I found this article interesting as it reiterated what was
said in the violence lecture. It states how the discussion of video game
violence is too abstract, and there are positives to violent games. All games
are different and the level of violence depends on the context. The article discusses
some of the contexts that violence might be okay. There are five main points
but I will focus on the ones that jumped out at me.
1) When it's necessary to the narrative. I do not play games, however I can understand
that some games will have violence and that violence will be necessary to the
story. The article states that “I'm satisfied, even pleased by aggression when it feels
narratively consistent, when it's paced well.”
This makes sense, and people with particular tastes will enjoy different games.
2)
When it's
optional. It is
optional to play a violent game is someone wants to, and if young kids are
playing very violent games shouldn't that be a comment on the parenting in the
home rather than video games as a whole? “Games that offer players a variety of choices about
how to deal with threats ensure that conflict is never thoughtless.” I
find it interesting that it has been discussed in lectures and tutorials that
you can play a game without killing anything, and there are different options
to avoid different obstacles. I would prefer a game that doesn't involve
violence and would take another route, whether as different players have the
option to take a different path.
On a side note (all though it relates to narrative) I found
this on rockpapershotgun about a comic which is based upon gamers in-game
decisions:
This sounds like the differences between judicious and gratuitous violence. But these are easily blurred by subjectivity. In a movie like Kill Bill for example, some would say that the violence is gratuitous because Tarantino just felt like making it that way. Others would say that the violence is important because it represents the power of revenge.
ReplyDeleteBut having violence as part of the narrative doesn't necessarily make it good or judicious. Some games will still incorporate gratuitous violence as a part of its narrative. Take Manhunt for example. Violent executions are part of its narrative. Even to a desensitized person such as myself, choking people to death with plastic bags doesn't seem like good violence.