Video games
Video games are electronic games commonly played by children and teens. A large number of young adults, having grown up in the era of video games, also play. Many video games such as sports games and educational games are harmless fun and can actually be beneficial to a child's development especially if they allow more than one player. Some games though are violent and sexually explicit and have attracted the interests of family groups and Conservative Christians. Games such as Grand Theft Auto and Mortal Kombat are very violent and sometimes sexually explicit. Laws have been passed to limit young people's access to these violent games but these laws are rarely enforced. Violent video games are believed to cause violent behaviour in some children, especially those under 16 whose mind is still not fully developed.
In the USA, by law all video games are rated for content by the ESRB.
Contents
Various genres
Video games in the course of their existence have grown from the simple arcade style games, and have become more detailed and seperated from one another. Genres can now include first person shooters, racing, Simulation, Role-playing, Sports, and many others. Even then, games can combine genres, such as "Mass Effect" Role Playing and Third Person Shooting, and some even create their own genre, like "Katamari Damacy".
Popularity & Controversy
Games have risen in popularity over the years, as is shown in the rise of video games sales from the eighties until today. This has brought with it a various amount of controversy as the Video Game industry continues to grow with it's original player base.
Most of the controversy comes from the rising trend toward violence in video games, as pioneered by Doom, Quake, and the Grand Theft Auto series. One man in Particular, Jack Thompson, has imposed a self-manned crusade against video games, which has made him a target of both the online gamer community and of the mainstream media.
Video Games & Society
As Video Games become more popular, their impact on society becomes ever more present. A prime example of this is the massive ad campaigns for the Halo Video Game series, as well as Grand Theft Auto. Advertising, merchandising, and even social pressures have changed in the ever-growing influence of video gaming.
Faith in Video Games?
Faith in Video Gaming has, as a rule, either led to the creation of new and dynamic antagonists, or video games that are mediocre , such as Spiritual Warfare and Bible Adventure for the Nintendo, or The Bible Game for various systems.
The Bible, or other such religious texts, are rather used to tell a story spanning many different viewpoints. turning these ideas into a video game, however, most often leads to games that tend to bore most video game audiences.
Religion has, however, taken a prominent place amongst the various heroes and villains in video games. The Breath of Fire Series, in particular, uses God as a main antagonist in many of it's incarnations. Other games to use religion include Final Fantasy, Xenogears, and Okami.
Popular Video games
- Grand Theft Auto - Highly violent. 16-18 and up depending on country
- The Sims - mild violence, some sexuality. Recommended for 13 and up.
- NHL Series - This series from EA Sports as well as other NHL series are very popular, especially in Canada. They are family friendly with less violence as seen on NHL hockey on television (which actually can get quite violent). There is, obviously, no sexuality.
- Final Fantasy - The most popular RPG series of all time. Some violence and mild sexuality but its considered appropriate for 13 and up.
- Pac-Man. An old maze game. It was very popular with kids and adults back on the eighties, and -like most old video games- it's a clean, fun game for everyone.
