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Abstract
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Who could have predicted that when Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney created Computer Space, the first arcade video game and first commercially available video game, in 1971 that it would be the antecedent for the biggest media and entertainment revolution on the planet—a revolution that is still continually evolving and expanding rapidly. It is estimated that there were approximately 2.69 billion active video game players globally in 2020, and this figure is expected to increase. The financial consequence of these figures leads to projections of an expected annual revenue of $159 billion for the same period, clearly demonstrating the integration of video games into both society and the economy infrastructures of the world.
Throughout their existence, video games have courted controversy, and many violent acts have been attributed to their content. However, this pattern of blame mirrors the criticisms of expressive art that can be observed throughout history. For example, Caravaggio's painting Death of a Virgin, 1605–1606, depicting a personified Mary on her death bed, caused moral outrage, as the portrayal was unsuitable for the era. Such outrage was not limited to paintings. Upon the publication of Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert in 1857, it was believed that the book would lead to the collapse of social values. In the 1950s, comics were thought to be responsible for juvenile delinquency, and the subsequent burning of comics almost put an end to the comic industry. The 1980s saw the introduction of the term “video nasties” for low budget horror films distributed on cassettes, and these were blamed for horrific acts, with no evidence other than tabloid headlines. These are just a few instances where expressive art has induced moral outrage and the fear of the decline of society. However, there are many more!
Over the last two decades, the press has presented a negative view of video games, again pointing the finger of blame for many atrocities, and the use of anecdotal evidence has been very prevalent. For example, Devin Moore, aged 18, committed three acts of first-degree murder in 2003, and his actions were reported to be a result of him playing Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (GTA). This particular edition of the GTA franchise sold around 8.2 million units, but the focus of blame was the video game and not the individual. Warren Leblanc was jailed in 2004 for murdering a classmate with a knife and a claw hammer; it was reported that he was obsessed with the game Manhunt, and this was the reason for committing the crime. In 2012, when a 13-year-old boy slashed a friend's throat after playing Gears of War, it was suggested that the teenager was driven to commit this act because of playing the game. Many more examples such as these can be found relatively easily by an Internet search, and they are all based around the same theme.
In 2005, the California State Legislature made the sale of violent video games to anyone under the age of 18 illegal. After various legal cases and rulings, the law was overturned in 2011 in the Brown vs. the Entertainment Merchants Association case. This decision is still debated, with both sides proposing that they have evidence that supports their claims as to the consequences of playing violent video games. It is quite evident that the research regarding the effects of playing violent video games is dichotomous, with one side of the literature suggesting that the effects of playing violent video games is detrimental to the players and society, while the other suggests that playing violent video games has no impact on the players and that the causes of antisocial behavior are due to the individual and not the games ...
Language: en |