One of the earlier games I played on the PS2 was Tenchu 3: Wrath of Heaven, an extensively violent and graphic game in which one plays the protagonist ninja in a sub-fantasy setting of feudal Japan.
But what is it about this game that seperates it from the controversial titles such as Manhunt? The 'stealth kills' are arguably graphic, featuring gruesome decpitation and impalement with bladed weapons, blood spray and dying screams. Is it because we are a good guy, a protagonist? That the ones we're killing are clearly bad guys, so subjecting them to violence is alright?
Is it because it is set in an old setting, and isolated from a modern day reality?
The game featured a level set in a dystopian future in which an evil CEO created a virus and sold the cure for profits. But again, the game was 18+ rated, and my parents felt it was alright for me to play it.
I don't feel that Tenchu inspired particularly violent feelings or instigated violent thoughts in me. I simply enjoyed it for what it was to me, a ninja game. I appreciate that my parents were lenient when it concerned letting me play games rated above my age, but at the same time I wonder what the thought process behind the decision was. I remember getting the game for my birthday after temporarily renting it and enjoying it a lot. Perhaps my parents were able to see that enjoyment and look beyond the graphic nature of the game, or perhaps they were never aware of it at all, as I haven't inquired about it.
That might be a good place to start, and so I will consider Tenchu 3 as a game to refer to.
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