Videogame Violence: A Third Way?

If there’s one word that sums up the perpetual debate about violence in videogames, it’s “predictable”.

The last few months have seen politicians and press in the UK get themselves all in a tizzy once more with the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and its now infamous ‘No Russian’ level. Elsewhere, censors in Australia have forced Valve to release an edited version of Left 4 Dead 2, after the game was refused classification in its uncut form, and have banned Rebellion’s forthcoming Alien Versus Predator game outright. But amidst all the controversy, the cut and thrust of the debate has remained constant: ill-informed criticism from mainstream commentators and knee-jerk, reactionary defence from both gamers and the majority of specialist writers.

Rational Adults

Most rational people will agree that censorship is ultimately undesirable. It curtails personal freedoms and limits artistic expression. Informed adults should be free to decide for themselves whether content – be it music, film, art, literature or videogames – falls within their own threshold of acceptability, without the intervention of regulatory bodies or the state. This approach has worked well in the UK in recent years with the relatively progressive attitude of the BBFC and government backing for the PEGI system of classification. With a small number of exceptions, most titles featuring ‘mature’ content now make it to shop shelves in the UK in their original form, unscathed by censorship.

However, most mainstream criticism of gratuitous violence in videogames sidesteps this well-reasoned argument by claiming that games like Modern Warfare 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 pose a real danger to impressionable children. That mature titles are unsuitable for children and young teenagers is hardly open to debate; minors should not be exposed to exceptionally violent content without a framework of knowledge and maturity allowing them to place it in the correct cultural and social context. Indeed, the UK’s current rating system prevents under 18s from purchasing titles like Modern Warfare 2 while allowing adults unrestricted access to the game in its original form. All too frequently, those wishing to restrict the availability of violent games fail to realise that a system is already in place to do just that.

(Im)Mature?

Shadow of the Colossus

Unfortunately, rebuttal from the specialist press and from gamers themselves tends to be equally myopic. While a few veteran games journalists have offered alternative viewpoints on why content like Modern Warfare 2′s ‘No Russian’ level is deplorable without resorting to the tired “virtual violence is bad/our right as informed adults” dichotomy, the majority of articles and comments threads on the subject simply repeat variations on well-worn counter-arguments. The censors are out of touch. The detractors don’t understand the medium. No link between videogame gore and violent real-world behaviour has been definitively established. Violence in games actually helps to relieve stress rather than cause anti-social impulses. While many of these points are certainly valid, rarely do commentators take an introspective look at the games industry and the established conventions of ‘mature’ gaming.

It’s important to note that ‘mature’ content in videogames is rarely analogous to the same concept in film or literature. In games, the term is synonymous with violence, gore and, increasingly, nudity. It’s ironic that titles which feature blood and boobs amongst their main selling points are considered mature while ‘torture porn’ movies like Saw and Hostel are considered crass, unsophisticated and, frankly, infantile. Films have proved that stories for adult audiences can be recounted without resorting to gratuitous sex and violence and be all the better for it thanks to the power of suggestion. But too many games revel in tawdry bloodshed and the empty titillation of pixelated breasts. Certainly games are capable of transcending these stereotypes: Half-Life, Shadow of the Colossus, Deus Ex, Bioshock and Portal have all offered mature, well-rounded experiences without bathing the player in blood. At the same time one must concede that undoubtedly there are games, just as there are films, in which violence and horror actually enhance the experience by provoking shock or an extra level of visceral feedback. There is a place for violence in games but please, let’s use it with discretion as a veteran film director would, not gratuitously. Is a little self-censorship too much to ask of the games industry?

Less is More?

Fallout 3

In all probability, yes. Unlike film, gaming is still a relatively young medium and the language and conventions of games development are not yet firmly established. However, many gamers in their late teens and early twenties have come to understand the concept of ‘mature’ gaming as being synonymous with gratuitous violence and many companies are happy to tailor content to the perceived expectations of this core demographic. Bioware’s dreadful promotional videos for Dragon Age: Origins and the game’s frankly ridiculous ‘Persistent Gore’ graphic option is one of the worst examples of a developer attempting to tap this “blood and boobs” zeitgeist for sales. It’s crass and tasteless and adds nothing to an otherwise exceptional game.

And yet a few companies have taken novel approaches to dealing with in-game violence. Fallout 3, an unrepentantly bloody title, theoretically allows the player to kill any character in the game world, with the exception of children. However, choosing to do so will prevent the main character from completing quests, accessing city areas and buying ammunition and medical supplies crucial to survival. Alexander Gambotto-Burke’s brilliant Natural Born Killer article describes the author’s attempt to play through Fallout 3 by killing everything in sight. After the initial thrill of total freedom wares off, he soon finds the game an empty, bleak and meaningless experience when approached this way. Other recent titles have given the player opt-outs from some of the worst moments – Tim Schafer’s Brutal Legend asks the player to choose whether they would prefer swearing and gore to be enabled at the beginning of the game and allows them to be toggled on or off from the Options menu at any time. Even Modern Warfare 2 allows squeamish players to skip ‘No Russian’ if they so wish.

It’s unlikely that videogames in general will become less violent any time soon. A slew of upcoming titles – Sega’s Bayonetta, with it’s over-sexed heroine, Sony’s God of War III and Capcom’s Dead Rising 2 – seem to confirm this prediction. But as the industry evolves, it would be nice to see an increasing number of developers  and publishers adapt a third way and use violence selectively rather than ubiquitously. Just as in film, there will always be niche titles in which extreme gore is the main attraction but as audiences become older and more sophisticated, companies would do well to reassess just what ‘mature’ means in the context of interactive entertainment.