Violence Abounds... So Do Idiots.

Wow... What's it been? Almost two weeks I think. Thankfully, I get no traffic on this thing, so no complaints.

I've sent out feelers in the industry... Maybe its time to get back in a studio. One in particular I'm hoping to hear from. 'Twould be quite the thrill to work on this project in question (which I won't name).

Anyway, I ran across this interesting article (op-ed piece) by Mr. Stephen King no less, about the ongoing debate on violence in videogames...

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20188502,00.html

Some great points... most of which I've been espousing for years.

The major problem is that videogames (all consoles, PC, genre, type, you name it) are still seen as something for the kiddies, and only the kiddies, at least by a majority of people... and that majority are what we would call non-gamers. Those of us in the industry are so surrounded by the culture, that we fail to realize that games are still not what you would call 'mainstream'. That's a failing on our part. The failing on their part is not doing their research.

Games are certainly not just for kids anymore. Consider the price, the subject matter, and the fact that more and more of the population have grown up gaming.

Violence has a place in games... Well, as much as it has a place in anything... film, literature, newscasts... life. Just as much as sex, or drugs, or whatever we do, does...

Don't get me wrong... I am NOT a proponent of violence in games (sex is a different story ;). BUT I'm not an opponent either. If parents (read politicians) want to cast blame they should look in their own backyards. The ratings system is there for a reason. Use it.

... and as far as the rebuttal of 'But kids can get a hold of it despite the ratings sytem' goes... Maybe you should be keeping a better eye out on your kids... Or better yet, actually talk to them about games, reality, etc... Maybe then they won't turn out as stupid as you are. After all don't we all want our kids to turn out better than ourselves?