National newspaper’s new opinion piece sticks up for industry in the wake of Eidos ad ban
The Guardian newspaper has defended the video games industry on its opinion pages – in an article that suggests children whose parents stop them playing games are ‘deprived’.
The piece, penned by games writer Naomi Alderman, begins with a reference to the banning of Eidos’ Kane & Lynch advertising by the ASA.
Alderman goes on to damn the idea of a ‘shared’ games space for the whole family – as suggested by Dr Tanya Byron in her recent Review – but calls Byron’s report ‘eminently sensible’.
She also sticks up for Rockstar in the piece, which carries the headline of: ‘If we deny children access to all computer games, we deprive them of a rich and magical experience’
She writes:
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‘The world of Grand Theft Auto does contain violence and misogyny; but then, so does The Godfather, or Goodfellas. So, for that matter, does The Iliad. GTA3 is set in a tough, dangerous world. Johnson is trying to clean up his neighbourhood.
‘But as a dispossessed, orphaned young black man, he has no option but to re-form his neighbourhood gang to do so. The makers of this game, like the makers of any movie about gangland, can stand squarely behind the art they have created and say: this represents reality. If it offends you, don't criticise the art, but take action to improve the world around you.’
The opinion piece will no doubt be welcomed by the industry, which has had to put up with post-Byron attacks from the likes of The Daily Mail, The Times and The Daily Telegraph – as well as an anonymous newspaper offering readers cash to tell their stories of how games turned them to crime.
In The Guardian piece, Alderman also calls on parents to use games to get closer to their kids, adding:
‘… just as a responsible parent wouldn't hand their child a copy of American Psycho or sit them down in front of Marathon Man without any further discussion or comment, games can and should be part of the ongoing conversation between parents and children about the world.’
‘Computer games can be works of art and literature - they're still developing. The stories they can tell, and the experiences they provide, are increasingly sophisticated and glorious. And that, of course, is the point.
‘The world that today's 10-year-olds grow into will offer so many rich experiences via video games: the real neglect would be to deny our children the opportunity to understand and enjoy them.’
Comments
Hear Hear
Thank God for that. The opinions of the other papers I thought were absolute garbage. I don't agree with everything the papers have to say but hear I agree with what is being said wholeheartedly.
Re: Bravo!!
I wonder if we'll ever actually see an article as a result of that "cash for stories" stunt? The industry could take heart if it never appeared. Not that the anonymous newspaper is likely to admit it if their sabre-rattling venture never gains traction...
Re: Bravo!!
This deserves a mass amount of applause.. as comment one said...
FINALLY!
Re: Bravo!!
Finally, perhaps the media is getting behind video games, but this article seems to mix up the idea of "shared" game space for younger children and the idea of playing GTA4 (18 TBC) in the living room. If you have younger children, they shouldn't be playing GTA anywhere in the house, these are the ones who should be in the "shared" game area, playing FIFA, Viva Pinata, Sonic etc much as internet PCs should not be in young childrens bedrooms. Whereas your 18 year old can have his copy of GTA4 and play it in his room. Shared gaming areas should be considered as a positive factor in helping child developement as ther article suggests.
Aplogies if that sounds a little rantish, but just because one article written in the broadsheets, written by a gamer, is published, lets not all suddenly see this as the solution to the harrasement the industry has received lately.
Re: Bravo!!
Gaming was always going to go through an anti-social stage but the treatment it recieved from the press was unfair. Individuals like Keith Vaz don't play them but yet somehow feel they have a right to an opinion on them. As a customer pointed out to me the other day NEITHER Stalin or Hitler played games and they murdered hundreds. Think back even further, look at the crusades? The truth is that the individual must already possess an evil persona before commiting crime. Through a lack of understanding of psychology the press and politicians blame media. It is extremely refreshing to see Naomi Alderman stick up for something I have enjoyed for 22 years.
Re: Bravo!!
The thing I like is that she's confused GTA 3 with GTA San Andreas... bless!
Re: Its a start
The gaming industry needs more good press like this article, it seems to be the norm to portray the games industry as supplying the gamer with a tool to become a Killer & encourage us to do it with pride & without prejudice. The truth is if they encourage us to be so dangerous in society why are consoles & games given to prisons to keep the prisoners calm. The individual has to have the intent & anything could trigger the individual to kill.
Re: Its a start
yet again FINALLY! and by the sounds of it a DECENT jorunalist doing a DECENT job! :) (although marathon man? if i was making the comparisson these days i would say you wouldn't let your kid see Saw IV, Hostel 2 or big titted cum sluts 12 lol)
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