The video game industry is quite different than any other media industry. People seem to have a much harsher view on gaming, as well as mature content in the games, than they do about any other modern media. Let me start off this new GPU editorial by giving you the problem. Content that is fully acceptable in R-rated movies is considered outrageous in M-rated games. Should not the M rating mean virtually the same as the R rating? To purchase M-rated games you must be 17, to view R-rated movies at a theater you must also be 17, yet the scrutiny and analysis differs quite a bit from one medium to another. Why does this happen, what can be done to change perceptions, and how will this content work in future games? These are a few questions I hope to provide suggestions to in this article.

The modern media is fine with R-rated movies like Hostel and Saw that show brutal killings, full nudity, and numerous other offenses but yet when a game like Mass Effect had a small sex scene barely showing the backside of a woman all hell breaks loose. This shows the rift that still exists, and that people still have confused views based on an industry that they do not fully understand. Gaming overall is not brand new, but the mainstream media, as well as many parents, are just starting to feel the growing effects games are having in modern life, and many fear what they don’t understand. This brings the question, should games that gain the M-rating have the same feel of an R-rated movie? Now don’t take this the wrong way, I am not some pervert wanting a topless version of Dead or Alive Beach Volleyball. I am talking about scenes of nudity, sex, or violence that are tastefully done and help to further the plot in a good way. I believe that games are still being held back from true storytelling based on what you can and cannot do in terms of graphic content. With that being said, there are a few companies that continue to push these limits and expand the idea of plots using graphic content in a good way.

Why do these views exist? Why do people get upset at having a tiny amount of graphic content in games? The answer seems to fall on the fact that video games have just stepped into the national spotlight, and movies have been in the same spotlight for years. Movies have had the same issues as games are having now, they have just moved past that stage. Also think of when Rock & Roll first debuted with artists like Elvis, the music and dancing was considered outrageous.  It seems the game industry might be able to get past the point where people get offended by these things in games just like movies and music have. Another big issue that may be adding to the negativity is the fact that almost anyone can walk into a store and buy an M-rated game. It may be necessary to enforce game ratings much more in order to allow more graphic content in them.

So how do you make graphic content in a way that it is tasteful and helps to further the plot or keep you in the story? There are quite a few games with brief nudity or graphic violence here and there that do not do it well, and this is not helping the overall push to make games with more graphic content more acceptable. I think Mass Effect did the sexual scene well. It required you to interact and learn characters, and begin a full relationship with the character as opposed to just throwing it out there. Games that use scenes of violence and sex as a way to further the plot and make you care more for characters, or show you the intensity of war really can help the overall experience. Look at it the same way as movies, they (the good ones) use violence and sex as a way to help you feel for characters and draw you in the story and put you in the environment.

I think what needs to happen is that first media and parents (or anyone that hasn’t played the certain game with certain content) need to play these games to judge whether the content is done right. Second, the media needs to step back and remember that movies for the same age groups are more graphic than games, and cut some slack to a game like Mass Effect. Third, there need to be more regulations on the sale of M-rated games to minors. Once a good system is in place the media and parents may feel a bit better about graphic content in games, because they know their kids cannot get their hands on it. Finally, people in the game industry need to realize that games are just now coming into the main spotlight, and it may take a while for games to be as movies are now.

In the future I hope to see games push boundaries much more, yet do it in a respectful way. As I mentioned above it will take time, but I believe games need to be put side by side with movies and rated the same way. If I can handle seeing Saving Private Ryan’s beach scene, why would I not be able to handle the same scene in a Call of Duty game? It will take a bit to change non-gamers’ perceptions of these scenes, but as I said before, if parents and media outlets will play through some of these areas before they scrutinize it may give them a better feeling of how this relates in the stories.

Overall, game companies need to make sure that they push these boundaries, but do it in a respectful way. If game companies can show that these scenes of sex and gratuitous violence relate to the plot and help build relationships or show the realities of life people’s opinions and views may change. The gaming industry is still new and has just stepped into the spotlight so it still must work to prove that things like this can be done without being just another spectacle, or just another shooting game. If companies make these issues mature and use them well they can earn the respect of media outlets and critics, and only then can the industry move toward a more mature understanding.