The game designing industry is grappling with the issue which is comparatively less discussed in its house: The ethical responsibility of designers. Do designers and developers of the game have to follow any moral code? Are they also needed to inhale the air, which is filled with the social obligation? This burning question has paved the way to the ideological and philosophical churning.
Just like any other debate, this one also has its opponents and proponents. The former believe that it’s not about legality…it’s about morality. As a creator of mass market, they should take care about the content of their creation. While the latter think that freedom of expression is the first principle of democracy. They advocate that being a form of art, they are entitled to the luxury of being their own. It’s an absolute necessity that artist should speak his mind, if we want to create an environment which is conductive and nutritive to the creative impulses. But the issue runs much deeper than that.
It’s not a hidden fact that the majority of the game addicts are children and teenagers. They are at constant exposure to the excessive violence and sometimes sex which is a part of many gameplays. Psychological impact of such a popular medium on tender minds is a subject area of clinical research. The findings are not very cheerful. It has been proven again and again that mind at this age quickly captures bad and negative things rather than the good things. They are not mature enough to understand that it’s just a game and not life. For them the line between reel and real is very blurred. Producers hide behind the rating system. They detached themselves by putting their finger on the M rating, which means only for the mature and not supposed to be played by children .But we all know; it’s a cakewalk for today’s children to acquire such games.
Besides, another important aspect of this problem is the intention of the game creator. Games like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City has a plot where you can have sex with the prostitute and can kill her to get your money back. Now, is it in the pursuit of high art or just a cheap attempt to grab the eyeballs and to become a talking point among the masses? Isn’t it the lowest common denominator of populism, which is nothing less than ugly marketing gimmick? This is a tricky question as there is no machine or technique which can track man’s intentions. You just have to feel and guess it.
Of course, this is not an attempt to put all the blame on industry people. As a society, parents and gamer himself has certain responsibilities. Parents should have an eye on what their child is playing. The Gamer should know what is appropriate to his age and game is just a fun. You have to leave the game at the moment you leave the controller!
Click here for more information on Game Designing in Kuwait.
Just like any other debate, this one also has its opponents and proponents. The former believe that it’s not about legality…it’s about morality. As a creator of mass market, they should take care about the content of their creation. While the latter think that freedom of expression is the first principle of democracy. They advocate that being a form of art, they are entitled to the luxury of being their own. It’s an absolute necessity that artist should speak his mind, if we want to create an environment which is conductive and nutritive to the creative impulses. But the issue runs much deeper than that.
It’s not a hidden fact that the majority of the game addicts are children and teenagers. They are at constant exposure to the excessive violence and sometimes sex which is a part of many gameplays. Psychological impact of such a popular medium on tender minds is a subject area of clinical research. The findings are not very cheerful. It has been proven again and again that mind at this age quickly captures bad and negative things rather than the good things. They are not mature enough to understand that it’s just a game and not life. For them the line between reel and real is very blurred. Producers hide behind the rating system. They detached themselves by putting their finger on the M rating, which means only for the mature and not supposed to be played by children .But we all know; it’s a cakewalk for today’s children to acquire such games.
Besides, another important aspect of this problem is the intention of the game creator. Games like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City has a plot where you can have sex with the prostitute and can kill her to get your money back. Now, is it in the pursuit of high art or just a cheap attempt to grab the eyeballs and to become a talking point among the masses? Isn’t it the lowest common denominator of populism, which is nothing less than ugly marketing gimmick? This is a tricky question as there is no machine or technique which can track man’s intentions. You just have to feel and guess it.
Of course, this is not an attempt to put all the blame on industry people. As a society, parents and gamer himself has certain responsibilities. Parents should have an eye on what their child is playing. The Gamer should know what is appropriate to his age and game is just a fun. You have to leave the game at the moment you leave the controller!
Click here for more information on Game Designing in Kuwait.