Video Game Controversies and How to Avoid Them

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Video Game Controversies and How to Avoid Them

Video Game Controversies

If you happen to be attending a game design school, you may want to avoid creating a game that could possibly cause controversy.

More about video game controversies and how to avoid them is that always keep in mind that if you’re designing a video game that you’re designing something that is mostly geared toward the 20-30 year old age range. Most gamer are in this age range, yet some are younger as well as older, so this is the key demographic for an industry that brings in over $60 billion.

VIDEO GAME CONTROVERSIES

Game design schools will tell you that video games have proven to be a more lucrative industry, when compared to the music or movie industry. Some have blamed the internet for that as many recordings have been pirated and are downloadable. Not many people go to the neighborhood record or video store anymore, except for hard-core enthusiasts, yet stores that sell video games have seen a consistent increase in sales.

Much of this, it is believed, is due to the younger demographics. Teenagers and twenty-somethings love the variety of role-playing games out there, and quite honestly, who doesn’t love to blow aliens to pieces? Yet while these types of games are popular, there’s always controversy involved. Some games push the envelope with extremely graphic sex and violence. It’s always been said that sex and violence sells, and these tend to be the kinds of games that sell well. In some countries, games of this nature have been outright banned, due to their content. As there is a market for these kinds of games, it’s up to you to decide if this is your cup of tea when you start designing one.



Keep in mind that when your game goes before the general public, you want to make sure that you’ve created something that’s user friendly. You want to cover every angle and make sure that it’s something everyone can play and enjoy. If you’re going for an older crowd, then you may want to push the envelope a bit. However there is a game rating system in place to determine what type of content may be questionable. Think of the movie rating system; you wouldn’t want a young child to see an NC-17 film, and maybe the same would apply to a game that’s rated for Adults Only.

VIDEO GAME CONTROVERSIES



Still Video Game Controversies can ensue, even if you’ve gone through your game with a fine tooth comb. You want to make sure that every angle is covered and that your game has an acceptable rating. That may not be what you’re going for, especially if your game is more adult oriented, but keep the restrictions in mind.

In game design school, I tried to make sure that anything I designed was user friendly. I never encountered any opposition to anything I designed, even though there was some violence involved, but it was done in a way that wouldn’t be considered shocking, especially when you’re firebombing aliens. Yet, I had friends in game design school that got into trouble for creating games that were just a tad extreme, especially as it featured some nudity. His friends who tested the game felt that this was out of place, and had no real relevance to the overall feel of the game, so he changed it and realized in the end that it made no sense to keep it there in the first place.

Everyone is fascinated by some sort of controversy as it sells games and creates some sort of spin, yet if you’re attending game design school, you probably want to focus more on the fundamentals of game design before branching out into the many different genres of gaming.

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3 Responses to “Video Game Controversies and How to Avoid Them”

  1. Joe M

    i started getting depressed mid december and havent yet been able to shake it. im easily irritable, lost my sense of humor, feel emotionally and physically heavy, mentally slow and my mind is absolutely blank. i have no interest in current events, hobbies, music, concerts, art or anything i used to find fun. im no longer creative, have difficulty making conversation, smiling or being with friends. im anxious and my confidence has declined incredibly. i take offense from friends who tease me when usually i used to joke back, and just want to sleep all the time! im angry and tired and live alone which is part of the problem, because since my best friend/ roommate moved out last fall ive lost my most important social support.

    i have trouble even faking pleasentries and am lonely and just going through the motions. yet if i try to hang out with friends my depression leaks out in angry sarcastic comments, when i didnt mean to offensive or rude. so now im afraid to speak lest i say something b*tchy unintentionally.

    how do i get out of this? im seeing a therapist but it hasnt been working and since last month can no longer afford my meds even with insurance.

    Reply
  2. Bryant B

    My friend was raped last august, she got pregnant had a mc, had complications, has ptsd, depression, insomnia, an eating disorder and hpv..
    She thinks her life isn’t worth living anymore, she has councelling but nothings working? What else can she do , she’s only 16 I feel so sorry :( please no horrid comments!

    Reply
  3. The Beatles

    What if video gaming was finally banned in American because of the feminists and other females bitching about the violence in Grand Theft Auto and they decided just to ban all video games in american to avoid any more controversy, and used the money from the Grand Theft Auto games to donate to breast cancer and other feminist issues, what would your position be?

    My Position: Honest opinion, I’d would become misogynic.
    First of fall, what kind of retarded username is rfw? Second, do you support the feminists? Most likely you do and third, my IQ below average? Let me take a second to think this through, you suck at video games so bad that you are going around the internet and trolling your hate? Seriously?

    Reply

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