Never mind military combat, we all know that video football games are where the real violence is, and the NFL, while profiting handsomely from it, is having mixed feelings about what goes on in games that they endorse. In a game like Midway's NFL Blitz, players can administer illegal hits and even kick tackled opponents in the groin without receiving a penalty. Things that would result in a hefty fine on the real field are actually cheered on by the virtual commentators in the game. Not long ago an article appeared in Sports Illustrated suggesting that the NFL is maintaining a sort of double standard. It promotes violence in the video game, but discourages violence in the real game. The NFL is now in talks with Midway, and it looks like Blitz will have to tone things down in order to keep its NFL license.
Are we at a point where video games are defining the way real sports are played? I'll believe that when the NFL introduces a Blitz-like flaming ball and "turbo speed" for players who attain a certain yardage. No doubt, the graphics are good, but anyone who mistakes NFL Blitz for a real football game isn't watching very closely. Perhaps the most important difference, which even children seem capable of understanding, is that the players in the video game are just a bunch of digits on a computer chip. They could be lobbing grenades around rather than footballs and all the damage could be undone with a simple flick of the reset button. Still, it remains to be seen whether less violent video games will have a direct impact on the number of penalties issued in major league sports.
Xtreme Bathing Suits
Another source of controversy is the growing number of games with sexual content hitting the store shelves. We can safely assume that, even as I write this, there are thousands of teenage boys drooling over the bouncey, bikini clad female avatars of Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, and thousands more that would like to join them. The TV commercial promoting the game, also available on their Web site, pretty much puts to rest any doubt that it's at least as much about skin as it is about sports. While video game porn has been around in one way or another since the Commodore 64, until a few years ago the graphics were too crude to create much of a stir, but that is quickly changing. It comes as no surprise that XBV has already been harshly criticized for its Barbie dollish portrayal of women.
The Road Ahead
So far the gaming industry has not been too severely censored, notwithstanding some regional differences in the games we play. Video games released in Germany, for example, are notably devoid of swastikas, while games released in the U.S. are more likely to have nudity edited out to avoid a "mature" rating. There are certainly no shortage of people who would like to see governments go much further in restricting video game content, especially following incidents like the Columbine tragedy. Attorney General John Ashcroft has never hesitated to blame graphic video games for violent behavior in children, and even once claimed that he "might be willing to trade First Amendment rights to improve the culture."
Such comments have set the stage for an epic battle between governments and the game industry, which is now demanding that their right to free expression be afforded the same protections as other forms of media. The Interactive Digital Software Association recently made this case in front of the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis, combating a previous ruling that upheld local restrictions on sales of violent games. It's anyone's guess how this saga will unfold over the coming years, but I think we can safely say that most Counter-Strike players won't be converted to Velvet-Strike without a struggle.
Should video game content be more tightly regulated? Join the discussion!
