Advocacy

The potential of video games is limitless, and their value understated in a culture that is, at best, grudgingly accepting of their existence. ... And yet, like so many media-fueled discussions of the past decade, the debate over the place of gaming in Western society has been forfeited to the extremes on both sides.

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You sir, are an outstanding beacon for the rest of the willing gaming community to follow behind.

Hear hear! Nobody but a nerd likes an angry nerd.

I think this post raised some good points. It was fairly disgraceful how some gamers replied to that whole fiasco about Mass Effect. That sort of thing gives gamers as much of a bad name as anything from the mainstream media.

While we are getting better, another area that could still use a LOT of improvement is the number of minors able to purchase M rated video games.

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2007/04/marketingviolence.shtm

While movie theaters at 38% are only marginally better than our 42%, there is still the perception that violent games are marketed towards children (since of course all games are for children, right?) and until that 42% of children who can purchase M-rated games is a much lower figure, all the touting of the ESRB system means nothing. It completely refutes the argument that parents should control what their children play if game vendors are willing to circumvent the parents' decisions in order to make a quick buck. Sure there are parental controls on the game systems, but I think asking parents to be aware of that might be going too far, unless that feature gets more heavily advertised.

"The past few years have seen a surge in the public presence of videogames, a softening of gaming's image with products like the Wii and Rock Band and the expansion of the casual market, opening up the industry to new consumers."

I'd also like to see us take advantage of something like _Call of Duty 4_. At least here in America, we're schizophrenic about violence. We are afraid of games with guns, but we demand the right to bear arms. I personally think no game is a better ambassador for gaming than CoD. I mean, shouldn't a network like Fox News be simply salivating over a game like CoD4? Too often in the process of defending GTA--as we should--we let GTA be the face of videogaming, and we need to put forward a more media-friendly example. I'd just say that if you want to persuade the average American who is suspicious of violence in videogames that there's nothing to be afraid of, I can't think of a better game to put forward than one where you play as a soldier shooting terrorists.

@ Cheeze_Pavilion: Ahh, but the problem in America is that the debate over gun control is also dominated by two extremist sides.
Also, American standards and media are often shunted to the rest of the world, thus it would probably be best if something completely harmless looking should be the face of gaming; it would almost be a certainty that anti-war media in Europe or Australia would have a field day if gaming culture started promoting: "a game where you invaded foerign countries and shoot down 'terrorists'" regardless of the actual storyline/ideas Co4 actualy portrays. Using Murphy's law, I think it's safe to say we shouldn't let mainstream media have the chance to get the wrong end of the stick.

FortOyer:
@ Cheeze_Pavilion: Ahh, but the problem in America is that the debate over gun control is also dominated by two extremist sides.

I don't see why that's a problem if the issue is keeping the law out of gaming.

Also, American standards and media are often shunted to the rest of the world,

Ehh, I don't know about that: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/dec2005/sepa-d22.shtml