Computer Games Vs. Ethics
GTA ( Grand Theft Auto V) is one of the most familiar action video games that was published by Rockstar North Games. According to BBC (2018), throughout history GTA is the quickest video entertainment product to be sold, it reached about 1 billion dollars of sales during its first 3 days of its release and won around 33 awards. The settings of the game is located in San Andreas state where the players should follow the criminals who are aiming to commit heists while they are followed by the government police. The players are involved in murdering, heist products and cars, hurting people and even driving prostitutes ( Stuart, K. 2012). According to Ore (2013), what makes this game controversial is being outrageous game that despite of labeled for mature people, all ages can access it. In addition, this game shows indirectly very offensive and abusive concepts that harm our society such as obscenity, sexism and abuse.
This game caused harm for many people from different countries which made their countries totally ban it or partially; for instance, KSA, China, Malaysia and UAE. The reason behind banning it was that it contains improper material for children and shows violence and nudity. In other countries like Australia, two video games stores ,Kmart and Target, stopped selling GTA after the survival of three females who experienced violence. These females proposed a petition with the signature of 40,000 people who also claimed for banning it because it also increases men’s sexual desires which make them sleep with prostitute and then kill them to earn health points- imitating the game- (BBC, 2014).
The United States is one of the countries that did not ban GTA 5 because it believes in freedom of speech that gives people the right to choose whether to play it or not. This law protected the game from being banned in USA and allowed the company to work on updating it. Thus, this made the game very trendy in the U.S and increased the income to more than 58$ million per month in 2015 ( Sillis, B. 2015). Since 1997, when the game was published, it was updated in 15 versions and the company insisted on introducing new activities to keep people attracted to it more (Simpson, J. 2013)
People were divided into two sides: some who think that it is attractive and joyful for its production and activities and others believe that it is harmful for the users and their surroundings.
To start with the advocates of GTA 5, they liked it because it is advanced, displays graphics and its story and the background music is attractive (Ore, 2013). In addition, these people believe that this game is a way to express themselves and practice the right of freedom and liberty which makes it unique. Reynolds (2002) says that this game gives the user the freedom to choose with who to play, the weapon to use and drive any car he/she wants and to wherever they want to. Some people try to escape their lives through playing GTA 5 claiming that it make them have fun, but Reynolds (2002) critics this idea by saying that there exist a problem if people like to escape by such games that contains many harmful material.
On the other hand, many people claim that this game is controversial since it contains cruelty and assault for women. The game received many critiques regarding the portrayal of women, especially in the review of Carolyn Petit who states that the game is sexist and violates women’s image. It portrays women as sex objects, prostitutes, half naked, and ignorant. These reflect that stereotypes women are exposed to in the societies. GTA is considered as being brutal, aims to make people feel less responsible, reduces the worth and value of women, and promotes violence and cruelty. All these factors do not fit in a well civilized society that has values.
According to Mathews (n.d.), no specific studies show if playing violent video games has an effect on people’s behaviours. Hern (2013) states that he is worried about the children who usually imitate what they see. Here comes the role of parents to supervise their children and notice the right age to allow their children to access such abusive material. Since these games includes scenes that are not appropriate for kids, the kids who are exposed to such content may develop violence, aggression,and sexist ideas.
Another responsibility lies on the game producers who have to assign the age range on the games. These ratings help parents control and ensure that their children are not being exposed to material that might harm them. For example, if the game is appropriate for everyone then it should hold the rating “E” , for ages above 10: “E10+” , for teens: “T”, for mature people “M”(Mathews, n.d.). It is predictable that not all people will stick to such ratings and this what is happening regarding GTA where kids under the rated ages are playing with it. Reynolds believes that: “game producers are not responsible for whether people will abide by the ratings but may be a bit responsible for the consequences of the usage and exposure.”
Sometimes, censorship is not the best solution to reduce violence created by video games. According to Sinclair (2014), censorship sometimes does not prevent such games from reaching the market and when children are restricted from buying these games, they find other ways to bypass these restrictions. (Video Games, 2008)
In conclusion, kids should be aware of violent games such as GTA 5 by providing them with moral instructions instead of censoring them and restricting freedom of speech. It is the schools and parents’ responsibility to raise their children in a mature way that make them able to adapt what is good for them and what abandon what harms them. Therefore, putting effort into digital media literacy is a better solution than just aiming to prohibit people from their rights.
References:
Mathews, R. (n.d.). Ethical Responsibility of Video Game Manufacturers. Retrieved from https://elearn.lau.edu.lb/bbcswebdav/pid-233777-dt-content-rid-716665_1/courses/JSC_419_11_201820/Ethical Responsibility of Video Game Manufacturers _ Chron.pdf
N.d. (2014). ‘Sexually violent’ GTA 5 banned from Australian stores. BBC. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30328314
Ore, J. (2013, September 16). Grand Theft Auto 5 gifted to 11-year-old boy. Retrieved March 25, 2018, from http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/yourcommunity/2013/09/grand-theft-auto-5-gifted-11-year-old-boy-sparking-ratings-debate.html
Reynolds, R. (2002). Playing a “Good” Game: A Philosophical Approach to Understanding the Morality of Games. Retrieved from: http://www.igda.org/articles/rreynolds_ethics-s.php.
Sicart, M. (2009). The Ethics of Computer Games. Book. Retrieved from https://elearn.lau.edu.lb/bbcswebdav/pid-233781-dt-content-rid-716668_1/courses/JSC_419_11_201820/SICART_Ethics%20of%20Computer%20Games.pdf
