---- said:Exactly. There's no distinction being made here, just the typical nerds who think the Japanese can do no wrong and the dumb Americans are ruining the world. It's just another dumb argument from the people who think that violent adult manga is classy art that should be respected and stuff like The Punisher is just for base redneck Americans without any class. Whatever, if the subject matter of my original post had been some truly obtuse game filled with gore from an Eastern developer like I don't know say Killer 7, then the gore and violence would be regarded as beautiful artwork from geniuses, rather than a base form of entertainment as the Punisher and Mortal Kombat. All I hear are hypocrites with jingoists eyes.
If that's what you get from reading my posts, it's because you're too busy listening to your own rhetoric to hear what I'm saying. The Japanese hardly 'can do no wrong'. Do you see me condoning things like Japanese kids murdering each other over schoolyard taunts? No? Well, then perhaps you ought to stop putting words in my mouth before you make yourself look like more of an idiot than you already have. My point is that as a citizen of the United States, residing in the United States, my primary concern is with what sort of entertainment is being produced and released by my fellow Westerners. They're the ones my opinion should carry some weight with, as opposed to a foreign culture from the other side of the globe. The sad fact of the matter is that the average gamer from the foreign culture in question seems to have serious misgivings about being cast in the role of virtual sadist in the games he plays, while the vast majority of Westerners seem to relish that opportunity, regarding the freedom to inflict pain and suffering on innocent and defenseless characters in a virtual environment as 'cool'. Should I feel proud of this?
---- said:The violence and sexual content in the games that Capcom/Tecmo/SNK make are no more acceptable or unacceptable than the violence and sexual content in the games that THQ/Midway/Rockstar make.
Depends on the game in question, but any game where you can run around killing or torturing innocents, noncombatants, or otherwise helpless characters is tough for me swallow, regardless of its country of origin. I think it's safe to say that there have been a lot more of those games developed in the West (and a much bigger demand for said games) than there have been in Japan, though.
---- said:IOh Jesus. Watch too many Michael Moore films lately? Yeah American society is a real hell-hole. We're all itching to leave. Yeah right. That's why we can't keep people from every corner and rock on the face of the Earth from spilling through our borders. It's real unfortunate to live in America. Get real. Most people who live in this country consider it the greatest place on Earth. May not be perfect and there's certainly plenty of room for improvement but still far better than the alternatives out there. I don't consider myself anything but spoiled by getting to live in America.
Bravo. *golf clap* About the only cliche you missed was 'If you don't like it, leave!' Want to tell me I'm 'anti-American' too, because I dare to believe that a country where kids bring guns to school and shoot one another over a pair of sneakers might have a problem with violence that needs looking into? It's difficult for people who do give a damn about things like this to actually do anything, though. The moment anyone tries to raise peoples' awareness, people like you crawl out of the woodwork, waving your flags and proclaiming that the United States is 'still the best country in the world' at the top of your lungs. Urban violence (and our growing acceptance of it as the 'reality' of life in the city) is a very real problem in this country, but your average American doesn't want to hear that. As long as guys like you keep on telling them that everything's OK loud enough and often enough, they'll gladly believe you, right up to the point where the problem has become too big to ignore--and by that point, it's damn near impossible for any of us to do anything about it. Denying problems doesn't make them go away, and turning a blind eye to them out of national pride isn't doing anyone any favors.
I'm actually on the fence concerning the depiction of violence in videogames. On the one hand, I don't necessarily believe it desensitizes people to violence in the real world, based on my own experiences. I'm also strongly opposed to censorship in any form, and I would never want to see government-imposed regulation on violent content in games. On the other hand, I find the sadistic glee with which some people rush to perform violent acts in the games that allow them to (most of which are developed here in the West) extremely unsettling, as is the eagerness with which they embrace the games which have the player controlling an antihero. I think it says something disturbing when the 'heroes' of some of the biggest, most popular games on the market here are nothing but ruthless scumbags whose quests revolve around acquiring personal power and wealth, and who are free to kill innocents for kicks or quick cash, while characters with more noble or altruistic goals are dismissed by players as 'corny' or 'fake'. As Camillemurs mentioned earlier, this may well be a reflection of contemporary Western society on some level, and I find that thought disheartening. I'm glad many Japanese gamers find that sort of thing a little distasteful, that they don't crave the opportunity to kill innocents or torture defenseless characters in a virtual environment. I only wish that more Americans shared those sentiments, too, that games which cast the player in a heroic role and rewarded them for positive actions were in stronger demand instead. (I'm looking forward to the upcoming Spiderman game because it promises to do just that; I'm hoping it'll be received well and open the door for more free-roaming games that encourage gamers to play as a hero instead of a thug.)