Game On or Game Over: Perhaps we need to grow up a little?

Microsoft versus Sony, Battlefield versus Call of Duty and Forza versus Gran Turismo. These are some of the rivalries that can get people talking about console wars. “Game On or Game Over” is your place to get inside the minds of Nicholas and Andy as they seek to find the true meaning of gaming and tackle some of gaming’s most controversial subjects. Both are award winning authors – although the awards haven’t been mailed or created yet — but trust them. Would they lie to you?

Nicholas: I’ve been playing through Wolfenstein: The New Order for the past few weeks, and the one thing which comes to mind often is, “these Nazi are dicks.” I know that goes without saying given the actual history of WWII, but never I have I played a game before where I felt the enemy were so down-right evil. Interesting that. Now keeping with the actual history, I’ve sometimes wondered whether seeing the swastika throughout the game and the entire notion of Nazi Germany occupying the world has ever disturbed some players. We know that the regime is hated in the game and the entire point behind Wolfenstein: TNO is to overthrow them, but there’s no denying that it could be a sensitive topic for some. Despite this, I’ve not come across any articles or posts online from people suggesting that it’s a subject matter that shouldn’t be covered.

This made me think about the controversy that surrounded Tomb Raider when it was revealed a few years ago, specifically the ‘attempted rape’ scene which takes place early on in the game. Now despite the fact this action wasn’t condoned in the game, and even though Lara’s attacker was killed soon after, it didn’t stop some people online from voicing their disgust towards Crystal Dynamics’ decision to include this as a scene. I look at these two situations, both absolutely horrible – one being a tragic event in this world’s history that caused unspeakable pain and suffering, and the other being a serious issue that many people have faced and still do today – and I wonder why the gaming community seem to have no (vocal) qualms with one than the other. It seems that the topic of Nazis can be used in games time and time again (just look at the Call of Duty franchise), but sexual assault (even though it is never condoned) seems taboo.

To get the ball rolling, why do you think the community has no issues with themes of violence and murder in games, however it seems like sexual assault should never be included as a theme in a game?

Andy: There certainly is a level of dissonance in what causes gamers decide to rally to and against isn’t there? It’s an interesting topic to consider though when you really think about it. I think it’s in large part because we’ve been taught from an early age that World War II was because of a really bad group of people, who did really vile things behind the banner of science. Nazi’s are the bad guys, they are the thing of nightmares, and any movie, book or article that references them is always in a negative light. So, ‘logically’ we are ingrained to eliminate those things so it makes it OK. Think about most shooters though, it’s almost always wave after wave of faceless people. Most have some sort of helmet or baklava covering their face as they charge endlessly into our bullets.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a group of Nazis in Wolfenstein, a group of Russians in Modern Warfare, or a group of North Koreans in Homefront. They are the “bad guys” and our mission is to put lead in their faces and we happily do so with nary a second thought. Much like we are one hundred percent OK with going way over the speed limit in racing games. I have to be honest, I haven’t put much thought into the “why” as I was playing the game. The story usually provided me enough reason to do the missions and not think twice. There is one mission though that actually got me thinking and that was the “No Russian” mission in Modern Warfare 2. Walking through an airport with a heavy machine gun, mowing down helpless civilians caused some angst for me. It created a decent sized media frenzy too. However, at the start of the campaign there was a very clear warning if you will, and the option to skip that mission all together if desired. Some people thought it was a good gut punch to make you invested in the story, others thought it took things too far. The beauty in the mission though was it got people thinking and talking about it.

We shoot Nazis because it’s part of the game. Would we be OK with needlessly killing a cute little puppy because it’s part of a game? I have to be honest, if I knew going into a game that I’d have to kill a puppy I probably wouldn’t play it. In Grand Theft Auto you can kill hookers, and people do that while laughing. As video games continue to push the envelope in what they include, it only reasonable to expect one to put us in a position of not just an attempted rape but an actual rape. Maybe even being the ones to commit the act. I asked a friend about that very thing and he said if it was a shock and didn’t know it was going to happen he’d be more OK with it rather than knowing ahead of time that it was a plot point. If it was known ahead of time he said he’d probably quit playing the game.

I think it’s only a matter of time before a developer takes a risk and adds something like that into a game. There’s no doubt it will create a media firestorm with some condemning it and others rallying behind the banner of artistic freedom. What will you do when/if that’s in a game you are looking forward to playing? Will you still get it and play it? Play it only if that part is skipable, or shun the game all together?

Nicholas: You know, that’s a really good question. I’ve never played through any of the Call of Duty games, but I’ll be honest, I can’t ever think I’ve been presented with a situation where I felt, “this game has stepped the mark”. There are times when I’ve decided to go down the route of being the good guy rather than the evil menace, or there are times when I’ve hesitantly had to make a decision to kill a character I didn’t want to, but never have I thought, “no, this is too much”. I feel like if a developer decided to allow you to sexually assault another character in the game then that would be going too far. Would I boycott a game if I knew the context of the scene ahead of time? Perhaps. Would I skip the scene should it be an option and play the rest of the game? Most likely.

But this isn’t as simple as a one or two line answer. I’ve just said that I wouldn’t play a game (or at least a scene) that allowed me to sexually assault another character, but despite this, there are times when that kind of content has been removed from games and I’ve complained about it. I am of course, referring to anal probing.

When I found out that the anal probe device was going to be banned from Saints Row 4 I was disappointed. Not because I was hell-bent on using the weapon on every civilian in Steelport, but because I felt it was a decision I should have been able to make. The same happened when the various anal probing scenes were cut out of South Park: The Stick of Truth. I’m not some sadistic scumbag, but in a game where I can kill people with a dubstep gun, or where I’m beating down 7 year olds with a metal staff with three breasts on the end, it seems ridiculous that an anal probe weapon or scene is banned – particularly when in both occasions the games are not realistic, are cartoons, and are over-the-top absurd.

Does this make me a hypocrite though, or do you think there is a distinction when it comes to the topic like sexual assault in video games? There are some people who believed those scenes/weapon should have been removed because it promotes rape. Do you think those comments are valid?

Andy: We’ve talked before on whether video games cause violence. I have to say I have the same stance with anything in a video game causing any real life behavior. There is just no real proof out there that can zero-in on the “game cause X behavior” hyperbole. People killed people before video games and people had car accidents from speeding before there were video games too – the same can be said for any act that you find in games now. There is just no way to tease out all the variables and attribute anything to video games being the cause of anything.

It’s ironic that you decided to talk about this topic this week, as I am playing through Sniper Elite 3. Like Wolfenstein, it’s all about shooting Nazis. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that it was a fun game and that the kill cams never got old. I’ve played through the game co-op with a buddy and there were several times that each of us said “Oh that was awesome” a time or two where we even said “I just shot his testicle off.” I can’t say that I put too much thought into who I was shooting and to be honest the story of Sniper Elite 3 isn’t that good, but sniping someone and the reward of the kill cam makes it a blast. It’s legitimately fun just to shoot the seemingly endless Nazis throughout level after level. Like you said though, there’s no public outcry about the feelings of the Nazis or the social consequences of such actions.

I want to put the rape issue aside for a moment if I may. Imagine a developer making a game from the other view point. In the case of Wolfenstein/Sniper Elite you play the part of a Nazi soldier trying to fend off the endless horde of Allied soldiers and the story implies that the Allies are the “bad guys” with the Axis powers trying to save humanity. What do you think the public reaction would be if gamers are tasked to kill soldiers from America, Australia, Canada and the rest of those forces? Is it fair that we are so OK with violence against a few select groups, but not when it’s our “own” people? I know in many cases the games we get have certain things changed in them when they are released in Germany. Do you think your view(s) would be any different if you were from Germany and had a more personal experience with that culture and what transpired? Lastly, should we as a gaming community (gamers/developers/publishers) be more cognizant of that instead of always having a select few groups be the bad guys?

Nicholas: I think the reason why, especially with the case of Nazis or terrorists, is that the enemy are never generalized as representing an entire country or region. Let me explain. The reason why Sniper Elite doesn’t cause controversy is because you don’t play the role of an American killing Germans, instead you’re an American killing Nazis – there’s a difference. Similarly, you don’t play games where you’re an American killing Iraqis, rather you’re only hunting down terrorists. I think a lot of it also comes down to who the core group of gamers are. Developers know which markets their games will be sold in, so they make titles where the story appeals to that demographic. If a company knows that a majority of its sales will come from the States, then they’ll play on themes that that demographic will enjoy. It’s why Saints Row 4 had that “America, F*** YEAH!” theme about it. It just works.

The answers to both of your questions would be “yes” if developers/publishers weren’t rehashing the same settings and themes time and time again. How many games revolve around WWII? How many games revolve around the Nazis? How many games revolve around a terrorist threat? If we saw games break that mold and feature different enemies then yes, I think we’d potentially see more backlash, but right now you’d be an idiot to stand up and say “won’t someone think of the terrorists?” and possibly even more idiotic to want to identify with them. No matter if the Nazis were German, they’d be doing their best to separate the two as being completely different groups.

You mentioned before about actions in games not resulting in real-world behavior, and there’s something similar I’d like to get your opinions on. Earlier on I brought up the example of anal probing being banned, and those comments from some suggesting that it promotes sexual assault. This made me think of a campaign from PETA last year where they linked playing Pokémon and Super Mario 3D Land to animal abuse. Now with the case of the latter it only highlighted how pathetically petty PETA are, but do you think something similar occurs when gamers suggest that the anal probing scenes in Saints Row 4 or South Park: The Stick of Truth glorifies sexual assault? Do you think that when we try to link serious real-world crimes and issues to something even remotely similar in video games, that we are trivializing them? Is it wrong to compare using a giant dildo to hurl citizens into the air with an act as heinous and despicable as rape?

Andy: People who know me know I am passionate about dog rescue, foster work and own two of my own. I refuse to dignify PETA and its practices with any type of real response. Suffice to say that PETA is all about shock marketing. I won’t give them the time of day. Trying to attribute real-world issues to something similar in a video game is much like how people tried to ban books due to content back in the 70’s. Let’s not forget, too that many times there are worse things on television or in the movies yet the focus is mostly on video games. What about movies like ‘Saw’ and how violent they are? Or a movie like ‘Cougar Club’? The mass media seems to think that only kids play video games, but while that was mostly true in the past, today’s gamers are not just 10-12 year old kids. Gamers span religion, race, gender and sexual orientation. If someone is underage and their parent deems content, no matter the medium, unsuitable for them it’s their choice to not let them watch/play/read it. It really is that simple.

Now back to the topic of an attempted sexual assault in a game. I played Tomb Raider and am familiar with the scene that caused the uproar. To be honest, I thought it was tastefully done by Crystal Dynamics and with the media circus beforehand I was expecting something much worse. The scene was emotive without being over the line and I thought it fit in perfectly to where the story was at that point. Can I see something like that in a game that pushes the envelope a little farther? Absolutely I can. Does that mean I’m eagerly looking forward to it? No not really, but that’s what good writing is all about. Don’t just add something to a game – any game mechanic or plot point – to create an uproar. If it’s done tastefully and has a reason to be in a game, that’s fine. I think making gamers a little uncomfortable and pushing them outside of their zone is a good thing. If, and I stress the ‘if’ – if it’s handled in a tasteful way. Will some people boycott the game for it, probably, but like we talked about with diversity in games, it’s not for us gamers to dictate content – it’s a story that the developers want to tell. We can choose to participate in that story if we want though.

Here’s something about this topic that has never made sense to me. We are hyper sensitive to certain issues and I understand that. Yet, it seems like a double standard that we when a developer puts in an attempted rape scene there is a huge uproar yet going into a lobby of almost every FPS game and you will undoubtedly hear “I just raped you!” said by someone. I’m not sure when that word became synonymous with doing well. The response of “Oh that’s just the way it is” is utter rubbish. We can’t condemn that one segment that uses that word and then extol another segment for using the same word. It’s disingenuous to have that double standard and I wonder why there isn’t an uproar about that. Heck, I remember playing Call of Duty and the custom clan tags playing against people that had “R4pe” as their clan title and people laughed because they thought it was funny. As gamers we can’t expect there to be change until we stand up for that change. Simply sayings “that’s just how it is” doesn’t do any good at all. What do you think though, is it fair that those double standards exist? Should gamers be as appalled over the word usage as some were over the one scene? Is one form of use worse/better than the other?

Nicholas: This is one of those instances where the views of gamers online (meaning those on social media) do not necessarily reflect the views of the gaming community at large. I’ve seen discussions in the past where people have spoken about disliking the connection between ‘rape’ and a difficult opponent or match. I think a lot of the people who are vocal about sexual assault in games are also vocal about people using the term ‘rape’ as you’ve mentioned above, so it isn’t a case of double-standards or hypocrisy, but more so some groups are mindful while others simply do not care.

On the flip-side, it’s also important not to assume that the gamers we come across in multiplayer matches represent the community as a whole either. In the case of Call of Duty, it’s well-known how bad the online community is, so to assume that their attitudes or views reflect the rest of gamers out there is a stretch too. I certainly agree, it would be hypocritical for gamers to be offended about the attempted rape scene in Tomb Raider but have no qualms saying “I’ve just been raped in that match”, but I honestly don’t think that’s what we’re seeing most of the time. Those who are bothered by the former are usually always bothered by the latter too.

As we near the end of this week’s discussion there’s one final thing I’d like to get your opinion on. At the beginning of this article I mentioned the ‘attempted rape’ scene in Tomb Raider. In the game, this act isn’t glorified and the user is actually attacked and killed by Lara moments later. Excluding the examples of Saints Row 4 and South Park before, in most titles, sexual assault is never glorified and is certainly shown in a dark light, yet despite this gamers continue to express their outrage when a developer decides to include this theme in their work. Do you think gamers that are simply not mature enough to handle such serious real-world themes in games? In a time where we are still hung up about the size of a character’s breasts or the fact that Mario perpetuates this ‘damsel in distress’ trope, are we, as gamers, just not ready to be exposed to such themes? Are we just simply too immature?

Andy: I don’t think gamers as a whole are too immature to be honest, look at all the dark themes that are present in games right now. End of the world, morality choices and death – lots and lots of death. Like you said above, sure there is a segment of the gaming community that just doesn’t care and will be immature asshats no matter what the topic is, but by and large I think the community can handle just about any theme a developer wants. The catch is, even though the gaming community can handle it doesn’t mean that the mass media can. The stereotype of what a game is hasn’t changed for those who don’t game. Ask a non-gamer what they think of when they hear the term ‘gamer’ and you will most likely get a response with the word ‘kid’ in it. The term ‘gamer’ has changed so much over the past 20 years, but those outside of the community are slow to understand that. I think that’s why when you see more risqué themes in games there is the backlash from major news sources like Fox News and the like.

I completely understand that there are some themes and story elements that aren’t for everyone due to a myriad of reasons. I have a friends that served two tours in Iraq, saw several friends die and came home a shattered person for his experiences. He games to get away from reality, but he cannot play “real-life” shooters like Call of Duty or Battlefield because his PTSD is so bad. Yet he can happily play Gears of War, Dead Space and Dead Island because he can separate that in his mind as being different enough. That doesn’t me he rallies against those other games, he knows his limits and stays within them. If there is a theme or element in a game that someone knows will distress them then by all means avoid it. There are a couple movies that friends have raved about that I won’t see because of something that I know happens in it and I just don’t want to see it. It’s not for me to say that those movies shouldn’t be made or those things included in the movie.

Jeffery Dahmer is a notorious serial killer here in the US and did some truly heinous things to people. Yet there have been movies and television shows made about him. ‘The Walking Dead’ graphic novels feature at least one major rape scene and I don’t recall seeing anything about that. Like movies and books; games are an expression of a story. Not every story is going to be fun and cute. The Last of Us is neither of them and was heralded for being amazing. I fully support each individual gamer making their own personal decision to play or not play a game based on their unique circumstances. I’d hope that the gaming community can do the same and when a developer decides to incorporate content that pushes the envelope and make people uncomfortable, that the community as a whole can appreciate the content regardless if they approve of it or not. That’s the beauty of being a gamer, no matter your tastes or mood, there is always something out there to play. If gamers want to truly shed the immature title then we have to practice acceptance as long as it’s done tastefully and not in a way that glorifies those darker themes. With that said, if I knew a game required me to actively do a sexual assault to pass a level or progress the story, I’m not sure how I’d feel about that. That’s a decision each individual has to make. We, as individual games, can’t dictate what is and is not OK for other gamers. We can only dictate what we, as individuals, experience by supporting or not supporting developers as they continue to push the envelope going forward.

Tune in next time for the next instalment of Game On or Game Over. If you have any ideas for our next article, feel free to contact Andy or Nicholas on Twitter.