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[PanzerCute]

No. If you start that way, in a few years everything will be forbidden. People need to be responsible, know their limits and not touch what could potentially shock them.

People need to be fucking adults.

 

[FunkMiller]

OP could've just written a one sentence post saying he'd make a terrible parent, and it would have accomplished the same goal.

 

[MudoSkills]

I wasn't expecting expecting swerve towards sex simulators. What a plot twist.

 

[Shifty1897]

Parents exist to parent. If you don't want your young kids playing violent video games, put parental controls on your devices.

You can't shelter them from everything but you can definitely make a difference by trying.

As for the sex thing, sex simulators exist. I wouldn't let my young kid play those either. They're all over Steam if you want to play them.

 

[Shake Your Rump]

having a kid and being ok

This is mainly why people here are going to disagree with you: they do not have children of their own. One time my young daughter walked in on me playing Call of Duty Ghosts. That made me really reflect on what I was playing. I never touched the game again due to that.

NeoGAF is the home of people who were upset that stomping on players’ skulls was removed from some regions in The Last of Us multiplayer. You are not going to get much sympathy here. The same people who think it’s okay to murder waves of “fictional” people are the same that will crucify you if you look at lolicon.

I agree with you, though.

 

[Lucifers Beard]

Firstly, are you on the right forum?

Secondly, kids shouldn't be playing them, they are games aimed at adults and their age rating covers that. If parents want to buy these games for their kids, that's up to them.

Unfortunately though, there are a ton of parents out there that just don't give a shit, it's an effective way of getting the kid out of their hair. I know this because I've played a ton of violent games with kids screaming down the mic.

 

[MiguelItUp]

They're not real, they're entertainment, and they have rating systems to lean on. If anything is ever an issue it's generally the parents / home life that's the issue.

Bruh, that's the least of your problems. If you have young kids, it's social media, adult sites and internet in general that would be the problem. Good luck.

Exactly, this is where I'm at. Seeing kids glued to YouTube, social media, etc. is MUCH more terrifying IMO.

 

[IAmRei]

i once interviewed in local radio, many parents (mother) ask me politely, if the game is bad for kids. i defended a lot back then, as a game dev. told them to check their kid game that installed in their "phone" (mostly mobile gamers here) if the game should had ratings. but appearntly they doesnt even know what is rating in video games, where to find the rating, and you guessed, blaming the dev and phone for rruining their kids. i was alsoo paired with children docs and psychiatric(?) something like that. so i was the only one who to blame. although i defended successfully and avoided being bullied by angr moms

 

[adamsapple]

Yes, avert your eyes, child.

 

[Heisenberg007]

Yes, and we should replace them with very realistic-looking 'love-making simulators'. So we can teach kids to make love, not war.

 

[WitchHunter]

Yes.
The only games allowed should be Peppa Pig, My Little Pony and puzzle games without suggestive images.

Even Mario should be banned because he is violent to the little Goombas and I don't want kids to jump on each others heads.

Peppa Pig with the occult symbolism, like the pigtails that form a 6? And their heads look like penises? As a parent I would strictly forbid Peppa Pig to be watched by minors.

 

[yansolo]

lol

 

[Phase]

There's no way to draw a fine line for this. So "No Russian" is obviously out. Then what's the difference in killing anyone in a videogame, some combatants some not. Then are you going to consider horror games? The slope just gets slipperier. There's no way to do this reasonably.

 

[LordCBH]

Go away, Jack Thompson.

 

[Krappadizzle]

I'll say as a gut reaction, I say no.

But then I played Blood Trail a few years ago and it definitely changed my understanding on how a VR game can make you feel. By no means is it a good game, or really anything more than a glorified tech demo, but the visceral feeling you got shooting someone and the way they believably react to gunshots... it felt weird. It looks a bit goofy when viewed from an outsiders perspective, but it really invoked a gross feeling. I could understand how some more impressionable minds could possibly have a very unhealthy and unsafe reaction to content like it and the future potential content to come.

I could very easily imagine a young 17-25 y/o incel-type person playing something like Blood Trail and then developing some very unhealthy fantasy as a result. But that could just as easily happen with any form of media too so...

It's all a slippery slope and it'll easily become a "Watchmen" situation in the future on who gets to decide what is acceptable. It's all down to personal responsibility though.. Which, time and time again, we also know can't be left up to our own selves.

 

[tommib]

 

[DaGwaphics]

Well I don't know if I would go that far.

I think individuals who are easily influenced or lean towards violent tendencies will 100% get something from video games that allows them to be even more violent than they already are. I believe this type of stimulation for someone who's already violent can be very very dangerous, That being said it is not the video games job or any piece of media's job to censor itself based on individuals who might use it to influence their future crimes.

So I believe any of those works truly can lead to incidents of violence, But ultimately I believe that violence is inevitable if the person is predisposed to this they're simply less creative without that stimuli.

Which basically means we had serial killers before the invention of video games, If we might have more creative ones now lol

@mrmustard lol damn that was a good ass series

Well said. There is something to be said for trying to avoid exposing players with known empathy deficits to this kind of content. But that is squarely on the parents/care givers of the individual, not the makers of books, movies, or video games. And for people that are aware of their own mental health struggle, there should be some self avoidance also. Not something the industry can really do anything about other than provide accurate ratings for games so buyers can make informed decisions, which they are doing already.

Now, if a game was intentionally trying to encourage violent or immoral behaviors, I can see some outrage over that. But, the game buyers would recoil from that on their own, still no need for more oversight, IMO.

 

[Arcadialane]

 

[Vblad88]

Kids have been “LARPing Call of Duty” with their sticks for hundreds of years now. And we are still here. No need to ban anything, until we let go “free will” paradigm as a society. Thankfully reality is not Metal Gear Solid either

 

[darrylgorn]

No, but we can ban you.

 

[Topher]

So you are saying we need more sex in video games?

 

[shamoomoo]

no.

Fuck that got to do with me? lol

I don't think its any industries job to parent anyone's kid. Thats like saying how harmful pornography is as if their job was to be safe for PTA meetings or something lol

That's partially true but some business do target kids and early teenagers who don't have jobs.

 

[SleepySlippy]

These games need to be forbidden, but not by law. Parents have to parent.

 

[DownLikeBCPowder]

Bruh, that's the least of your problems. If you have young kids, it's social media, adult sites and internet in general that would be the problem. Good luck.

This is so true.

That said, I don't let my child play games like this. She can play them when she's older if she wants to. I'm always baffled when I find out children are playing GTA or whatever.

 

[JohnnyPhats]

This kinda shit is how democrats get elected.

 

[Thaedolus]

Oh shit it’s the year 2000 again

 

[Shane89]

Are you on the "ban violent movies' boat too? There is a goddman suggested age on every goddamn game. It's a parents fault if a kid play Call Of Duty, so start blaming yourself before blaming the game.

 

[Northeastmonk]

This was already settled with the Senate in the 90’s and more recently Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association where video games are now protected under the First Amendment. You have the ESRB, PEGI, CERO and etc telling parents what’s in the game. It’s the parents problem if they allow their kids to play CoD on a modem day system. What is the alternative, sucky looking graphics or cartoon looking guns?

Have you actually seen the sex games? They barely have any gameplay. Rapelay was talked about for years, but that game sucks if you ask me. Games with excessive violence like Hatred aren’t popular and it’s not fun beyond the shock value.

I feel like this revelation or idea that we can protect society by censoring sex and violence takes weight off mental health, wars around the world, low birth rates, and lots of other stuff. It’s like the parent blaming GTA or DOOM for school shootings. There are millions and millions of fans playing those games. They don’t want to blame the parents or how they’re teaching the children in schools.

Honestly we haven’t reached the uncanny valley with video game graphics.

 

[Gate Locker]

Fuck no, we need another Manhunt with those graphics.

Manhunt is the best R* game IMO, that hopeless, creepy atmosphere is insane.

 

[Sgt.Asher]

Is it just the case of the US being built historically on violence and murders and having this violence in its DNA and having imposed these values to the rest of the world through mass entertainment in the last decades?

Have you never opened a history book?

 

[Labadal]

SEx games may be blocked on consoles, but there's plenty on Steam.

 

[ReBurn]

Yes. Surrender all of your video games where people are killed to the nearest police station and turn yourself in.

 

[Krappadizzle]

Have you never opened a history book?

Just blame Merica'.

 

[IDKFA]

This thread.

 

[WitchHunter]

Guys,
I was randomly looking at the COD graphics thread. Given I never play these kind of FPSs, I was shocked to see how realistic it looked.
To be honest, I cannot imagine having a kid and being ok with them playing this kind of game non stop.

Morally, I don't think it is right that the entertainment industry gives a free pass to films and video games which depict so much violence and killing other people (even in the context of war, etc.) while at the same time you cannot even show a female nipple in a video game or on instagram.


One could argue it is useful "propaganda" as young men need to be mentally stimulated in case we have to go to war as killing is not a natural act, while sex is a natural act and you don't need to be stimulated by entertainment in order to want to do it.
Or that there is a slipperier slope from sex on screen to rapes than from killing on screen to murders.
But to be honest, I don't really buy these reasons and they are not moral to me.

Is it just the case of the US being built historically on violence and murders and having this violence in its DNA and having imposed these values to the rest of the world through mass entertainment in the last decades? But at the same time, I would think every country has, by definition, been built on sex as well? Giving birth is the most beautiful thing someone can do while killing is the contrary.


What do you think?
Should "sex simulators" be allowed (as killing simulators are)?
Should video games focused on guns, killing, etc. be outlawed or much more restricted to minors?

To add a bit:
I have always been a bit perplexed by the double standard between violence and sex in video games. Violence is morally bad while totally ok in VGs (?). Sex is morally neutral at worst while totally not ok in VG.

In a typical American family, you will find teens playing FPSs and killing Russians or Iraqis all day and the parents will not be bothered by it (just "the boys playing their xbox") while I would imagine that if the main protagonist was engaging in realistic sex on the 60' TV, even if it is in a normal and healthy way, the parents would do more than bat an eyelid lol.

Maybe it is because sex concerns everyone while American parents dont mind about Russians soldiers?

You have very sound reasoning. I hope you become a politician one day and make the world better for everyone.

 

[JayK47]

I think saying "it is just a game" is less and less true every day. We now have nearly photo realistic games, VR, and young kids spend way too much time playing games. Back when they first tried to say video games were bad for you, they were using the original Doom for their argument. Games are now specifically designed to be addictive and to keep you hooked as long as possible. There is way more killing than is realistic. Killing is just gameplay. The developers throw tons of guys at you to keep you busy, when realistically, you have killed more than any combat veteran in any war.

 

[Miles708]

As i become older i somehow get more and more sensible to violence, to the point where some scenes in CoD really threw me off.
So i understand where OP is coming from.

That said, as others already told you, OP, this is already a solved problem. Ratings are displayed on every videogame, you have parental controls, and you should monitor what games your children buy.

If we're talking about the disparity in treatment between killing and sex, i would argue it's because videogames are still seen as an adolescent hobby. A lot of children play with toy soldiers (or equivalent) so that's acceptable.
And, if we want, the concept of death is embedded in every video game since the inception of the Game Over screen.

 

[peronmls]

I guess I could see them banning terrorism simulators. That’s about it.

 

[SmokedMeat]

Videogames are an escape from reality. I’m doing shit I would never do in real life, be it stealing cars, punching people in the face, picking kicks to steal shit, flying helicopters, or shooting enemies.

Sex… why would I want to play pretend sex? Regular everyday people have sex. It’s not a “escape from reality or doing something outlandish. To me those who want sex in games are the ones who don’t normally receive any.

Also sex in games is usually presented in such a tasteless way. Maybe if someone managed to make it a fun arcade style game that’s not overly serious like CoD is with actual violence - it could be a breakout hit.

 

[MAX PAYMENT]

As a combat vet, I can assure anyone that there has not been a game anywhere close to depicting realistic violence. Call of duty has realistic visuals, but the depiction of the actual violence is as realistic as looney tunes.

If anything, I have more of an issue with overt sexualization in games more than depiction of violence. "Killing simulators" are far less likely to push someone toward killing than "sex simulators" would be toward pushing someone to expect far too much sexually from another person. If a person commits acts of violence, their life and the lives of others could immediately end. Someone mistreating others because they expect too much sexually could go on for a lifetime.

 

[Arachnid]

Thats a puzzle game

Yeah, and the puzzle is how to kill people

 

[Krappadizzle]

You have very sound reasoning. I hope you become a politician one day and make the world better for everyone.

Watching Ninja Scroll as a kid in the 90's on VHS....Definitely had to wait for Mom and Dad to be out the house...

 

[MasterDerico]

Video game content rating system - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Majormaxxx]

As a combat vet, I can assure anyone that there has not been a game anywhere close to depicting realistic violence. Call of duty has realistic visuals, but the depiction of the actual violence is as realistic as looney tunes.

If anything, I have more of an issue with overt sexualization in games more than depiction of violence. "Killing simulators" are far less likely to push someone toward killing than "sex simulators" would be toward pushing someone to expect far too much sexually from another person. If a person commits acts of violence, their life and the lives of others could immediately end. Someone mistreating others because they expect too much sexually could go on for a lifetime.

Sex in games is bizarre - mass effect, lou2 eeeek... It should be implied if used at all. For example Shepard leads his babe by her hand into his chambers and closes the door. Or for Lou2 - Abby wakes up in bed with that dude and realizes what happened. No explicit scenes please ugh.

 

[marjo]

Morally, I don't think it is right that the entertainment industry gives a free pass to films and video games which depict so much violence and killing other people (even in the context of war, etc.) while at the same time you cannot even show a female nipple in a video game or on instagram.

Banning nudity while allowing violence does seem stupid. The solution seems obvious: more nipples in video games!

 

[skit_data]

If games were affecting children in that way Pac-man would've caused people to hang out in dark rooms popping pills while listening to monotone music.
Absurd thought.

 

[nemiroff]

A normal healthy kid with a bare minimum of social programming won't get triggered to become a murderer by playing videogames. "Fundamental life rules" and most in the "right from wrong" category are already established at an early age for normal kids and won't get shattered unless later mental issues or harsh reprogramming (like abuse, severe trauma etc.).

It's been more than four decades of videogames, how many people have been trained with "murder simulators" by now, a billion+..? We shouldn't been able to take a step without being killed if a linear logic applied.. So obviously the truth is more nuanced.

So, we're basically just back to common sense and correlation vs causation.

Yes there's a apparent hypocrisy when it comes to sex vs violence, but the comparison it isn't particularly rational nor intelligent. I mean, just think about it; Why would most of us sit with our parents and watch someone get killed rather than watching someone having sex.. Is it awkward to watch a cock penetrating an asshole because we think "sex bad, violence good!"..? Of course not. It's just that sex is its own category in life, it's normally very intimate and very personal. It's like a "societal dress code" that we're not yet ready to relax. Simple as that.

It's worth mentioning that in Norway we always had nudity in society/media without anyone batting an eye. We all watched commercials (and with our parents) with full nudity and exposed titties in them all day long, and no one was embarrassed. It was only when we started to adopt US traditions AND a growing population of people adhering to other even stricter religions that it kinda started to fade.

 

[ahtlas7]

What do you propose, op? Banning? Burnings? What do we do with people caught with the forbidden?

 

[Krathoon]

One thing I am getting concerned with is how people become abusive to the NPCs in Skyrim when they are hooked up to AI.

It is kind of messed up. Sure, they are not real, but I comes off as abusive when the AI can carry on a conversation.

 

[Badlucktroll]