I have condensed down the questions I want to ask into this rough overview of my dissertation. I wish to expand on each question equally or perhaps in greater or lesser detail as required. Whilst they are not necessarily in order I will arrange it so that each paragraph flows into the next smoothly, transitioning from one discussion to another.
The contents may change as I do further research and look into existing arguments and examples. I wish to make sure that everything I discuss is relevant to the question at hand - the necessity of mature themes in video games, and I do not wish to deviate on another argument, although it will be important to explain arguments that detail why this question is posed to begin with. There are some who believe that violence, sex, drugs and such do not have a place in video games or that their impact is only negative, but I know as a gamer that this does not do the industry justice.
Necessity of mature themes in video games.
Reading through your proposal, I see the classic violence in video games discussion emerging. Though I think it is a fascinating topic to explore, be careful of the loaded and biased information that is out there on the topic, there is a lot of mis-information with a political agenda – so really scrutinise the source and value of the material.
- How, what, where, who and why, questions across the board. What is the purpose of these themes, how do they change the game, who are these themes aiming to target, who is responsible for the themes that gamers are exposed to, why are video games under more fire than film and TV. Look at the language used, how the game is portrayed / described - particularly the title, whether they neglect to mention responsibilities.Ties into culture - sex themes in UK are fine whereas violence isn't, reverse in USA. 'No Russia' banned in USA etc, in-game warning.
Going to the title though – are mature themes necessary in a game, suggests also the ludic vs narratology discussions that are in the realm of video game studies. So when considering the mature theme – is it in context to the story?.. violence can be a good motivating tool for a heroes journey? And as video games are an established art, it needs to be open to a wider audience, as much as books and films are, this in turn means a broader palette of life experiences. One question then similar to films – where does responsibility lie.
Different media - interactability creates immersion, substitute for reality? How accepted would a Game of Thrones game be if it involved the same amount of sex and profanity? Would the nature of the series lost in translation? Are there games with pointless violence?No mature themes = sugarcoating? Drama, strife and conflict are interesting, relateable.
No comments:
Post a Comment