Rockstar the VoteMay 10th, 2008 by Monique
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Everyone knows that games and politics don’t mix. Politicians hate gamers, gamers hate politicians, and it’s an endlessly cyclic and mutual hatred. To the politicians, video games promote obscene sexuality and high violence. Meanwhile, according to gamers, politicians just need to get with the times.
To me, a political science college major and a gamer, both sides need to learn to get along–the sooner, the better. Somewhere along the line it became commonplace to ignore Washington if you had a controller in your hands, and somehow that has to change.
The political apathy of many gamers today is getting ridiculous. Many gamers rarely vote and most of them don’t know any of the current candidates’ stances on video games (especially Clinton’s wonderful dreams of censorship). This apathy has become naivety and it hurts the industry and us gamers more than we know. Without gamers as a political demographic, politicians and interest groups get away with their anti-gaming rhetoric, legislation and lobbying without a complaint. Sometimes, this rhetoric against gaming isn’t even true. Still, no gamers really stand up. No one corrects the misinformation–except the honorable Game Politics.
My latest moment of disgust was the interest group Mothers Against Drunk Driving, MADD for short, and their recent bash on Grand Theft Auto 4. While I understand the topic has been overdone and needs a fork stuck in it, give me a moment to spell my disgust out. Because, to me, it’s disgusting such an organization could take the time out of their busy schedules to focus on such an silly subject. I mean, can you imagine a group actually complaining about being able to drive drunk in a virtual video game—while, in real life, drunk drivers still exist?
Well, they did. Several times, in fact. Many group members gave speeches and wrote angry letters, making news around the world as they claimed the Grand Theft Auto series promoted and gave points for boozing and cruising—a statement completely unfounded. Most of us gamers were too absorbed removing the packaging from our copies of the game to even think about it, but the average non-gamer took notice. The average non-gamer was heavily influenced by their anti-gaming propaganda in fact. My own mother cringed when she found out I had purchased GTA4. “Don’t they,” she said, gesturing to my Xbox 360, “Promote rape of women?”
You mean, mom, does this game allow you to have consensual sex with women? Then yes, mom, it does.
You see, she’d heard it on the news—the rape bit. She’d believed it, too, until she saw the game for her own eyes. Kitschy and tongue in cheek, Seattle’s local news had referred to GTA4’s midnight release and said the game disdainfully promoted illegal behaviors and glorified such actions as drunk driving, prostitution, and rape.
I guess the press missed the memo. Or maybe they didn’t care because sensationalism all the rage these days. But that doesn’t change the fact that they were wrong about the glorification bit. A game can contain content, but just because it contains such content doesn’t mean it necessarily condones it. The deal is if you drive drunk in GTA4, you get heat on you real fast. You’re also most likely arrested as well because you can’t control your car well enough to give them the slip. Those of us who have played GTA know how fun being arrested is, too, as the game takes your weapons and fines you extensive damages for your actions. Talk about a glorification there. And while we’re on a roll, on the topic of prostitution, when getting a $70 happy ending in an alley, Nico says repeatedly how glad his mother isn’t nearby to see how low he’s sunk and then worries of the STDs he’ll catch. He’s definitely the picture perfect poster child of prostitution now, isn’t he? I definitely want to find a hooker now and disappoint my mother, too. Maybe after I can rob a bank or something, shoot up a neighborhood or two, run over a cop. You know, the usual.
Okay, fine. I get that it’s no shock that Grand Theft Auto 4 is controversial as hell. It’s also no shock that groups jump on these kinds of games all the time. But it’s also ridiculous that most gamers don’t bother to lift a finger to tell the facts and set the record straight. It is a shock the misinformation that’s fed to people daily about games they’ll never see or touch—yet will come to hate and blame anyway. That’s all I’m saying. That and when you vote in November, why don’t you look a little at the candidates and their platforms? Make a demographic… for once?
Don’t not vote for who you want, or anything. Instead, just realize you can influence all political policies through the lens of gaming and the community. Perhaps if politicians saw gamers as a viable demographic to appeal to, the ESRB legislation and censorship they continuously try to promote would simmer down a little. No one wants to lose votes, after all. But as it is, being pro-gaming or downplaying interest groups firmly against video games is political suicide.
And it’s our responsibility, as gamers, to change that.
Regardless of political affiliation, maybe it’s potential candidate Barrack Obama who says it best (and appears to be most video game friendly of all politicians). On the topic of GTA4, he said, “It’s gonna make goo gobs of money.”
Wait, isn’t money potential influence? Political influence, even? So why don’t we make some? You know, rock the vote and all that?
May 11th, 2008 at 2:58 am
The problem with anti-gaming “journalism” can be summed up best with the Mass Effect story on Fox News. Not only did the party that was trying to make Video Games as a desensitizing of youth not do any research on their part, but when Geoff Keighley asked Cooper Lawrence if she had actually played the game she laughed at him and said of course not as if she was above him. So not only do anti video gaming “journalists” refuse to actually research their topics but they feel that they are above any who disagree. Simply put, they have an agenda. Much like Fox News itself!
As far as getting politicians to view us as a viable demographic… I’d rather they didn’t view us at all and call it a win.
May 11th, 2008 at 9:35 am
Joe Lieberman is still at it, I see. I remember him from back in the ‘00 election cycle; he was just as virulently anti-game then. He’s not a bad senator in many ways, but this issue…yeah….
May 11th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Yeah, I’ve known I wasn’t going to vote for Clinton because of the whole Jack Thompson debacle. Everyone is so quick to forget that she can be incredibly loony when it comes to getting what she wants and feels is most appropriate in her eyes for society(hence why she refuses to drop out of the race, wasting the democratic party’s time which would be better served lobbying against McCain since he’s a very solid republican nominee). It bugs me that most feminists are all, “Vote for Clinton or you’re not a true feminist.” when the very idea of feminism is supporting every woman in their choices in life. But some people just want to feel superior to others. People, politicians in general, tend to forget that there are different facets to society. Not everyone is a white collar businesswoman or man, everyone cares about different issues. They lambaste Obama for his supposedly juvenile rallies, when in truth he’s getting the younger vote more involved, which is something politicians have been complaining about for YEARS. I’m a little bit biased, I know, but mainly because I got tired of hearing about how I wasn’t a true woman since I didn’t support Clinton.
May 11th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
I’m so happy how Obama commented on the GTA IV controversy. Paraphrasing, he said that it isnt really the games fault that kids are playing it underage, but the parents fault for not being more aware of the what they buy their kids. Thank you Obama, finally a politician gets it.
May 11th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
I was really pleased with Obama for that. He might not be a gamer. He might not even love games. But he gets they’re FOR adults (or mature teenagers) and it’s VERY unfair to review them in a 12 year old lens.
May 12th, 2008 at 2:31 am
I think the main reason for which the media puts out blatantly false information regarding games is that it helps sell news and keeps poeple glued to the screen. As soon as they realize that clean, informative coverage can achieve the same ratings, there’s a chance that it will all change…
May 12th, 2008 at 4:10 am
The politicians will jump on ANY bangwagon that gets them into office. I am a game and I DO vote.
However, I am a gun owner (gun rights), a vehicle driver (gas prices), and a divorced father (non-custodial parents rights), and a lastly a video game player (censorship of gaming Media)
Out of those four issues, how many politicians have a stance on on all of those issues? None. Because they jump on the bandwagons of the issues the media decides to sensationalize. Which one do i care about most? Take a guess. Video game censorship is the last issue i worry about when voting.
I happen to remember the 80’s-90’s “crusade” against Metal, Rap and other various forms of Music by the government’s lapdog PMRC. What happened after the media shut up? Nothing except for the fact a label got put on music. The government prattles on about stuff like this instead of what matters to keep us distracted. That’s the truth of the matter. Don’t believe me? Google it, get a history book , whatever.
The fact is Video games wont be censored the same as music wasn’t. I think there are more important issues to worry about that the politicians support or oppose than Video games.
(Disclaimer: Yes I am an AVID gamer. I play constantly when my free time allows)
May 12th, 2008 at 7:40 am
Interesting how you being a gun owner comes first.
May 12th, 2008 at 7:51 am
Scuzee. That should read, “How you list being a gun owner first”. Early.
May 12th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Dale - whilst I agree that there are lots of more important issues, voting isn’t the only way you can take political action. Sure, vote for the candidate that first and foremost will help develop your relationship with your family etc, but don’t forget that as a, say, Republican voter you can still influence the Republican parties actions by writing to your senator (I think it’s senator, I’m English so my knowledge of US politics is a little hazy), challenging the news media, and correcting people preconceptions.
May 12th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Funny how on the political websites mentioning Video Games is about the only thing that can get the Hillary supporters to back off!
May 12th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Gloria;
Interestingly enough that’s not my first interest in political issues, it just happened to be the first thing that popped into my head when it come to MEDIA propaganda and sensationalizing. In which you just proved a MAJOR poiunt with since thats all you had to comment about.
Miako;
I am not now nor have ever been a Republican. Just because i am a gun owner does not throw me in with that party automatically.
May 12th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Let’s not fight about politics. Srsly.
Anyway, my point was explicitly vote for who you want. Vote for the issues that matter. But honestly, don’t profess utter ignorance to a candidates stance on games. If you like a candidate and they seem to be totally anti-video games, why not organize and try to change their view? Write them a letter or two? It’s what interest groups do. Why isn’t there a gaming interest group? There’s film interest groups, there’s sport interest groups… yet, surprisingly, the “immature” and “violent” video gaming sector doesn’t have a single word in it.
And you can’t really predict the future here. I’m not saying GTA4 will be banned. I never said that. I’m simply saying that video game taxes, or other annoying legislation, could be passed if we don’t participate politically. It seems there’s a misconception about gaming in the media, and instead of actually trying to fix it, most gamers are either ignoring it or want to give up excuses and vast generalizations about how it doesn’t matter.
May 14th, 2008 at 5:30 am
At the same time, I don’t see why we, as gamers, have to defend every game that comes out against those wanting to ban them, no matter the dubious content of said games.
You can use these same ‘freedom of speech’ type arguments for any video nasty/snuff film, and yet I feel that somewhere you have to draw the line and say this or that product has gone too far.
I have not played GTA4, but I did play GTA3, and what I did not like it was the psychopathic (in the clinical sense) behavoiur of the main character, as well as the nihilistic world he inhabited.
The only way to interact with most npc was to either rob them or kill them. How sad.
May 14th, 2008 at 8:42 am
So Monique, how exactly can we do some of these things you’re talking about? A gaming interest group. You mentioned something to the effect of lifting a finger and letting them know that we ARE a viable demographic. How? The Fox News story mentioned in the first comment came to my mind as soon as I started reading this article. I’m a Republican, and I do love Fox News, but that story blew my mind with how narrow-minded and poorly researched it was. It was very clear that none of the people involved in the discussion knew what they were talking about. But how do gamers step in? That’s what I’d like to know.
May 14th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Vlad–don’t defend a game you don’t like. I personally think GTA4 is a hilarious, skeptic take on our society. I don’t think any of it will encourage sociopath, crazed behavior in our children. I also don’t think they were right to lie about the role of drunk driving in-game.
Jacob–It starts with letters. Long letters and no pay. The thing is, the more you do it, the more ‘press’ you get. Look at Game Politics. They’ve always called people out on their bullshit. They haven’t always been noted for it. Nowadays they are; when they call a bad newss tory out, other news networks at leas tlook at it. The Today Show has interviewed them, the New York Times has as well.
May 15th, 2008 at 9:41 am
I wish I could get more involved.. I’d write long letters daily if I had to. I mean, the more they push gamers and what not, the more it makes me want to make a change.
How about we stop constantly complaining about poor media coverage of games.. or anti-gaming politicians and help make a change? We all have good points and views that shouldn’t go unnoticed.
May 24th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
I think that we should reverse this onto other meiums to make a comparison. Going by the logic of these groups and organisations, if we look at movies or music in the same light then surely they are much worse. If you watch any music video show on TV you will see that many of the songs encorage sex and in a few cases are highly suggestive of things like BDSM etc.
Even worse, go to a movie store. The quantity of horror and gore porn movies may surprise you. If GTA is so terrible for having some sex scenes in it then where do you start on movies like Saw, WAZ, Hostel which all feature torture and gore? Surely if GTA is suggesting such things then these movies and music are too right. How is GTA any less guilty?
Fact is, these media all have ratings and people should stick to them and not bark wrongly about the otherwise.