There's Too Much Video Game in My Sex and Violence

Comparing the video game industry with the film industry is complicated, and not unlike comparing apples and hand grenades, but I think much can be gained from looking at the levels of controversial elements, like sex or violence, contained in each. Obviously there is more of both offered in cinema, but I think the main reason video game sex and violence is scrutinized more is because it's interactive. In the Grand Theft Auto series, or GTA, it's possible to control the sexual actions of the protagonist. That level of interactivity is just not possible in film.

So what's the problem?

According to some people, the ability to participate in "sex mini-games" or play a game in which you kill lots of stuff (otherwise known as more games than anyone can count) is devestating to a child's emotional well-being, but others believe that “a moderate amount of violent game play is unlikely to hurt you.”

I think the controversy stems mainly from the fact that according to the modern social consciousness, video games are essentially toys used primarily by children under the age of 18. Obviously if children were the only demographic that indulged in video games, the sex and violence so prevalent in the medium would be disturbing. It'd be like an episode of Sesame Street featuring mass-murder or sexual deviance. But the truth is, people of all ages and genders enjoy video games.

There's another truth going on simultaneously, however. Money. The video game industry earned $11.7 billion in 2008, which is more than the film industry. The sex and violence in the GTA series  generated $924 million in revenue for its developer, Rockstar Games. Obviously people bought the game, and since most children 18 and under don't really have enough of their own disposable income to spend on a console and a copy of the game, where does the money come from?

Mom and Dad, usually. People like this lovely fellow seem as though they fail to recognize the connection here. Let's say a developer creates a video game laden with sex and/or violence. They release it to booming sales. Why wouldn't they make their next game exactly the same? If parents really want the evil video game corporation from infiltrating the goodness of their homes with their digital filth, they should probably stop buying it. Now obviously not all parents regard video games as a technology age pariah. Some feel this way. But really, such extreme violence and sexual content really shouldn't be just handed to kids by their neglectful, or ignorant, or distracted parents. Also, the parents cannot blame the industry or the retailers. The various governments of the world have put laws in place to require the industry to develop safeguards for minors. Some governments are more understanding about the whole situation than others, of course. Also, many global retailers have taken measures to ensure they do not sell mature-rated games to minors.

The moral of all this is that the video game industry is in it for profit, bottom line. Sex and violence lead to bigger profits. Yes, children don't need to experience it at a young age necessarily, but the problem lies more in the home than it does in the market. If parents want the industry to stop, they should stop unwittingly buying violent games, and pay more attention to what their children do to occupy the vast expanses of nothingness that fill a young person's day.

Oh, and another thing about violent video games: they tend to be a hell of a lot more fun.