This week's Soapbox is a doozy. Adam recently saw the movie Kick-Ass, which is a pretty great flick if you haven't checked it out yet. He enjoyed it, but was surprised by the level of shock and awe it caused amongst many film critics. With that in mind, The Sess decided to return to a familiar subject in our industry; violence in video games. Take a trip back in time with Adam as he details the history of entertainment and how blood and gore has always been a part of our culture. At least when people want to be entertained.
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agirlyman
I play videogames so I don't kill people in real life.
AM I NOT MERCIFUL?!?!?!?
tEE hEE[tm]
waywardfable
Violence in the any form of entertainment will always cause controversy. I don't think its so much about the violence but the people are afraid when people emulate these actions especially children. I don't think parents give kids enough credit. If they raised them well enough, they should trust them to do the right thing.
Also if people are so afraid that violent video games turn people into criminals, we would have had a epidemic by now, given how many people play violent video games like Modern Warfare 2. But instead, many studies have shown since 1990, violent in youths have drop significantly except for a few high profile cases all linked to video games.
UltraViolence74
worst shirt ever
JDarkley
"Don't take your toddler to an R-rated movie! It makes you look like a jackass!"
Mr. Sessler, thank you so very much for your weekly dose of common sense. It gives me a small glimmer of hope for humanity.
Mega Man X
I argree with Adam. Ninja Assassin Was The BEST Blood ACTION ninja Movie EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!
Imatech94
The person playing God of war is horribly distracting, for the first couple minutes he (or she) had no idea what was going on
Anyway awesome soapbox once again
cymcyms
That's not true though. *steps on his smaller soapbox* Video games have been a scapegoat ever since they were created and the argument that they are so easy to access has flaws. If you go to any retailer to purchase a T or M rated game , you will be asked for i.d. If you go to an R rated movie, you should be asked for i.d. The problem is not that games are so easy to access, it's that parents need to do a better job educating their kids about the matter and retailers need to continue to abide by the system in place. The ratings systems are in place for that exact reason and I agree with Adam, nothing bothers me more than parents bringing little impressionable kids to R rated movies.
This is a very important debate and we can't just let it fall by the wayside. We are currently looking at serious game legislation that would threaten basic 1st amendment rights. Everyone needs to know that the people trying to ban these games are using the Supreme Court for their own political and religious agendas. The same thing happened with every form of media in the past (printed word, radio, tv, the internet). All of these things are wonderful and amazing and while yes they do possess the potential to be violent and bad, it is our right to choose for ourselves. If you find a game horribly offensive...don't buy it. You can share your belief with your friends family, co-workers etc...but they still deserve the same choice that you had.
sorry to rant, I just have serious problems when constitutional rights are being stripped because we have to "think of the children." Parents, do a better job educating your children and then they can make their own choices too.
*steps down from his mini soapbox*
chantler
Thank you Adam Sessler for saying what I have always said to people when they get all up in arms about something. I tell them to look to the past and see what life and cultural normality was back then. People seem to forget that our history is filled with horrors and evils that men did well before video game, TV or movies where ever dreamed. And I think we are even less desensitized to violence than ever before, people in the past had to see death on a daily bases and had no filter or buffer between it and them. Don't get me wrong, I know the world is a violent place with awful things happening everyday. But average mom and dad with 2 and 1/2 kids don't know so see that too often. Look if you don't like violence and gore, don't buy things that have that in it, tell your friends not buy or watch things with violence in gore in them. I hate censorship.
CLUNGEHUNTERPJ
the gym, sessle? lol no offence. more on point, you're not arguing your point that well, not that i disagree, ie. titus andronicus is driven by the drama whilst no one lays gears of war for the storytelling. I prefer to tell haters that they should be focusing on boxing if they feel so strongly about it, and that children aren't supposed to play mature games anyway
Swal
The only reason people are up in arms with violent games is because the player dos the action themselves and doesn't watch someone else do the action (like in a movie) that they themselves will probably commit acts of violence in real life.
Justindbz
Nice sum up.
SereneSNIPER
I totally agree! Violence is good entertainment. All this talk about V.games being the cause of violence has me in a state of mental masturbation.
By the way, god of war 3 = awesome!
osubluejacket
Excellent Soapbox. Working in education, I often have to explain to parents the merits of "M" rated games and how the demographics of electronic entertainment are shifting rapidly away from kids to Gen Xer's and Millennials.
Coming from a Theatre/English background, I also LOVE the reference back to Shakespeare (The action in his history and tragedy plays is just as bellicose and gratuitous as anything in modern games or cinema.) and Greek Theatre before him. You can even rope in the Roman bloodsport that was The Coliseum and its gladiator events.
Long story short, it's the developer's/publisher's responsibility to create media for its market. It's the market's responsibility to deem what is enjoyable. It's the parents responsibility to determine what is appropriate.
CRZLEY
The only reason people have a problem with violence in video games is because violent video games are so easy to access.
xXxSTRANG3xXx
Don't take your toddler to an R-rated movie it makes you look like a jackass!!! Lmfao
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