Violence, Video Games and Responsibility – Tycho of Penny Arcade
More than a few humans sent in the following political cartoon, such as
it is. It’s entirely possible that we will receive a request to remove
that cartoon from our site today, and if that should occur, just look
down into the toilet when you finish for a reasonable facsimile of the
work in question. We had another cartoon about Freaky Flyers all
written up, but once we’d both seen this Dr. Frankenstein bullshit we
had to do something in that vein. So, here’s our take on the issue of
videogame violence as we see it, and it comes with homework: submit the
cartoon to the editorial section of your local paper. Go ahead, I can
wait.
The cartoon is wrong on many levels – the entire release list for 2003
consists of a good deal more than just a Postal game and Vice City,
Frankenstein’s actual equipment for perverting the young would appear
more baroque, etc. But I find it particularly jarring that he’s chosen
to riff on the First Amendment, suggesting that it is somehow a
perversion of its mission to communicate things and be protected. I
guess you could say it’s something of a sore subject for me. He should
try producing a work that does more that tweak the nose of power,
something that asks serious questions of it, something that combines
cleverness and art into a weapon and see how far it gets with his
editor. Then, perhaps the First Amendment won’t be some ethereal
concept worthy of ridicule when it protects other people and something
tangible and obvious when it governs his own creative output.
Here are the facts of the matter, for old people who can’t be bothered
to inform themselves: Videogames are a form of entertainment, like
other forms of entertainment. It’s shocking that I would have to
reiterate that, but apparently there is a deep idiocy setting in out
there, and I need to try and get this in before it hardens completely.
Much the same way that our society has determined that a rated R movie
contains material that is unacceptable for our tender young, so too
have we determined that videogames rated M include things we might not
like young children to see. Assuming that videogames did transform
respectful youngsters into slavering sharpshooter rapists, it’s not a
point I’ll grant in any other context, but let’s say it’s true: Where
did they get the (then) two or three hundred dollar Playstation 2 to
run this toxic software? The computer with the 3D hardware? The
broadband connection? I really want to know what societal dementia
persists in letting parents off the hook for this shit. (CW)TB out.
-As reproduced with permission from Penny Arcade
