We live in a world with video games in it. Ever thought about how weird and wonderful that is?
Have you ever thought about how awesome it is that the world is complex and diverse enough to allow intelligent lifeforms to entertain themselves with virtual worlds? Perhaps Earth itself is just a video game, or a reality TV show for superior beings, that may be watching us right now for their own, sick entertainment. Whatever the truth is, we are nowhere near finding it and may not even be able to comprehend the answers.
This is what I want to say whenever someone looks down on people like me. Who hold a negatively stigmatized view of gamers. Who abhor those who spend some of their time in virtual worlds, instead of the “real” one. I usually point out that these people watch TV and read books, an activity no less separated from reality, except that there’s an active participation in that particular, favorite hobby. Non-gamers consume all their entertainment without having to make decisions and think. Sure, some choose to analyze film and literature, but most don’t. You can’t go into a decent game, Telltale’s Game of Thrones for example, and not be constantly thinking about what to do and constantly questioning your every move. It just doesn’t work that way. An end game, per se, is drastically different than that of a season finale of a highly acclaimed TV series.
I’m not saying video games are objectively better than other forms of media, but for as long as the industry has been alive, it has done a lot to earn respect, if not praise. If you haven’t played Grand Theft Auto V, it’s easy to dismiss it as simply a mindless violence simulator that is teaching children bad things. The title is adult rated and any responsible parent would deal with it in the same way they would an adult movie, and there’s so much more to the game than violence. Longer playtime will reveal that the title possess witty satire on American culture, has a beautiful, interactive city to explore and has a hilarious, top-notch narrative guided by often compelling and outrageous characters. That’s just a few of the many worthwhile aspects of the game, if you play it you’ll find that it has as much to offer as any movie.
Video games and it’s players are earning more respect and getting less of it at the same time. While the medium has grown and become incredibly popular, causes like feminism have attached themselves to it. While I understand that gender equality is absolutely a conversation worth having and an effort worth striving towards, we shouldn’t be seeing everything through offense goggles. Some things are just meant to be fun. There’s a time and a place for dealing with the world’s problems and for the most part that’s in the world itself. Not video games.
Of course, there are some actual racist, sexist and just downright horrible things in gaming and it’s okay to take offense to them, I know I do. But these things may just be a part of the story, as they would be in a movie or book. If not, if it’s just obviously offensive nonsense specifically placed in the game to be offensive, then I support not supporting it even more and hope it isn’t successful.
Censoring it isn’t the answer though. Feel free to not sell it in your store, not buy it from one and shield your children from it. But if it’s a product with an adult rating, it should be for adults to decide if they want it or not. It isn’t up to a few people to get rid of everything they don’t like. That may be a short term way to deal with nasty stuff, but it quickly gets out of hand and stifles creativity in the name of not offending anyone.
Video games are diverse, worthwhile and one of the best forms of storytelling, competition and interactivity ever devised. I love them and I hope you do to. Let’s work together to make video games better for everyone, without insulting fans of the medium and censoring things we don’t like. Games are for everyone, be it a child or adult, man or woman, human or superior being. Let’s keep it that way.
