Pocket Change - Shopping Blog

At this point we all know about the Manhunt 2 ban. Those who prey on the fear of the greater American public have won, and censorship has taken hold. What is worse, instead of fighting back against censorship in their industry the major game companies have decided to participate in the ban themselves by not allowing “Adults Only” games to be played on their systems. This strikes a major blow to freedom in game development, and sets the industry back about 20 years. Thanks to these policies, it is now possible for the courts to mandate an Adults Only rating on any game they deem to be “unacceptable for children,” thus banning it for everyone. While I will never make an argument that games intended for adults should end up in the hands of children, why should they be banned from the (as I will prove later in this article) the vast majority of gamers?

I have come to the conclusion that the root of this problem is that the majority of the American (perhaps the world) public does not realize who exactly gamers are. When they hear the word “video game” the image shoots to a 11 or 12 year old boy. The assume that because it’s a “game” and therefore not what an adult does that Video Games are designed for children. Those of us who are close to the industry know that this is not true on just about every level.

Unlike most, I will not go on gut feeling and anecdotal evidence to prove my point. Let’s look at the hard facts of who is actually purchasing and playing video games.

http://www.theesa.com/facts/gamer_data.php

The first thing that one notices on that page is this fact: “The Average game player age is 33.” The average gamer is not the kid next door, but the guy that works at the cubical or desk next to you. I say “guy,” and that may show a bit of my bias because this data also shows that “Thirty-eight percent of game players are women.” In fact, “Women age 18 or older represent a significantly greater portion of the game-playing population (30%) than boys age 17 or younger (23%).” The majority of gamers are over the age of 18, and those that are under 17 cannot buy a game of M rating or higher.

So, now we know that the typical gamers is a nearly middle aged man or woman. Now add to that fact that “Sixty-nine percent of American heads of households play computer and video games,” and you have a general idea of who the Manhunt ban actually effects, and why it matters. This is censorship based on a lack of understanding, and in any other form of media it would be met with outrage. Throughout our childhood we were taught to embrace banned books and movies. Taught of how awful any nation that would censor art and culture was. We were taught to revere freedom of speech. Apparently that doesn’t count when it comes to video games.

We need to catch up to the realities of the world we live in. Media has changed, and our entertainment has changed with it. We’re gamers, we are not children, and we do not wish to be treated like them.

What is great about Pocket Change is that the people who read this blog come from many walks of life. There are gamers, non-gamers, fashion fanatics, and more. I am interested in hearing from both those who play games, and from those who don’t: “What do you think of when you hear ‘gamer’? Do you think that violent video games should be banned from the general public in the interest of ‘protecting children’? Why?”

Kris