Can Freedom of Speech Protect GTA 5 and its Controversial issues?
Grand Theft Auto V, also known as GTA 5, is an action-adventure video game Set within the fictional state of San Andreas; within this open world game, Rockstar North offers players the opportunity to control three criminals who are under pressure from the government, (Wikipedia, n.d). the gamers are offered access to a fully-realized world where almost anything is possible, including the features which the storyline offers of casual violence, explicit sexual activities, prostitution, bad language, and a glorification of criminal activity which are almost impossible to avoid in the game (TECHNOLOGY, 2008). their presence automatically controversies related to the level of violence and depiction of women (Wikipedia, n.d). it was described as “sick, deluded, and beneath contempt” by the US police Federation. At one point, Australia banned the game, taking it off the shelves in K-MART and Target, as a result of a petition signed by 40,000 people against the “misogynist and sexist” game (Keogh, 2014). it was later re-released in a censored state, unlike Thailand which still has it banned due to a murder which was allegedly inspired it (Gerencser, 2018). on the other hand, NPD Group sales data shows the game still ranks within the top games in the world with its billion dollars worth of revenues and no new game was able to surpass it yet; in fact the gamers, which happen to be mostly men, believe that “the thrill of exploring this gargantuan landscape of decadence and destruction outweighed any problematic undertones” (Stuart, 2017).
this situation offers the opportunity to question the effect GTA 5 has on ethics and human values and key concepts such as consequentialism, deontology, and virtue ethics should be looked at to have a better insight on the true extent of the harm GTA5 and if banning or censoring the game is an unfair act towards people’s freedom of speech.
while consequentialism, weighing good vs bad consequences, argues that offense to women and the game elements such as the role of prostitutes in GTA offers are arguably not that significant (Reynolds, 2002) Deontology says otherwise. The high principles ethic looks at GTA from a rights and duties perspective, meaning a game producer has the right to choose his content and exercise freedom of speech, as long as his content preserves his consumer’s rights of not being harmed, minors included despite the fact that the game is age rated 18+ (Reynolds, 2002, pp.6). with the current technological generation, parents can do so little to protect their children, therefore, efforts from other sources should be taken to. Moving on to virtue ethics, this area of philosophy looks at the choice gamers get in the game and how far they willing to go with the violent missions in it. Moreover, Due to the game being a free world theme, players are basically taking the moral choice to kill, steal, etc.. (Reynolds, 2002, pp.8). It is also perceived that there are a set of restrictions for the game which make violence unavoidable. for example, the Hooker Cheat is highly encouraged in the game to level up. It rewards the player with money if he hooks up with a prostitute and then kills her. This is perceived as a logical tactic if one wants to win the game. it is argued that “if the games are just an escape, what does that say about how we escape? Is this our definition of “fun” now? Is this how we “play”?”(Reynolds, 2002, pp.9). Other than that, The supreme court decision was taken as a reaction to the exposure of minors to violent content. video games are protected by the first amendment and treated the same as movies. Critics point out that, unlike books or movies, video games are interactive. They argue that actually participating in simulated violence could lead to a desensitization to violence. (Mathews, 2015)
To evaluate whether game designers have the same obligations and duties as other entertainment producers, one must take a look at the toll games to take on society. a deeper look should be taken on how does it affect the player, and why do people get affected more than others. It is important to know that the contact and interaction with machines creates a similar second self to the person in which their way of thinking and relating to the world is different than in a nonmachine culture (Sicart, 2009, pp.10). This being said, a player can go through the game and not get affected by the violence performed. This argument doesn't deny the numerous murder cases influenced by the game such as the mass shootings in Newtown, Connecticut. All media is essentially interactive (Mathews, 2015), therefore games must be treated as same as other entertainment products users consume.
On another note, Normalizing the degrading of women in the game should not be accepted. for the game portrays the women either as bit-part players or set dressing as strippers to throw money at, or strippers to pick up and kill. exposure to this type of misogyny can dehumanize the player, turn them into money obsessed, heartless, careless individuals in the society (Hoggins, 2013)
previously mentioned murder cases have ignited the interest of researchers to see the cause behind it. some scholars, notably Craig Anderson at Iowa State University, say that there is enough evidence to show that playing violent video games is one factor leading to violent behavior (Mathews, 2015). Unfortunately, most research disregards a big age group and only focuses on teenagers. on the other hand, despite the continuous link between mass shootings and video games addiction, no study has ever shown that violent video games result directly in actual violence (kain, 2013). that doesn't mean that the link is not possible, given the fact that the game can be viewed as a torture stimulator, and it could not be denied that sick minded people play the game as a way to feed their wants; for example a forum poster who hoped rape would be included in the game (kain, 2013). the designers are the ones responsible for creating the meaning in the game since they are the ones creating the content itself, therefore it is their responsibility to take into account the potential impact having a scene where they can torture a suspect through the weapon of their choice mercilessly with death not being an option till the interrogation stops (Bramwell, 2013). the players get used to the inhuman, heartless, almost psychotic activities the more they play the game, therefore the company, Rockstar North, has to take the psychological and societal effects the game can cause.
The game offers its players an unacceptable, yet existing reality on life, and it normalizes it and consequently encourages all forms of racism, torture, and sexism, something the world has been trying to fight for ages. the more people play the game, the more the idea of violence is positioned in their minds as a normal and neutral subject. given that these types of games are a wanted market by almost 20 million people (Forbes, 2013)Censoring or banning the game can do so little given the other thousands of similar games around, there’s always going to be a new one; there will always be ways such games will be leaked to the public. Rockstar North, the company responsible for the game, can create different storylines with relatively less torturing ways to level up the game without beautifying the act of killing, and therefore giving the players an option. Moreover, Parents can be more aware of the negative effects, and monitor the psychological wellbeing of their child through constant communication. a lot of people are educated enough about the subject and its effects, they know how to deal with such games without causing any damage. what is still concerning is the people who use the game to feed their needs, they have a problem which requires a different approach when it comes to censorship.
resources:
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Sicar, M. (2009). The Ethics Of Computer Games. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. retrieved from https://elearn.lau.edu.lb/bbcswebdav/pid-309307-dt-content-rid-940036_1/courses/JSC_419_11_201920/SICART_Ethics%20of%20Computer%20Games-signed.pdf
Mathews, R. (n.d.). Ethical responsibility of video game manufacturers. Chron. https://elearn.lau.edu.lb/bbcswebdav/pid-309304-dt-content-rid-940038_1/courses/JSC_419_11_201920/Ethical%20Responsibility%20of%20Video%20Game%20Manufacturers%20_%20Chron.pdf
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Kian, E. (2013, September 13). Do Games Like ‘Grand Theft Auto V’ Cause Real-World Violence. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2013/09/18/do-games-like-grand-theft-auto-v-cause-real-world-violence/amp/
Hoggins, T. (2013, October 4). Grand Theft Auto V is designed deliberately to degrade women. The Telegraph. Retrieved from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/10355275/Grand-Theft-Auto-V-is-designed-deliberately-to-degrade-women.html
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