o�ce sales, and they will often
heavily edit �lms to remove overly graphic content. The Entertainment
Software Rating Board (ESRB), rates video games. The two most restric-
tive ratings the ESRB has put forth are “M” (for Mature; 17 and older;
“may contain mature sexual themes, more intense violence, and/or
strong language”) and “AO” (for Adults Only; 18 and up; “may include
graphic depictions of sex and/or violence”). If this rating system were ap-
plied to movies, a great deal of movies now rated R would be labeled
AO. An AO label can have a devastating e�ect on game sales; in fact,
many retail outlets will not sell games with an AO rating (Hyman, 2005).
This creates a situation where a video game with a sexual or violent
scene as graphic as the ones seen in R-rated movies is di�cult to pur-
chase, whereas a pornographic magazine can be bought at many conve-
nience stores. This issue reveals a unique aspect of video games.
Although many of them are designed for adults, the distribution system
and culture surrounding video games is still largely youth-oriented.
Video Game Addiction
Another controversial issue is the problem of video game addiction. As
of the print date, the American Medical Association (AMA) has not cre-
ated an o�cial diagnosis of video game addiction, citing the lack of long-
term research. However, the AMA uses the term “video game overuse”
to describe video game use that begins to a�ect other aspects of an
individual’s life, such as relationships and health. Studies have found that
socially marginalized people have more of a tendency to overuse
games, especially online role-playing games like World of Warcraft.
Other studies have found that patterns of time usage and social dysfunc-
tion in players who overuse games are similar to those of other addictive
disorders (Khan, 2007).
Figure 10.8
Video game use can become an obsession with some
people.
Steven Andrew – Video Games – CC BY-NC 2.0.
Groups such as Online Gamers Anonymous have developed a 12-step
program similar to that of Alcoholics Anonymous to help gamers deal
with problems relating to game overuse. This group is run by former on-
line gamers and family members of those a�ected by heavy game use
(On-line Gamers Anonymous). This problem is not new, but it has be-
come more prevalent. In the early 1990s, many stories surfaced of indi-
viduals dropping out of college or getting divorced because of addiction
to MUDs (Greene, 1998). In addition, heavy video gaming, much like
heavy computer use in an o�ce setting, can result in painful repetitive
stress injuries. Even worse are the rare, but serious, cases of death re-
sulting from video game overuse. In the early ’80s, two deaths were
linked to the video game Berzerk. The players, both in their late teens,
su�ered fatal heart attacks while struggling to achieve top scores
(Arcade History). The issue of video game addiction has become a larger
one because of the ubiquity of video games and Internet technology. In
countries that have a heavily wired infrastructure, such as South Korea,
the problem is even bigger. In 2010, excessive game use was problem-
atic enough that the South Korean government imposed an online gam-
ing curfew for people under the age of 18 that would block certain sites
after midnight. This decision followed the death of a 3-month-old baby
from starvation while her parents played an online game at an Internet
café (Cain, 2010).
Another side of video game addiction is told well by Jim Rossignol in his
book This Gaming Life: Travels in Three Cities. The book describes
Rossignol’s job as a journalist for a �nancial company and his increasing
involvement with Quake III. Rossignol trained a team of players to com-
pete in virtual online tournaments, scheduling practices and spending
the hours afterward analyzing strategies with his teammates. His intense
involvement in the game led to poor performance at his job, and he was
eventually �red. After being �red, he spent even more time on the game,
not caring about his lack of a job or shrinking savings. The story up to
this point sounds like a testimonial about the dangers of game addiction.
However, because of his expertise in the game, he was hired by a
games magazine and enjoyed full-time employment writing about what
he loved doing. Rossignol does not gloss over the fact that games can
have a negative in�uence, but his book speaks to the ways in which
gaming—often what would be described as obsessive gaming—can
cause positive change in people’s lives (Rossignol).
Sexism
Figure 10.9
Games such as Tomb Raider and Dead or Alive Xtreme
have been criticized for their demeaning depiction of
women.
Joshua | Ezzell – TOMB RAIDER 2013 | Simpli�ed – CC
BY 2.0.
It is no secret that young adult men make up the majority of video
gamers. A study in 2009 found that 60 percent of gamers were male,
and the average age of players was 35 (Entertainment Software
Association, 2009). While the gender gap has certainly narrowed in the
past 30 years, video gaming is still in many ways a male-dominated
medium.
Male in�uence can be seen throughout the industry. Women make up
less than 12 percent of game designers and programmers, and those
who do enter the �eld often �nd themselves facing subtle—and not so
subtle—sexism (Media Awareness Network). When Game Developer
magazine released its list of top 50 people in the video game industry
for 2010, bloggers were quick to note that no female developers ap-
peared in the list (Doctorow, 2010). In 2007, scandal erupted over a
pornographic comic featuring Jade Raymond, current managing director
of the French video game publisher Ubisoft, that surfaced on an online
forum. The motivation behind the comic was to allege that Raymond did
not deserve her position at Ubisoft because she earned it based on her
looks, rather than on her abilities and experience.
Sexism in video games has existed since the early days of the medium.
The plot of the infamous Custer’s Revenge, released for the Atari 2600
in 1982, centered on the rape of a Native American woman. Popular NES
games such as Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda featured a
male �gure rescuing a damsel in distress. Both the protagonist and an-
tagonist in the original Tomb Raider game had hourglass �gures with
prominent busts and nonexistent waists, a trend that continues in the
franchise today. In 2003, the �ghting series Dead or Alive released a
spin-o� game titled Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball that existed
to showcase the well-endowed female characters in swim attire (Strauss,
2010). The spin-o� was so popular that two more similar games were
released.
Some note that video games are not unique in their demeaning portrayal
of women. Like movies, television, and other media forms, video games
often fall back on gender stereotyping in order to engage consumers.
Defenders point out that many male video game characters are also de-
picted lewdly. Games such as God of War and Mortal Kombat feature hy-
persexualized men with bulging muscles and aggressive personalities
who rely on their brawn rather than their brains. How are men a�ected
by these stereotypes? Laboratory studies have shown that violence and
aggression in video games a�ect men more than women, leading to
higher levels of male aggression (Bartholow & Anderson, 2002). While
sexism is certainly present in video games, it seems sexual stereotyping
a�ects both genders negatively.
In recent years, game designers have sought to move away from these
clichéd representations of gender. The popular game Portal, released in
2007, features a female protagonist clad in a simple orange jumpsuit
who relies on her wits to solve logic puzzles. Series such as Half-Life
and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney star male heroes who are intellectuals
instead of warriors. Other games, like the Mass E�ect series and Halo:
Reach, allow gamers to choose the gender of the main character without
altering elements of the plot or game-play. However, despite recent
strides forward, there is no doubt that as the video game industry contin-
ues to evolve, so too will the issue of gender.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Video game violence has been an issue since the 1976
game Death Race. The potential of video games to sim-
ulate murder created a new issue in entertainment
media.
A great number of news stories link video games with
violent crimes. Studies have found a correlation be-
tween aggressive behavior and video games, but critics
claim that these studies do not prove that video games
cause violent acts.
The video game rating system informs purchasers
about the content of a game. The highest rating, Adults
Only, hurts video game sales, so companies try to make
games that are rated Mature. Critics charge that video
game ratings are inconsistent with other schemes, such
as the movie rating system.
Video game addiction is associated more with online
games, although many instances of single-player obses-
sions exist as well. It has become a high-pro�le issue
with the rise in popularity of online gaming.
The American Medical Association has not developed a
diagnosis for video game addiction. Instead, it uses the
term “video game overuse” to describe a state where
an individual’s gaming habits have a detrimental e�ect
on his or her personal life.
Sexism and gender issues are hot topics in the video
game industry, as female gamers and developers often
struggle for equal footing. Controversy has arisen over
character stereotypes; however, modern games are be-
ginning to break through conventional barriers of
gender.
EXERCISES
Choose video game violence or video game addiction and
search for it on the Internet. Examine the research that is asso-
ciated with the issue you chose. Then consider the following
questions:
�. What is your opinion of the issue in light of the
research?
�. Has your issue been researched thoroughly?
�. Visit message boards and forums and search for journal
articles related to video game addiction or violence.
What actions would you suggest to research these is-
sues more fully?
References
Adams, Jill U. “A Closer Look: E�ects of Violent Video Games,” Los
Angeles Times, May 3, 2010, http://www.latimes.com/news/health/la-
he-closer-20100503,0,5586471.story.
Arcade History, “Berzerk, the Video Game,” http://www.arcade-
history.com/?n=berzerk&page=detail&id=236.
Bartholow, Bruce D. and Craig A. Anderson, “E�ects of Violent Video
Games on Aggressive Behavior: Potential Sex Di�erences,” Journal of
Experimental Social Psychology 38, no. 3 (2002): 283–290.
Cain, Geo�rey. “South Korea Cracks Down on Gaming Addiction,” Time,
April 20, 2010,
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1983234,00.html.
Cochran, Lee. “Teens Say: Video Game Made Them Do It,” ABC News,
June 27, 2008, http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=5262689.
Doctorow, Cory. “Gamasutra’s Most Important Gamers List Is a Boy’s
Club,” BoingBoing (blog), April 14, 2010,
http://boingboing.net/2010/04/14/gamasutras-most-impo.html.
Entertainment Software Association, Essential Facts About the
Computer and Video Game Industry: 2009.
Greene, R. W. “Is Internet Addiction for Worrywarts or a Genuine
Problem?” CNN, September 23, 1998,
http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9809/23/netaddict.idg/index.ht
ml.
Harvey, Mike. “Teenager Daniel Petric Shot Parents Who Took Away
Xbox,” Times (London), January 13, 2009,
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article
5512446.ece.
Hyman, Paul. “Video Game Rating Board Don’t Get No Respect,”
Hollywood Reporter, April 8, 2005,
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?
vnu_content_id=1000874859.
Khan, Mohamed. Emotional and Behavioral E�ects of Video Games and
Internet Overuse, American Medical Association, Council on Science and
Public Health, 2007, http://www.ama-
assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/mm/443/csaph12a07-fulltext.pdf.
Media Awareness Network, “Gender Stereotyping,” http://www.media-
awareness.ca/english/parents/video_games/concerns/gender_videog
ames.cfm.
On-line Gamers Anonymous, “About OLGA & OLG-Anon,”
http://www.olganon.org.
Rossignol, This Gaming Life, 4–11.
Strauss, Michael. “A Look at Female Characters in Video Games,”
Associated Content, July 16, 2010,
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5487226/a_look_at_femal
e_characters_in_video_pg2.html?cat=19.
Ward, Mark. “Columbine Families Sue Computer Game Makers,” BBC
News, May 1, 2001,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1295920.stm.
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