UK paper, The Guardian, says "Non-gamers are deprived"
- Posted April 11th, 2008 at 14:26 EDT by
- 3,856 views
- 17 Comments
There seems to always be some form of negative press being thrown towards the gaming industry whether it relates to small acts of crime or school shootings, you can be guaranteed a videogame was the cause of it. This is why it is always welcoming to read something positive about the world of gaming and what it truly has done for the society we currently live in. A UK-based newspaper by the name of The Guardian has recently released an article that displays the thought of non-gamers being deprived in today's world.
The article is written by an author named Naomi Alderman. She goes into the lengths of defending Rockstar and their highly criticized franchise, Grand Theft Auto. This may be a shock to everyone, as it isn't every day that you see this type of piece being released to the general public.
"Dr Tanya Byron's eminently sensible report last month on children and new technology emphasized the many opportunities for fun and learning that games provide," says Alderman. "But the media coverage focused on the usual fears and worries.
"Byron said that we need to move away from talking about computer games 'causing harm'; in response, TV and newspapers showed stills from games with titles like Manhunt and God of War. Byron said children need to be 'empowered to keep themselves safe'; newspapers said computers and televisions should be kept in communal spaces in the home."
Alderman then goes on to reflect something that most gamers have been trying to get across to the world for a very long time and that is that games do not reflect violence of its own, but the reality of the world we live in.
"The world of Grand Theft Auto does contain violence and misogyny; but then, so does The Godfather, or Goodfellas," the article continues. "GTA3 is set in a tough, dangerous world. Johnson is trying to clean up his neighbourhood. But as a dispossessed, orphaned young black man, he has no option but to re-form his neighbourhood gang to do so. The makers of this game, like the makers of any movie about gangland, can stand squarely behind the art they have created and say: this represents reality. If it offends you, don't criticise the art, but take action to improve the world around you."
She even takes aim at parents and the lack of responsibility they take for the decisions of their children and their ability to play these games.
"Clearly, these themes [in GTA] are not suitable for young children. But just as a responsible parent wouldn't hand their child a copy of American Psycho or sit them down in front of Marathon Man without any further discussion or comment, games can and should be part of the ongoing conversation between parents and children about the world."
"The gaming world isn't filled only with violence and depravity. In fact, it's mostly enchanting," the article continues. "Computer games can be works of art and literature - they're still developing. The stories they can tell, and the experiences they provide, are increasingly sophisticated and glorious. And that, of course, is the point."
"The world that today's 10-year-olds grow into will offer so many rich experiences via video games: the real neglect would be to deny our children the opportunity to understand and enjoy them."
We understand that this article contains a lot of quotation from The Guardian's article; however, all of these quotes are a move in the right direction for the world of gaming and the gamers that reside in that world. Naomi Alderman has shown a solid opinion towards gaming and we commend her for speaking up about the way she feels and how the world should see this growing phenomenon.
If anything else like this makes it way to the public, we'll be sure to keep you updated. Hopefully, we'll be updating you a lot on great articles like this.
Comments
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zombieking36
- 3:01pm BST - April 11th, 2008
- 2
This lady is clearly well educated, she actually thought this out. She wasn't rash, a trait the caused many wars to fall, like Great Britain underestimating us compared to the US holding back a while before joining WW2. I think she deserves a raise! This author is clearly unbiased, and gives the right attack on faulty parenting of today!
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AclayPS3
- 3:12pm BST - April 11th, 2008
- 3
Nice article. Video games are really no different than movies these days. People view some movies as a work of art and a master piece, but games like Metal Gear Solid 4 are literally a video game and a movie all in one because the Metal Gear Solid series has always been very cinematic.
And I can't stand it when the media always want's to point the finger at video games causing children to be violent, I wonder if those fools ever thought that maybe it could be what children watch on T.V. or movies that cause such behavior. You sure don't hear the critics complaining about video games when they see all the money video games bring in. When they see how much money the gaming industry brings in on one particular game, they shut their mouths then.
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Boxweiler |
Boxweiler- 6:35pm BST - April 11th, 2008
- 5
Great read! I totally agree with the points discussed in the article. I kinda giggled when they mentioned GTA 3 being about somebody named Jonhson, I think they really meant GTA San Andreas, cuz the dude from GTA 3 isn't black ... LOL! Anywho, still a good article.
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circlethesky |
circlethesky- 9:03pm BST - April 11th, 2008
- 9
@ zombieking36 in post 2:
The USA didnt hold back out of WW2 because of logic they did it merely because they started a policy of isolationism and the USA are noitorious for being stubborn in polotics.
as for this article, i don't think it is correct. although Games do portray the same themes as some 'Gang' films which is fine. The films don't put the person in the situation where they act out all the actions that are comdemned in soceity. So i think it was kind of niave of her to miss that detail. however i don't particulary care about voilence in games but i do think that it can influence people to do things that perhaps they should'nt.
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gingo |
gingo- 9:07pm BST - April 11th, 2008
- 10
psn id: gingo..... i would have expected to read an article like this in a tabloid newspaper like the sun not in a respected broadsheet like the guardian so its credit to them that they have saw sense and understand games cant be 100% at blame for any crime commited
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El Penetrator
- 4:08am BST - April 12th, 2008
- 12
A clear sign that the game-hating dinosaurs are slowly dying and the new generation is coming to take their place.
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vipergts2207 |
D-Smitty- 2:55pm BST - April 12th, 2008
- 13
@Alti What are you, in the fourth grade? Just read the dang article.
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Anim3Fr33K |
Anim3Fr33K- 5:50am BST - April 13th, 2008
- 14
h311 yeh! great stuff, wish i lived in the UK so i could read the paper first hand.
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