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 attention 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 either rarely enforced[Citation Needed] or overturned by judges.[1] Violent video games are believed to cause violent behaviour in some children, especially those under 16 whose mind is still not fully developed.[Citation Needed]
In the USA, the majority of games carry ESRB ratings.
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 separated 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 series, as well as Grand Theft Auto. Advertising, merchandising, and even social pressures have changed in the ever-growing influence of video gaming.
Due to their popularity, various corporations have begun placing advertisements for their products within the context of the game. Players of Grand Theft Auto may notice real-world company ads on billboards. Second Life, an Internet-based virtual world, has blurred the lines between real-world and virtual world. Companies such as Adidas Reebok and Dell have set up virtual stores selling real-world products within the game. Reuters also operates a news bureau reporting news in the game.
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 its incarnations. Other games to use religion include Final Fantasy, Left Behind: Eternal Forces, Xenogears, and Okami.
Popular Video games
- Final Fantasy - A very popular RPG series in both the United States and Japan. Some games contain violence, sexuality, references to homosexuality, suicide, teen pregnancy and transvestism (although rarely) negativity towards religion.
- Grand Theft Auto - Highly violent. 16-18 and up depending on country.
- Half-Life - First Person Shooter series about Gordon Freeman, a luckless scientist turned hero-from-desperation.
- Harvest Moon - Farm Life simulator, with many sequels spreading from various platforms. Character runs a farm, raises animals, and can eventually marry. Until recent incarnations, games had no violence. Rated E [6+] to T [13+].
- The Legend of Zelda - A popular series of fantasy action-adventure games.
- NHL Series - This series from EA Sports as well as other NHL series are very popular, especially in Canada.[Citation Needed] 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.
- Pac-Man. An old maze game. It was very popular with kids and adults back in the eighties, and like most old video games it's a clean, fun game for everyone.
- Portal - A popular first person shooter/puzzle game based upon Half-Life involving teleportation.
- Resident Evil - Survival Horror video game series, revolving around viral zombies and the survivors of the zombie attacks. Copious blood, gore, and violence present. As of date, all games in series have been rated M [17+].
- The Sims - A light-hearted life simulator with mild violence and some sexuality. Recommended for 13 and up.
- Smash Brothers - Series of Nintendo Animated fighting games. Follows no specific story, mixing characters from different franchises in wide environments. Animated, no-blood violence.
- Soul Calibur - A weapon-based fighting game. Revolves around the tale of two weapons, Soul Edge [Cursed] and Soul Calibur [Blessed], and those who fight for control of the weapons.
- Mass Effect - A science fiction RPG, claimed to be an in-depth sex simulator in response to a single showing of half of an alien female's breast. As it is rated M, it is clearly not suitable for minors.
