- Joined
- Sep 30, 2021
I've always thought the "violent video games causes violence" take was absolute bullshit. For the sake of playing devil's advocate, even if they did, why would they?
Context plays a big part in what's "acceptable" in terms of violence. Are you playing as a soldier? A fantasy warrior fending off demonic forces? An average man shooting up a grocery store? The context behind the violence is more important than the violence itself.
For example, let's use Killing Floor 2 and Call of Duty. Killing Floor has some of the juiciest gore and dismemberment physics out of any FPS, but you don't hear outrage about it because you're gunning down lab monsters. Call of Duty's gore has generally been subdued overall (World at War being an exception, what a gem), yet No Russian caused controversy. There's a pretty stark contextual difference between defending yourself from monsters and gunning down unarmed citizens in an airport. Still, it serves as a plot device to help steer the narrative, so I wouldn't call it "senseless violence".
The only game I can think of that had violence for no other reason than malice is Hatred, and that game has an atmosphere that felt like it was made by an edgy 17 year old who's mad at the world because his asshole stepdad keeps having loud sex with his mom and drinking all his Pepsi.
Context plays a big part in what's "acceptable" in terms of violence. Are you playing as a soldier? A fantasy warrior fending off demonic forces? An average man shooting up a grocery store? The context behind the violence is more important than the violence itself.
For example, let's use Killing Floor 2 and Call of Duty. Killing Floor has some of the juiciest gore and dismemberment physics out of any FPS, but you don't hear outrage about it because you're gunning down lab monsters. Call of Duty's gore has generally been subdued overall (World at War being an exception, what a gem), yet No Russian caused controversy. There's a pretty stark contextual difference between defending yourself from monsters and gunning down unarmed citizens in an airport. Still, it serves as a plot device to help steer the narrative, so I wouldn't call it "senseless violence".
The only game I can think of that had violence for no other reason than malice is Hatred, and that game has an atmosphere that felt like it was made by an edgy 17 year old who's mad at the world because his asshole stepdad keeps having loud sex with his mom and drinking all his Pepsi.
