As video game graphics become increasingly realistic, they've managed to simultaneously win themselves a significant number of critics. And to be fair, who can blame them? We've seen game experiences evolve from highly pixilated Mario adventures to first person shooter simulations like Call of Duty and Dishonored. While those realistic renderings of IRL violence are kinda dope on an anesthetic level, there's no denying there's a proliferation of games with an element of violence. What gives?
Gameranx, experts in all things game-related, decided to explore a few reasons why war and violence are so common in game culture. They've got some pretty interesting points about it too. One reason, they suggest, is that violence has always had a presence in entertainment. When video games first hit the market, violence was already pretty prevalent in TV and cinema, but highly pixilated game systems prevented any lifelike portrayals. It was only when graphics improved that parents decided to bring down the hammer, claiming that these increasingly hi-def images were poisoning the minds of the youth (or something).
Gameranx also makes the case that video games serve the same purpose as, say, a Quentin Tarantino flick like The Hateful Eight or Kill Bill. There's something cathartic about video games for a lot of players. As they point out, most people would never do anything portrayed in these media outside of their game experience, but there's some relief in defeating the bad guy or saving the damsel in distress. And where's the harm in that?
Check out the video above for their full run down. There's some interesting food for thought for both gamers and non-gamers alike.
