26 Magazine » Game Industry

Why violent video games?

andrea — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:31:50 +0000

It was earlier this week in my Mass Communications Ethics course that we discussed the negative effect that violent video games have on the youth of America. Of course this is all debatable, and this post isn’t meant to challenge or condemn anyone for playing these games.

The point is to examine America’s obsession with these games. A prime example of this is the new video game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which was released on Tuesday, earned $310 million in opening-day sales alone. According to Daniel Terdiman, a blogger for CNET news, 4.7 million copies were sold in the United States and the U.K. alone in order to break this record.

This is more than the next highest selling video game, “Grand Theft Auto IV” which also made $310 million in first-day sales worldwide. (Modern Warfare made $310 million in just the U.S. and U.K.) Also, just to put this into perspective, last year’s Batman movie “The Dark Knight” made $155 million in the opening weekend… WEEKEND.

Obviously, “Grand Theft Auto” and “The Dark Knight” are a little bit on the violent side. “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” is the same.

As the title suggests, this game revolves around… a war. According to a review by the Associated Press, “You’re really a good guy who has infiltrated the terrorist cell.” If you’ve heard any press about this video game then I’m sure that you’ve heard about the terrorist aspect of the game.

A tad controversial? Yes. Although, critics say it’s essential to the game.

The “Call of Duty” saga includes six versions of the game. Two different companies are responsible for the creation of the games. This year’s version came from Infinity Ward and has been seriously popular just within the few days of its release.

Now, it’s easy to blame video games on the violent tendencies of American youth. According to the American Psychological Association, “High levels of violent video game exposure have been linked to delinquency, fighting at school and during free play periods, and violent criminal behavior (e.g., self-reported assault, robbery).”

The truth is that the average age of a video-gamer is 35-years-old, according to a survey conducted by Ipsos MediaCT for game industry trade group the Entertainment Software Association (ESA).

The war and violence obsession in America is nothing new really. It’s nothing really new though, is it? Violence is a part of everyday life. We may not see it in America but it happens all over the world.

Could it be our sheltered lives that give us such a hunger for blood?
If the average American saw half of the amount of bloodshed that they see in this video games and movies, they would be shocked.

So, I’m confused… Can anyone tell me why so many people are interested in violent video games like this?

Escapism?

Masculinity?

Hidden violent tendencies?

I just don’t get it. Sure, I’m female so maybe I’m missing the proper chromosome.

I’d like to know. If you’re interested in shooter video games, tell me why.

Deathwing breathes life into Warcraft

Awesome Rob — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:00:12 +0000

The massively multi-player online gaming industry has seen a lot of press over the last decade, with the huge success of Everquest and then the release of Blizzard’s unstoppable force, World of Warcraft. There are also stories of crazy things people have done, or have let happen, because of their involvement in these online games.

People have paid more attention to the life of their online Avatar, and their second life, and forgetting simple things like eating, showering, going to work, or feeding the baby he or she left in the closet because its crying was distracting. There are also the stories of people being killed or beaten over stealing or selling digital property in these games, and those who’ve committed suicide over things not working out in their digital world.

In many ways, these online games are providing a medium for players to live vicariously through their Avatars to experience excitement that the monotony of their every day lives cannot provide for them. When things come crashing down in their online world and with nothing substantial to fall back on in real life, the consequences can be devastating.

Even with the negative press and the association these games have with negative behavioral changes, the industry has grown and keeps progressing, even with some of the now aging games on the decline.

Gaming is a multi-billion dollar industry even with the economic downturn. For it to remain that way and for consumers to keep throwing in their dollars to keep the industry afloat, new fun ‘toys’ must be thrown into the mix.

Enter World of Warcraft: Cataclysm.

Blizzard’s new expansion to its beast of a game has the Internet buzzing with gamer delight. Information on the two new playable classes, Worgen and Goblin, and changes to guild ranking and achievements, as well as player-vs-player improvements has many people anticipating the release only days after the announcement of its release.

Even with U2 performing at Blizzcon, the Cataclysm announcement drew greater fanfare from the gaming culture.

Other additions to the game are things that have been wanted for years but were never really considered for production, such as Gnome Priests and Blood Elf Warriors.

After the last two expansions, many players also wondered who would be the grand enemy to fight should another expansion pack be released. All of the enemies introduced in the original strategy games for Warcraft have been added and sequentially defeated in every player’s quest for better loot and gear.

Blizzard had to tap into the books and lore behind the game, reaching far back (some thousands of years in the lore) to pull out a fiend that has had influence on the MMO game through a child who was one of the early super villains to defeat in the game’s timeline.

Deathwing the Destroyer is returned for the next, and possibly final, expansion pack for World of Warcraft. If he serves to be the final villain, it will be a proper way to end the game. Deathwing, in Warcraft lore, was the greatest villian to Azeroth, manipulating the other dragon aspects and even using the Burning Legion for his own devices.

There are a handful of other possible enemies for Blizzard to use in the future, such as the Old Gods or bringing Sargeras, the fallen Titan and patriarch to the Burning Legion, but none commanded the same attention as Deathwing did in the lore. Others had pervasive influence, with Sargeras being the only one other than Deathwing to actually affect things directly, but Deathwing is a villain born of Azeroth, and the greatest of all.

It almost makes me want to play again. Almost.

Online gaming: Breaking or building social barriers?

Brittany — Fri, 29 May 2009 21:39:22 +0000

Most days, as soon as he gets home from work or finishes with his last class, Thomas Odmark, a business major and junior at the University of South Florida, hops into the seat of his leather, high-back computer chair and logs onto his favorite online game, World of Warcraft.

Odmark is but one of more than 10 million people worldwide who are subscribed to World of Warcraft, also known as the most popular of the hundreds of MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online role-playing games) out there now.

Coupled with their massive popularity and the fact that most of these games require extensive time commitments in order to complete levels and build characters, it’s easy to understand how many players become addicted to MMORPGs.

“You’d have to play at least four days a week and at least four hours at a time in order to make any decent progress in [World of Warcraft],” said Odmark, who has played the game for three years. “I try to play around 20 hours a week.”

This is something Odmark manages to do between going to school full time and holding a part-time job.

Leveling a character is the main object of most MMORPGs. Once the highest level is attained, a player works toward various achievement points, rankings and getting higher-leveled gear. Essentially, there is no end to these games, which is the draw for many players.

“New levels, bosses, gear, achievements…are always being added, and a new expansion pack is coming out this year,” said Odmark.

With all this time being devoted to playing games online, there’s not a great deal of time left to do much else.

“[Online gaming] is certainly changing our idea of socialization,” said USF sociology professor Christina Partin. “With less physical interaction, people can lose the important ability to communicate face-to-face. This presents a serious problem.”

The lack of physical interaction and its affect on sociability isn’t the only concern when considering the possible negative effects of online gaming.

Since 2002, at least three cases have hit the news that have suicide linked to online gaming. In one case, the popular MMORPG EverQuest is being sued in an effort to get warning labels put on the games.

Another cause for concern occurred in 2005 when a Korean couple left their 4-month-old daughter at home to play World of Warcraft at a nearby Internet café. In their absence, the baby died of suffocation.

“In these cases, the games acted only as mediums and therefore shouldn’t be held liable,” said Partin. “It’s sad, but it can be compared to most any other addiction. The people involved must take on personal responsibility and make a conscious effort to avoid the possible negative effects.”

Despite these harrowing examples, it is possible that online games, at least in a world so vehemently based on technology and online communication, can have a positive affect.

“Although physical social interaction is important and certainly is limited with these games and their restrictions, some people would never reach out to anyone otherwise. These games give those people a means to communicate and express themselves,” said Partin.

“When I [communicate through chats] on World of Warcraft, I get to talk with people I wouldn’t ever get to meet in person. I talk to people from Iceland, Australia and Canada all the time, and I really learn a lot from them,” said Odmark.

“My daughter has never had many friends. It wasn’t until she started playing [World of Warcraft] that I noticed her talk about others and begin to have a social life,” said Jay Thomas, father of a 16-year-old who has played the game for two years. “She really seems happy, and that’s all I want for her.”