With the controversies surrounding videogames and their contents effect on people growing up around them, the argument popped up of how regulated they should be to protect societies values. On September 16, 1994 the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, or ESRB as it’s more commonly called, was created to introduce a ratings system in order to inform the consumer of the item they want to purchase. This was in reaction to several controversial videogames being released that were bought for the wrong audience because there was nothing to inform the customer of the content, although the titles Death Race or Mortal Kombat should have been a good indication of what was to be expected. Nevertheless after public backlash the ESRB was created and is still around today creating labels for games everywhere. This rating system that is implemented is much akin to the Motion Picture Association of America film rating system used to rate cinematic movies, both animated and live action.
In order to discuss how we should deal with the regulation of videogames, we must first decide what exactly to classify videogames as. Are they just a game meant to be played and used, or are they something more than that? Many people argue whether or not videogames are considered art and the debate is still out there so I’m going to do a simple breakdown of videogames as they exist today and how they hold up to a widely held definition of art. Merriam-Webster defines art as “something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings.” Videogames fit perfectly within that definition. They involve complex worlds, characters, and storylines that have to be near flawless and allow exploration of the player, not to mention all of the game mechanics and balancing that has to happen in order to complete the game and make it a pleasant experience for the player. While some games are meant to just be played through and give just a couple of hours of enjoyment and not leave an impact, it is becoming more and more common for games to involve the player themselves and the creators love bringing satire into their games and having the player get involved in the issue. Some games are even entirely created around that fact. Other games however might not include social satire, but instead invoke strong feelings within a player by showing a grand cut scene of an area to get an emotional response or even by showing a characters death. The emotional response that a game creator can get is usually greater than that can be achieved by any other type of median due to the involvement the player has in that world. Another great thing about videogames as a type of art is that the game creator is able to let someone wander around and get immersed by the world that they have created. The player sees and hears the world the way the game creator intended.
Since videogames are a form of art, however untraditionally, we must look at precedence to see if and how art has been regulated before deciding how videogames should be regulated. As far as I could read, and not having a major in art or art history, art currently has no regulations placed upon it. However, with this being said I feel that I must also add that it has historically been controlled by governments in a way that would promote certain ideas or to silence others. So then why when art today is unregulated should we lock down on videogames and strictly control what is produced by game companies?
Many people say that videogames lead to an increase in youth violence and there have been about 300 studies done that back this allegation up. In fact, many mass shooters are linked to playing violent videogames. With all this evidence it seems pretty obvious why the populace is let to believe that violent videogames are a huge problem in today’s youth. However, the studies conducted were all considered flawed in their procedures, had external forces on the study, or were conducted with bias making them scientifically null and void along with being an inaccurate reference. As far as the link to mass shooters and violent videogames, an ABC news survey in 2007 revealed that 91 percent of children play videogames and the number is steadily increasing. With that large percentage of children playing videogames it makes sense that the mass shooters would also play videogames just out of probability, and that’s without adding in their mental state. Most mass shooters are socially introverted and it would make sense for them to retreat into a world that they can control and hide in. It would also stand to reason that someone who is already violent would tend to gravitate towards violent types of videogames. While there is a connection to mass shooters and violent videogames, there is no causation. As far as the overall tendencies of videogames causing widespread youth violence, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, youth violence in America has dropped drastically from just under 4% in 1980 to under 1% in 2013.
Another argument that could be used against videogames, violent videogames in particular, is that children are the primary target of videogame developers. This is not the truth however. According to recent research done by the ESRB only 25% of gamers are under the age of 18 while 49% are from ages 19-49 and 26% are ages 50+. People under the age of 18 are actually the smallest demographic of gamers out there, and games with the most mature content, rated “M” games, only consist of 17 percent of the total sales. A very low number considering that it is specifically targeted at 75% of the gaming population (ages 18+).
There are also many positive aspects of the videogame industry that are actually beneficial to society. Videogames have been proven to improve hand-eye coordination, problem solving, creativity, learning abilities, and even help people become more sociable due to the widespread sweep of online and multiplayer gaming in today’s games. This area in itself could turn into at least a ten page essay, but with my current primary focus being with talking about the regulation of videogames, I feel that it is much more pertinent to address why videogames might be a detriment to society and prove otherwise.
Videogames are a form of expression for both the game developer and the gamer themselves and thus is a form of art. Art is supposed to be a free exchange of thoughts and ideas expressed creatively, and thus in order to keep art true then there must be no restrictions placed on it. It is meant to start a discussion, bring up controversies, or to just bring out a particular emotion be it happy or terrified. With this being said however, I do not advocate for the disbanding of the ESRB or the removal of the rating system as certain forms of art are not meant for everybody. The same way you wouldn’t show a 6 year old the painting Saturn Devouring His Son by Francisco Goya, you would also refrain that child from playing a game from the Call of Duty franchise which their whole aim is to accurately depict warfare and immerse the player in it. The current restrictions placed on videogames are perfectly fine as they do not infringe upon the game developers creativity, but they also provide protection to the consumer by letting them know the content of the game they intend to buy as well as stop underage kids from buying videogame content that is not suited for them, and lets the parents themselves censor what their kids play.
Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2016.
Jenkins, Henry. “Reality Bytes: Eight Myths about Video Games Debunked” Writing Arguments: A Rhetoric With Readings Ninth Edition.ed. John Ramage, John Bean, June Johnson. Pierce. 449-452. Print.
“How Much Do You Know About Video Games? Share.” Video Game Industry Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2016.
“Youth Perpetrators of Serious Violent Crimes.” Http://www.childstats.gov/. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2016.