Level Start.....

Violence has always been a subject that is faced with many an opposing view, each outlook professing it as either a necessity and a natural part of our human identity and being, or a repugnant crime that must be quelled and has no place in a modern society. Due to this societal schism, violence has been plagued with various censorship in all areas, especially in regards to artistic mediums. This decades old argument increases twofold when discussing the area of games. Though video games have not been perceived unanimously as an art form by most, it still has the potential to represent certain issues on subjects like violence and critique them through play. However, in most instances, the mass public have viewed it as a grounds for violent influence, those who play video games adopting more aggressive attitudes and are more prone to violent behaviour. This theory of course isn't as clear as some claim, since there are some articles that have described the link between the two to not be as concrete as it seems regarding if it, in fact, is the cause (Etchells, 2013).

While I personally do not consider the presence of all violence within video games to be an issue that needs a resolution, I do believe the controversy and opposition surrounding the topic needs discussion and further analysis, on both sides of the spectrum. I will truthfully state that there are examples of games that implement a distasteful use of violence, which I will discuss on this blog, but I will also include examples where violence is included, not for the sake to intentionally offend or to make their game known or recognized, but to educate and inform as well as provide a more realistic feel.

Throughout these posts, I am going to be discussing examples of games that include violence, predominantly concerning graphic and "gory" games, where the visual display is to an extreme and exaggerated degree. Some may discuss a misuse of violence where it is gratuitous and merely there for the sake of shock value, other times I will discuss its use for critiquing the topic, as stated earlier. These will be accompanied by mainly visual examples of these games to exemplify my reasoning. By covering both sides of the issue, I hope that readers will gain a more well-rounded knowledge on the subject and change their perceptions on games as a whole, from emulators of mass violence to a grounds for intellectual and analytical learning.