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GDC 09: Could games get too politically correct? photo

Videogames have been accused of unnecessary violence, racism, sexism and homophobia in the past, but this is the first time I can remember someone warning that games could become too politically correct. First Amendment lawyer Lawrence Walters has issued that warning at GDC yesterday.

"Just when the decency police and moral values groups have been all but defeated in the courts -- both of law and public opinion -- a new threat has emerged from our left flank: political correctness," he proclaims. "The leftist thought police are now wanting to impose their view of propriety on modern cultural discourse...

"Think about [a New York bill that would prevent minors from purchasing games containing racial stereotypes] ... Would we ever in a million years tolerate the government passing a law that movies cannot have profanity, racial jokes, or derogatory language? That would eliminate practically every movie made.

"Now we can debate all day long whether racist stereotypes or derogatory language is even appropriate in video games, but that's for us to debate, and not for the government to decide ... [The video game industry] needs to reveal its enemies for who they are -- radicals on the left and on the right -- and marginalize them ..."

While I can't see companies like Rockstar ever feeling the need to tone down content, there might be some truth to his words. After all, we've already seen how some publishers are dumbing down their titles so as not to scare off the new "casual" market. A wave of new, politically correct games may very well pop up, but I think it'd have more to do with appealing to the mediocre mainstream rather than appeasing the radicals.








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18 comments | showing # 1 to 18
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eternalplayer2345's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/27/2009 09:33
eternalplayer2345
Too politically correct? I don't see that ever !!!!!!! happening.
Piellar's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/27/2009 09:40
Piellar
I agree wholeheartedly with Lawrence Walters here... I can't think of any artistic media that's as moderated and politically-corrected as video games. A sad state of affairs, probably the result of too many overbearing parents who would rather have their children live in a physical and moral bubble rather than have them be confronted and shocked by reality. That could even make them reflect on the matter, and, the horror, they could grow "opinions" from it! @_@
Cowboy TTop's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/27/2009 09:40
Cowboy TTop
Its something to bare in mind. I'd hate to see games get dumbed down, because developers fear walking the lines that Rockstar frequent. Games are also about expression, and I'd like to see those lines pushed more. Gamers know that any game is rated, as do mainstream gamers.

Simple. Don't like it, don't buy it.
SnakeDude4Life's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/27/2009 09:42
SnakeDude4Life
I'm waiting for a game to match the shock/heart retching/emotional effects of Red Dawn, A Clockwork Orange and 8mm.

Would you kindly?
Piellar's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/27/2009 09:51
Piellar
It's wholely a matter of personnality and tastes, many RPGs and some action games like the Metal Gear Solid series have affected me more emotionnally than my favourite movies have. I do tend to get very absorbed by the games I play though, not everyone takes a work of art to the same level. Same could be said by painting or music.
JamnOnTheOne's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/27/2009 09:51
JamnOnTheOne
The video game content doesn't need to change. However, I do believe that B&M retailers should have responsibility to enforce the ratings and should be held liable for selling any media (movies, music, games, etc) to minors that should not be in their hands.

@Piellar

"I can't think of any artistic media that's as moderated and politically-corrected as video games."

Movies? TV? Video games are hardly the most vilified media.
Piellar's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/27/2009 10:09
Piellar
Movies have some of the weirdest shit you could ever witness, just wander in the area of gore movies like Tokyo Gore Police or the socking movie Irréversible where the main character is raped on-screen. Though, some survival-horror games have monsters similar in awesomeness to TGP's naked crocodile-vag'ed woman. o_o;

I concede your points about TV though, if you remove movies, mostly includes series like Lost and Family Guy as interesting artistic content, and are mostly heavily moderated (well maybe not South Park and a few others :P).
SnakeDude4Life's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/27/2009 10:11
SnakeDude4Life
@JamnOnTheOne

I blame the swing music.
xenon's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/27/2009 10:12
xenon
Aren't they already? Just look at the Hot Coffee scandal and at how (none less than) the latest Mortal Kombat aimed at a "better" rating. Obviously this not only affecting videogames, but look back 30 years and you'll see how PC and commercial/moral viability has tainted all forms of expression.
Qraze's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/27/2009 10:37
Qraze
this is a different topic but also in the same boat as the censorship/moral issue. until i can play a blazing saddles game with all its nasty racial but fun humor i think that games have'nt really pushed what could be considered non-pc. i stilll haven't played a game that was me controling a commy in the cold war. i still hav'nt played a game where i was a veitnamese fightig american forces. in fact, almost all games we are fighting for the big american morals and such. assasins creed no matter how repetive the gameplay is, the fact that you are a muslim taking on the world. i think we need more games to push a different view of things from the "other" side. in games its okay to kill republican guards but not american marines, a human is a human imo and just a handful of games have strayed from the american value system of whats okay to kill in virtual reality.

i hope that made sense.
aaronf's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/27/2009 10:44
aaronf
But, it's for the children!!
Chronic Logic's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/27/2009 11:37
Chronic Logic
Unnecessary violence, racism, sexism and homophobia? When has there ever been NECESSARY violence, racism, sexism and homophobia? Have you played a game which stipulates that you can't kill more than X amount of people? Or you can't laugh at more than X amount of black people? Or you can't force more than X amount women to make your dinner? Cause I sure haven't.
xdarkxwarriorx's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/27/2009 12:45
xdarkxwarriorx
@ chronic logic:

i am pretty sure "unnecessary violence" is one issue, and the sentence should be read as unnecessary violence + racism + sexism etc, not unnecessary violence + unnecessary racism + etc...

i know the prospect of bringing up racism in a "witty" and sarcastic manner is one that makes most internet dwellers cream themselves in sheer joy (because they get to throw out some offensive nonsense and mask it as an ironic statement to get some major LOLZ), but it might be better to read the sentence more carefully and actually try to put 2 and 2 together / try to understand what the author meant.
Paul Soth's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/27/2009 13:20
Paul Soth
Anh... "Political Correctness" is nothing more then a bogyman now. Whenever I see the term thrown around, it raises red flags for me.
JamnOnTheOne's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/27/2009 14:33
JamnOnTheOne
@Piellar

Both of those movies were foreign made. Find me a mainstream American film that isn't heavily moderated or gets away with stuff like in games (not counting sophmoric "unrated" dvd releases). The most recent example is "Zack and Miri make a porno". We can't even use the word "porno" in the title of a movie.
Syn's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/27/2009 15:44
Syn
Schindler's List
LaurencD's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/28/2009 08:31
LaurencD
PC was important when we had problems like women cant vote, or slavery, but things are slightly different now, instead now we have the PC police telling people not to do things, isnt that oppression?

Also I cant remember who said but isnt claiming every little thing as racist insensitive to people who have and do suffer through racism? (When i was in china i saw that some people didnt like me as i was white (only some) and it was amazingly affecting)

We need to address the issue of race as a subject where questions can be asked rather than simply condemning stuff. Also lets not forget about the real racisms that are still going on (ie. Caribians vs Africans etc)
Rabite's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/29/2009 16:02
Rabite
Blazing Saddles, Airplane, and Kentucky Fried Movie. None of these could get made now, because of how much non-PC material they contained. And if anybody says they aren't funny, you have no soul.
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