03-28-2005, 11:03 PM
Occhidiangela,Mar 28 2005, 02:41 PM Wrote:Do the hysterical whingers who run these sites actually PLAY THE GAMES a few times before they come out against them? Or do they make up their minds ahead of time? Or, as their message seems to be, are any games with the all too vague heading of "violence" to be abhored equally, without reference to content and style?
Tastes differ, I suppose.
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The common factor in most of the games you mentioned is some combination of extreme violence and realism. The other factor, obviously, is that they are very high profile games that can't slip under the radar of a group like this. One doesn't really need to play Doom 3 to decide whether it is suitable for kids or not... watching the timedemo will suffice and even viewing a few screenshots will probably do. Actually playing reveals a few things that may be more disturbing, but for the most part is it just raw violence.
I'm not sure if movies are even a valid comparison anymore. Movies used to be more jarringly realistic than video games, but that is hardly the case now. If you wouldn't let your kid watch Freddie and Jason movies on a nightly basis, it would a joke to even consider a game like Doom 3 or Half-Life 2. GTA obviously has additional issues besides just being graphic in nature, as you've mentioned.
I think it's fair for a group like this to do their thing, but you shouldn't expect them to tell you anything you don't know already. As a gamer, you have a pretty good idea what you are getting into, and probably more firsthand experience with games than these groups do. I'm sure, however, that there are parents who don't really have a clue what games are like, don't really pay attention when their kids play, and could probably use a wakeup call.