Sex in video games: The Mass (Effect) debate

Mike Bantick
Saturday, 26 January 2008 20:43

Opinion and Analysis

There has been dialogue between the two media groups since, but this has largely been outside of the public arena, with EA offering no interest in taking the video game debate further with an on-air match-up.  And fair enough, a clear stating of the facts involved with the original show would be enough to satisfy the publisher.

Again, though, this situation highlights the fact that interactive entertainment is still not seen in the same sphere as other more seemingly more adult pursuits.  The mainstream public is, by and large, seeing the hobby of video gaming as it did in the eighties and is not ready to accept that there are titles out their suited towards an adult population, Mass Effect a case in point.

Likewise, and this is also evident in Fox News discussion, they have a problem with having to recognise parental responsibilities in the area of electronic entertainment.  It seems that literature,  health, money, and other forms of entertainment, such as movie selection and TV are all seen as legitimate experiences for parental consent, whilst it is up to the distributors and government to make sure all video games are safe for minors.

It is not unusual for sensationalist style news media to latch onto a small controversy and blow it out of proportion in the quest for the all important ratings, and that is the case here most likely.  It is just so disappointing that the stereotype continues in this legitimate field of art and entertainment.

It is a sentiment that is summed up neatly by Brown further in his response to the broadcast:

"resulting coverage was insulting to the men and women who spent years creating a game which is acclaimed by critics for its high creative standards."

"As video games continue to take audiences away from television, we expect to see more TV news stories warning parents about the corrupting influence of interactive entertainment. But this represents a new level of recklessness," Brown said.