Gamers and Social Issues. Why the rage?

[Chancey289]

Before this even starts, no, I am NOT talking about that stupid Gamergate BS.

Now, there's one thing I don't really get when it comes to a majority of gamers; Why are you so angered when social issues enter the gaming discussion?

When we look at movies, television, and other forms of entertainment, they are usually put under this kind of analysis. Applying that to video games is actually not a bad thing. To say it is ironically goes against what most gamers want; Video games to be taken seriously as legit form of entertainment not just for children and basement dwelling losers.

Discuss.

 

[Meg]

*applauds*

I don't get what the issue is either. I think video games are a great way to explore social issues because you're interacting with the world and story instead of just passively observing it like with movies. Maybe the problem is that some games don't handle the subject matter very well?

 

[berto]

It wasn't always the case with other media, either, though. There was a time when social issues were taboo in film and television. Star Trek had to stretch the story to pull off the first interracial kiss in american television. I don't know if it's the age of the media or the audience but it might be.

 

[EA9Sol]

I'm not sure way as well. Games and those who play them have been look down on for a long time. Most people calling them "kids" stuff. And when people start taking games seriously....most "gamers" start acting like immature...kids. Way to prove games are not for little kids, guys. Act like you got no common sense. Yeah, insult and/or threaten them; that'll teach em for to talking badly about "your" favorite vidja games! ( ¬_¬)

I ,for one, would love to have discussions about video games and talk about the social issues in them. Great way to learn and understanding certain in video games. :3

 

[V's patron]

I think without examining a particular issue, the answer becomes a mix of what Meg (how its done) and berto (the audience) said.

 

[WolfOD64]

I harbor no such rage for social issue discussions---probably because when it comes to practically ANY real-world issues, whether they be social, political, racial or whatever, I tend to be as neutral as possible.

But if people out there want to push for changes or recognition of social issues in gaming culture, they can. I see no harm in injecting social or political commentary in games---as long as already-existing games and franchises aren't reworked for the sole sake of satisfying social quotas.

Example: Many of you may know about my stance about the recent "Female Thor" debacle, and how I view it as one of the worst-executed attempts at social awareness ever attempted in any medium of fiction, purely out of how bafflingly-lazy it is. The same concept applies to video games. You want more strong female leads in games? Go ahead, make an original game with that in mind. You want to see more racial groups and sexual preferences represented in a stale industry with all the diversity of a McDonald's Menu? Make the multi-ethnic game of your dreams, but make sure to make it your own. You want to deal with dark realities like drug use and suicide? Go for it...if you have the skill and the prowess, nothing should stop you from talking about it through game form. But do not inject it into a pre-existing franchise or game, just for the sake of doing it. That's lazy, pointless, an intrusion on someone else's work, and sending the wrong message. All that does is make you a lazy mouth-piece for a cause you're more than ready to scream about, but incompetent on taking action on.

The success of your message on social issues depends on how, and where you deliver the message. Instead of ripping Dead or Alive or Bayonetta a new one for "hypersexualization", invest the time and creativity to make a more grounded representation of female game characters in your OWN game. Don't have Mario stop stomping Goombas mid-jump to preach about the dangers of depression and suicide, don't have Duke Nukem pause between flexing his biceps and crushing aliens to talk about rape or domestic violence.

There are a number of social issues in gaming at large that have yet to be addressed or articulated properly, but there's also a right way to address them.

Tackle a social issue. Make a game about it. Provide your stance on it through the characters and story...do whatever you want; it's your game. Just make sure that it is YOUR game first.

 

[Demi-fiend]

I'm angered when government tries to shove their way into the industry.

Social issues, for all their "good intentions," are an extension of that, really. It's a random group asking for more unnecessary laws when the ones in place already do the job just fine.

Personally, I think the gaming community can govern themselves just fine.

For example, this is probably one of the more civilized forums when it comes to dealing with DmC. Do we need any oversight for that? No.

 

[Meg]

I'm angered when government tries to shove their way into the industry.

Social issues, for all their "good intentions," are an extension of that, really. It's a random group asking for more unnecessary laws when the ones in place already do the job just fine.

Personally, I think the gaming community can govern themselves just fine.

For example, this is probably one of the more civilized forums when it comes to dealing with DmC. Do we need any oversight for that? No.

I'm not following you. How are social issues extensions of the government? And what does having a civil forum have to do with anything? Please explain since I'm not following your train of thought.

 

[Demi-fiend]

Please explain since I'm not following your train of thought.

*Ahem*

What I had meant is that since you don't necessarily need a government official to mod, the same holds true for the game industry itself. The ratings system is private, like the Motion Pictures rating system is private.

Before that eventful Supreme Court case a long while back, the government wanted to step in and control that directly. We've proven that since it's a legitimate form of free speech, we can manage it ourselves.

Now, however, certain groups have come in and asked that anything that would be considered offensive to them be... regulated. Or even banned.

Which, in my opinion, is never a good idea. What I'm saying is that these "Social Issues" can be fixed within the system we already have in place, and not by some other outside influence which would most certainly not have our best interests at heart.

 

[WolfOD64]

Most of the recent social buzz has come from self-proclaimed activists on blogs and websites, not government or court officials. The closest the government has come to being "involved" in gaming can be whittled down to the instances involving money-mongerers like Jack Thompson, shedding negative publicity on games like GTA or Doom for instigating "violence" in modern society.

 

[Meg]

*Ahem*

What I had meant is that since you don't necessarily need a government official to mod, the same holds true for the game industry itself. The ratings system is private, like the Motion Pictures rating system is private.

Before that eventful Supreme Court case a long while back, the government wanted to step in and control that directly. We've proven that since it's a legitimate form of free speech, we can manage it ourselves.

Now, however, certain groups have come in and asked that anything that would be considered offensive to them be... regulated. Or even banned.

Which, in my opinion, is never a good idea. What I'm saying is that these "Social Issues" can be fixed within the system we already have in place, and not by some other outside influence which would most certainly not have our best interests at heart.

Ah! Now I got you. I agree. This ties into what me and VW were saying recently in a different thread. About how people don't have to like a game, but they also don't have to buy it. I totally understand a lot of feminists outrage over how many women are portrayed in games. What I don't like is the idea that these games can't exist, which is what a lot feminists argue. What I want is more games to offer more diverse characters. And I'm not just talking about having more female characters. I'm talking about diversifying what roles men and women play. We can have games with Duke Nukem-like men and overly sexualized women. Those games have a right to exist and I'm not going to say that the people who like those games and characters are wrong for liking something I don't. Instead, I want to see more feminists advocate for more games with interesting, well-rounded characters with depth. I don't think the argument should be to ban one-note, "offensive" characters but rather to give us more diverse characters in terms of personality, sex, gender, disabilities, religion, etc.

What bugs me is the number of non-gamer activists who try to shove their agenda down the game industry's throat without actually knowing anything about games to begin with. Feminist gamers do exist. We are a thing. I would rather social issues in games be something gamers handle, which is pretty much what you're saying.

 

[V's patron]

I think it just comes down to gamers just wanting to have fun or just not having the patience since most social issues are tackled in a clunky way rather than something having "nuance" or "depth" so its often not worth the effort to them.

But there have been improvements as there is a whole genre of games called empathy games that are about exploring issues such as depression etc and I think Ac3 was a good parable about American exceptional-ism so i think its still important to keep trying to write good stories first and handling social issues would come naturally.