This is the kind of mindless ranting that makes me mad. Most of the arguments aren´t new anyway, there have been quite a few "games and violence" threads already.
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Original post by Warsong
Using game violence to make your game better makes u cheep and unimaginative. It’s like a movie using special effects all the time and not a good story.
Exactly why is that? Confrontation is an integral part of as good as every adventure story, there isn´t a tale, myth or epic which does not include elements of confrontation. And confrontation in the most instances means violence. In stories, films and books you have more options of presenting the conflict, as you can take the recipient by the hand and lead him through the fictious world. In games the user is a main part in determining the flow of the story - that´s why you as the storyteller don´t have so many options of controlling it. That´s why the more subtle forms of confrontation are often not possible in interactive entertainment. And some types of stories just require violence - some are even based on it. What would the Nibelungenlied be without the slaying of the dragon, what would Beowulf be without the Grendel, what would King Arthur be without his adversaries?
That´s why I think the comparison with special effects is off - special effects in games are similar to those in movies, flashy graphics and the likes. Violence is not a special effect, it´s part of the game. And not every game wants a deep, fascinating story. Some are about heroes and violence.
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Original post by Warsong
U mess with kid’s minds. So kids shouldn''t have it
And if u r grown up u shouldn''t care for it since u seen too much sick shit in life to see more shit.
A game is to take u away from problems and not fuel to it by giving u negative images. If u want to see negative images watch new or nature shows. I can’t want to see gore look at surgery on TV.
I don´t mess with anybody´s mind. True, violent games are not for kids, but that´s what the rating system is for. And I don´t believe that you can blame the game makers for the mistakes of the law or the vendors. You can´t sue a weapons manufacturer or a knife maker for getting hurt with one of their products.
And if the player is grown up (which I assume when designing games with violent content) he or she also has the right to decide for themselves what they want to see and what they don´t want to see. They definitely don´t need someone like you coming along and playing the righteous shephert telling them what´s right and what´s not. If you don´t want to see violent games, no problem. But just because you have a problem with them does not mean that everybody else does too.
The primary goal of a game is to entertain, not necessarily to help you forget the problems of your everyday life. Again, if you want games like that - there are plenty. But not everyone plays games to escape to happy-happy-country.
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Original post by Warsong
Alfred Hitchcock never used gore or show penetration of a knife cutting. He just had the knife go up and down and the gore was in your calm or demented imagination.
True, he never did, and his films were all the more effective for it. The problem with games is that you don´t have that kind of control over the "viewer". Since the player usually determines what he looks at (he has to be in control) you can´t selectively not show certain scenes.
And to think that this kind of violence is "less evil" would be a grave error - usually this kind of violence has a far greater effect on the mind than all-out gore splattering.
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Original post by Warsong
Humans shouldn’t act on animal instance and to fuel to their viciousness doesn’t make it right. It shows that u don’t care and u r greedy.
I assume you mean instincts? Violent behaviour is a part of what humans are, to deny that would be far more dangerous than to acknowledge it. Millions of years of evolution in a hostile environment have made us capable of inflicting violence efficiently and ruthlessly when necessary, just because due to the last few hundred years of so-called civilisation these practises have been suppressed does not mean that they are not there. Everyone has aggressions, but since you can´t go around beating people up you have to find another way to vent that aggression. Some people do that by playing violent games. Violence is a part of everyone, and violence can and will give you an adrenaline rush like nothing else will.
If you are interested in a serious debate about this, I suggest you read a few books on evolutionary psychology and social psychology. Especially Philip Zimbardo wrote some great stuff about violence, if you don´t like to read then there are even a few videos by him.
Your arguments show nothing, I care about the people I make games for. I want them to have fun with the game, without lecturing them on morality issues or censoring the content because I think that I am so great and know what´s good for them. They are adults, let them decide.
And why exactly would that make me greedy? Because I want my games to sell? Because I dare take money for the work I do?
