A Dr. Tanya Byron is heading a new study om the effect of violence in video games over there in the UK. One industry insider noted that video games are the modern-day scapegoat that is often the first to be blamed for all of society's ills, from school violence to general crime to obesity. Another added that, while the study is important, it is unfair to single-out one media, "especially when media are intersecting." The study is expected to last six months.
David Braben of Frontier Games said, "Historically there has always been in government a Luddite sentiment - whatever the new industry is tends to take the blame of the latest ailment of society." But I'm not so sure I agree.
After all, video games and computers are not really "new," are they? No one was saying this stuff about plain-old Nintendos when they first hit the scene, and no one was "addicted" to the internet until the late 1990s - early 2000s. Of course, the media have come a long way since those early days. But Japan had Nintendo and several other media years before they were approved for sale in the Western world and they seem to either not have this problem or not take it as seriously, so that does lend some credence to what Mr. Braben says.
And if you think back to the early days of motion pictures, and even television (though to a lesser extent), this is what led to the Hayes administration and the ratings system. And then, of course, there was the Comics Code of the 1950s - something straight out of Decatur County, TN. It is a tendency of our society to blame popular media for all its woes, this is true, but with the rise of obesity and teen violence, as well as the overwhelmingly popular video game hobby, it is a fair question.
But, if we're being honest, I would point the finger at gangster rap long before I worried about video games. After all, gangsta rappers are selling an entire lifestyle and image; video games exist within themselves.
David Braben of Frontier Games said, "Historically there has always been in government a Luddite sentiment - whatever the new industry is tends to take the blame of the latest ailment of society." But I'm not so sure I agree.
After all, video games and computers are not really "new," are they? No one was saying this stuff about plain-old Nintendos when they first hit the scene, and no one was "addicted" to the internet until the late 1990s - early 2000s. Of course, the media have come a long way since those early days. But Japan had Nintendo and several other media years before they were approved for sale in the Western world and they seem to either not have this problem or not take it as seriously, so that does lend some credence to what Mr. Braben says.
And if you think back to the early days of motion pictures, and even television (though to a lesser extent), this is what led to the Hayes administration and the ratings system. And then, of course, there was the Comics Code of the 1950s - something straight out of Decatur County, TN. It is a tendency of our society to blame popular media for all its woes, this is true, but with the rise of obesity and teen violence, as well as the overwhelmingly popular video game hobby, it is a fair question.
But, if we're being honest, I would point the finger at gangster rap long before I worried about video games. After all, gangsta rappers are selling an entire lifestyle and image; video games exist within themselves.
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