Email: Bethesda Games Studios

I have composed an email to Bethesda Games Studios on their website.

(emailed 27/11/08)

Sources

Theory-

• Violent content in games desensitizes children into violent crime
• The idea that video games cause violence is a myth.

Internet-

• Wikipedia
• Culture Policy
• Serendip.brynmawr
• PBS
• Kotaku 

Textual Analysis-

• Gears of War 2
• Call of Duty: World at War
•  Fallout 3

Books-

• Contexts (Karen Sternheimer)
  
• Studying Videogames (Julian McDougall & Wayne O'Brien)

Journals/Mags/Papers-

• Daily Mail

Primary Research: Questionnaire, Focus Group, Email-

• Email to Epic Games
• Email Bethesda

Source Evaluation: Kotaku

Method of Research: Website

Primary/Secondary: Secondary

Type of Source: 

Academic/Popular Criticism: Academic/ Popular fan-base

Title and Author: Luke Plunkett 

Location of Source: http://kotaku.com/5023636/heres-why-fallout-3-was-banned-in-australia

Main Points: Points out other type of strong images that got Fallout 3 banned in Australia. The use of drugs that looked like real life counterparts.

Strengths: Fan made site, personal, unbiased report. Nothing but actual facts.

Weaknesses: Lack of full information, based on secondary information

Evaluation: A strong article and site where I can find unbiased news on  games without the injection of personal opinion.

Links to Other Sources:

Source Evaluation: Daily Mail

Method of Research: Newspaper

Primary/Secondary: Secondary

Type of Source: 

Academic/Popular Criticism: Academic

Title and Author: Sam Greenhill & Olinka Koster

Location of Source: Daily Mail (April 30th)

Main Points: A story of a man who was stabbed while waiting to get his copy of GTA4 at the midnight launch. A number of people in the report were interviewed and were quoted as saying it was like something out of the game. It is also mentioned that someone was waiting with his son, whether or not his son was younger than 18 isn't mentioned.

Strengths: Interviews, straight story (no injection of personal opinion)

Weaknesses: Skin deep- No actual follow up, reason for attack is unknown, just assumptions

Evaluation: A informing report that tries to bring about an unclouded view by interviewing eye witnesses but it fails to reveal the true intent of the attack. It is only an assumption that the game was the reason for the incident.

Links to Other Sources:

(accessed 20/11/08)

Daily Mail

Posted on April 30th a story in the Daily Mail reported on an act of violence committed in a queue for GTA4

The launch of the ultra-violent Grand Theft Auto IV video game descended into real-life horror when a man was stabbed repeatedly in a queue of fans waiting to buy it.

Shoppers thought they were witnessing a promotional stunt for the launch when the blood-soaked victim staggered among them.

They realised the attack was genuine only when police arrived.

The GameStation shop in George Street, Croydon, where a 23- year-old man was stabbed last night

It took place outside the Gamestation store in Croydon, South London, one of 40 stores which opened at midnight to sell the new game.

Elsewhere, two muggers shattered the jaw and nose of an 18-year-old boy to steal his copy of the game just 30 minutes after he bought it in Leyland, Lancashire.

The violence intensified a chorus of criticism aimed at the British-designed game, the latest in a hugely controversial series.

Massive industry hype has surrounded its technological advances and stunning graphics and it is forecast to break records by selling six million copies in its first week.

But the content is unadulterated violence. Players assume the identity of Niko Bellic, a shaven-headed veteran of the Bosnian conflict who arrives in 'Liberty City' as a gangland novice.

He makes progress by killing people to order, robbing banks and dealing drugs with the help of an almost inexhaustible arsenal.

The game has been give an 18 certification from the British Board of Film Classification but critics fear it will inevitably be played by much younger people.

The series has sold an estimated 70million copies since its launch in 1997, but has been shrouded in controversy.

Last year teenager Ezekiel Maxwell butchered a grandmother after hearing "gangster voices" in his head from an earlier version of the game telling him to stab a woman.

Yesterday, as police issued an appeal to find the Croydon attacker, witnesses described what happened.

Malcolm Critchell, queueing with his nephew Jordan, said: "The victim was covered from shoulder to belly in blood. Everyone thought it was a show to promote the game."

Despite his wounds, the 23-year-old victim is believed to have gone home to arm himself with a kitchen knife to seek revenge, but police intercepted him.

He was treated in hospital for several stab wounds.

Another queuer, Marcus Henderson, 24, said: "It was a scene straight from the game itself. In Grand Theft Auto, when you attack someone but don't finish them off they'll come and get you. We thought it was a stunt put on by the makers of the game."

MP Keith Vaz said of the video game: "This kind of violence should be deplored. It's highly likely that younger children are going to get access to this game.

"A young person's mind is impressionable and the interactive violence of Grand Theft Auto is going to have an impact on them."

(accessed from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-562729/Man-stabbed-queueing-midnight-launch-ultra-violent-video-game-Grand-Theft-Auto-IV.html on 21/11/08)

Textual Analysis: Gears of War 2

Comparative Response between myself (a regular video games player) and one of my friends (a casual player) engaged in playing through the games campaign in co op. The game is an 18 certificate based on its extreme over the top violence. Players are capable killing opponents with "executions". These executions can vary from crushing their head onto the pavement, pummeling them repeatedly in the face, cutting them in half with a chainsaw or knocking their head off with the handle of a shotgun like a golf club.

After an extended two hour play I enjoyed my time on the game and found that the heavy violence enhanced the experience and made it more fun. However my friend found the violence to be unnecessary and put him off continuing to play.

Manhunt 2

The most controversial game in recent memory Manhunt 2 saw heavy opposition in the UK for a full ban, even after Rockstar modified its original version and toned down the violence.

The wii version can be seen as particularly disturbing:

Particular controversy was repeatedly heaped upon the Wii version of the game due to the console's highly immersive nature, with certain gaming sites that had a hands-on preview of the game reporting that Manhunt 2 used the Wii Remote in an interactive manner; for instance, in order to stab someone in the game the player would have to flick the Wii Remote forward, in much the same fashion one would do when actually stabbing with a knife.

Banning of Fallout 3 in Australia

This article from Kotaku explains how Fallout 3 was not banned in Australia for its violence or swearing but for its inclusion of drugs.

(this site was accessed through Google. Search term "why Fallout 3 banned Australia")

(accessed 18/11/08)

Book Source

"Studying Videogames"

By "Julian McDougall" & "Wayne O'Brien"

Chapter 3, pg 59

(accessed 13/11/08)

Source: Search Engine

Search method: Google

Search Term: Violent games cause violence

Results: 395'000

(accessed 6/11/08)

Source Evaluation

Method of Research: Internet

Primary/Secondary: Secondary

Type of Source:

Academic/Popular Criticism: Popular Criticism based on others research

Title and Author: SerendipUpdate

Location of Source: http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1723

Main Points: A number of points are raised by a number of the sites users, who all submit their own thoughts and opinions, some more balanced and calmer then others.

Strengths: Wide variety of user imput, many opinions to accompany the main article

Weaknesses: Mainly opinion, not much scientific fact

Evaluation: A very good common sense set of articles that give some surprisingly good points, even if they are lacking in real facts to back up arguements

Links to Other Sources:

(accessed 17/11/08)

Source Evaluation

Method: Internet

Primary/Secondary: Secondary

Type of Source:

Acedemic/Popular Criticism: Acedemic

Title/Author: Jonathan L. Freedman

Location: Internet- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto

Main Points: The reason behind blaming games, how it can't be true. Rationalises media scare mongering

Strengths: Proffesional, scientific observation

Weaknesses: Purely outsider study, single person

Evaluation: A very proffesional and well researched piece of study

Links to Other Sources:

(accessed 11/11/08)

Source Evaluation: Wikipedia

Method of Research: Internet

Primary/Secondary: Secondary

Type of Source:

Academic/Popular Criticism etc: Public Publication

Title and Author: Community Based

Location of Source: Wikipedia.org

Main Points Raised: Popular opinion within the media that video games are a main source of violence to young children, issues examples; school shootings etc.

Strengths: Multiple users have input information, varied source material as a result

Weaknesses: Moderating publications on the site is difficult so its hard to tell what information is real or what is false

Evaluation: A site of varied source material and opinion but it can't be taken at complete face value due to the risk of error information

Link to Other Sources/Relevant Points:

Book Source

I have stumbled across a website that contains several extracts from the book Contexts, a quarterly journal published by the American Sociological Association, USC's Karen Sternheimer. The book details how the theory that violence in video games cause real world violence is nothing but a myth and an attempt for people to try and understand why such acts are commited by the youth of society. She also details how such a theory also has slight racist undertones.

http://www.gamepolitics.com/2007/02/28/violent-games-dont-cause-youth-violence-says-usc-sociologist

(accessed 10/11/08)

Jack Thompson

Jack Thompson became famous for his campaign against violence in video games, his attempts to get violent games banned or completely censored resulted in his disbarment for professional misconduct.

More Information

(accessed 17/11/08)

Source Evaluation

This is where all source information will be evaluated.

Bully: A unique example of school violence?

If any link can be made between school related violence and video games then that link is Bully, created by Rockstar games in 2006, the game involved taking pat in school related aggression.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,207584,00.html

(accessed 14/11/08

Site Quotes

Recently, attention has turned toward the violence in video games. It seems reasonable to many people that if passively watching violence in movies and on television causes aggression, actively participating in violence in video games should have an even greater effect. Surely, so the argument goes, spending hours shooting images of various creatures and of human beings and watching them blow up, break apart, scream in pain, spew blood all over, and so on must have a harmful effect on those who play - it must teach them that violence is acceptable, that it is a way to deal with problems, perhaps make them insensitive to real violence, and thus cause them to be more aggressive and more violent themselves.    (accessed from http://culturalpolicy.uchicago.edu/conf2001/papers/freedman.html Nov 7th 2008)

Hypothesis

Does the desensitization of violence in video games encourage people to commit violent crime?

Extreme Violence?

Does excessive violence in video games really desensitize its audience? I don't really see any issue with gore on this level but is that down to years of exposure to slowly escalating scales of violence?

Although the next video isn't the traditional gory violence people are used to hearing about this still is quite extreme in terms of content

Theory Types

Hypodermic Syringe 

Two Step Flow

Culmination Theory

Uses and Gratifications

Reception Analysis

Sites of interest

theory.org.uk

google scholar 

Carl's Blog

Sally's Blog