Violence: it’s what’s for dinner. Well, maybe not, but smashing faces and killing dudes has been the primary mode of expression for video games since they gained the ability to depict the human form. And though Retronauts features the scariest demographic, at least in terms of sensationalist media scapegoating — we are three white guys who grew up frolicking in digital geysers of blood and gore, after all — this episode should prove we’re at least well-adjusted enough to have a 90-minute conversation without even a hint of neck-throttling. (We saved that for the after party.)
With this installment on video game violence, I decided to take a look at how each successive scandal thus far displays a society coming to terms with a new form of media, as they did with novels, radio, television, movies, and possibly holo-porn in the not-too-distant future. Of course, this isn’t to say that complaints about video game violence don’t have any merit, but unfortunately, the most vocal outcries tend to stem from a healthy combination of fear and ignorance. That said, we tried to be fair and balanced in the non-ironic sense of the term, even though a lot of this episode is dedicated to laughing at clueless opportunists who sought to blame video games as an easy answer for society’s ills. And yes, we do talk about a certain repugnant figure with the initials “J.T.”
Special thanks go out to GamesRadar’s Henry Gilbert, who did a great job at guesting on both of the episodes he recorded with us. Be sure to check out his comic book podcast Cape Crisis on the always awesome Laser Time network!
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