I came across an article on other boards discussing the possibility of the Wii becoming more violent and receiving more bad press then the other consoles. It’s an interesting read.
It's Only a Wii Bit of Violence."Replace a gun with a hammer or a sword, and the actions the player must use to control the onscreen action are even more tangibly violent in nature. Suddenly, the Wii's propensity to make players more animated takes on a much more sinister connotation."
"Of course, it would be foolish to deem this emergent play dynamic universally bad. If a stable, well-rounded individual wants to step into the shoes of a gangster and pummel a virtual shop keeper by waving his fists around, surely he should be entitled to do so. The problem comes in rating this sort of content; will ratings boards such as PEGI, the ESRB and the BBFC soon have to factor the physical actions players perform into the classification process for Wii games?"
"More importantly, should graphically violent games with conventional control schemes be rated more leniently than games that are less graphically violent but offer a more tangible connection to the violence via the control method?"
"Games are the media's favorite witch, and the game industry needs to be absolutely above reproach, if it is to have any hope of rebuffing the spurious claims of the fanatical and vocal few. The Wii has enjoyed positive press so far, owing in large part to the undeniable personality and playfulness embodied by its unique interface. But the mainstream media is a fickle animal, and it will only take one game to instigate a backlash with lasting repercussions throughout the industry. The ratings bodies will have to move quickly, otherwise pundits will soon be bleating about how teens are learning how to beat up and shoot their schoolmates with their Wii. And the last thing they need is more ammunition."
Credit to:
Fraser MacInnes
My Take:
-Like the rest of you I believe games don't cause violence but he makes some good points. Sure the press loves the Wii right now but all it takes is one game to change that. The press loves building up people and then tearing them down. I think Manhunt will be the first game to potentially bring the bad press to the Wii. If the game requires people to perform stabbing motions I could see the press hailing the Wii as a murder simulator. Its one thing to press a button to stab some one but its another when you have to physically stab downward and twist the controller to cause "MASSIVE DAMAGE." Jack Johnson isn't going to be pushing his agenda by using the ps2 version he's going to go after the Wii version.
As for what’s more violent, realistic graphics or violent physical motions. I'm going to with the later. Movies have been pushing violence to realistic boundaries forever. Actually performing these motions connects the player to the act closer then any visual connection. Would you be more disturbed if you caught your younger sister or brother chainsawing someone in Gears of War or physically stabbing a character in Manhunt? They shouldn’t be playing either one but you know the press is going to eat Nintendo alive if it comes down to it.
My website:
www.seanschleifer.com
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