Before knee-jerk responses scream censorship, I will state as an American I firmly believe the right to free speech should be virtually without limit. Only data which directly threatens the safety of the nation or another person - or which is lawfully private - should be restricted speech. Now that the mandatory disclaimer is out of the way...I'm going to talk briefly about taboo topics and games.
Gaming has handled some topics so badly it's almost shameful for the medium. Sexuality, for example, is usually laughably manhandled. Mass Effect is just about the pinnacle of mainstream gaming to deal with this topic maturely, and all it could manage was to reach a level suitable for a decent summer action movie. There are a few exceptions, but those games are few and far between. Furthermore, almost none of these games touch upon any issues more profound than "boy meets girl, boy chooses nice dialog option, boy bones girl." We rarely see any LGBT issues raised. Forget any of the truly difficult stuff, such as a character suffering fetishes, abuse, or so on. Let's face it, for every game as mature as Persona or ME, there's about twenty on the level of Leisure Suit Larry.
Violence has gotten a bit better treatment, if only because so many games are violent. Many games force the player to actually confront the horrors of violence and suffering. However, for every encounter like MGS' The Sorrow, or every game like Heavy Rain, dozens simply revel in violence. The funny thing is that the celebration of gore simply cause gore to have no impact. The limb-smacking, artery-spraying chop fest of Dead Space couldn't affect me with violence the way the James Sunderland quietly smothering his wife did.
Finally, let's take a look at topics. Six Days in Fallujah got nixed because of pressure that it was inappropriate. The ME scandal is damn near a joke by now. Those who don't care about games still care about what this medium produces. A film can deal with controversial wars (Platoon, Full Metal Jacket), outright heretical* religious beliefs and diabolic imagery (The DaVinci Code, The Omen), child abuse, narcotics trafficking, slavery, and similar abuses of human rights (Osama, Traffic, Memoirs of a Geisha), fascism and racism (Schindler's List), or even include a throw-away joke about sex with green women (Star Trek, of course). There is usually no controversy. What's more, these films can do so while still maintaining some gravitas and artistic merit.
Which games have managed to deal with taboo topics with the same kind of maturity? How did they do it?
Who just cocked it up and set us back?
What developers and writers do you trust to deal with these kinds of topics?
Are there any topics video games just can't address maturely?
Are there any topics video games just shouldn't address?
Which topics have been dealt with well in games?
Which topics have just not been given a good examination?
I want to single out religion. I get why the Japanese often include Christian symbols without Christianity - this isn't the time for a history lesson on Japanese Christians. Yet very few Western developers make any more than a slight passing mention of religion in games. Given its influence over many people, why is this important facet of life usually completely ignored?
TL
R: I would kindly ask you not to bother replying.
* - heresy means "different from the orthodox." It does not mean "untrue." Let's be blunt; throughout the world, religion is a major factor in -many- people's lives. In games, it is usually a way for a character to be a D&D cleric, or as close as they can be without infringing on copyrights. Why should this be the case?
Gaming has handled some topics so badly it's almost shameful for the medium. Sexuality, for example, is usually laughably manhandled. Mass Effect is just about the pinnacle of mainstream gaming to deal with this topic maturely, and all it could manage was to reach a level suitable for a decent summer action movie. There are a few exceptions, but those games are few and far between. Furthermore, almost none of these games touch upon any issues more profound than "boy meets girl, boy chooses nice dialog option, boy bones girl." We rarely see any LGBT issues raised. Forget any of the truly difficult stuff, such as a character suffering fetishes, abuse, or so on. Let's face it, for every game as mature as Persona or ME, there's about twenty on the level of Leisure Suit Larry.
Violence has gotten a bit better treatment, if only because so many games are violent. Many games force the player to actually confront the horrors of violence and suffering. However, for every encounter like MGS' The Sorrow, or every game like Heavy Rain, dozens simply revel in violence. The funny thing is that the celebration of gore simply cause gore to have no impact. The limb-smacking, artery-spraying chop fest of Dead Space couldn't affect me with violence the way the James Sunderland quietly smothering his wife did.
Finally, let's take a look at topics. Six Days in Fallujah got nixed because of pressure that it was inappropriate. The ME scandal is damn near a joke by now. Those who don't care about games still care about what this medium produces. A film can deal with controversial wars (Platoon, Full Metal Jacket), outright heretical* religious beliefs and diabolic imagery (The DaVinci Code, The Omen), child abuse, narcotics trafficking, slavery, and similar abuses of human rights (Osama, Traffic, Memoirs of a Geisha), fascism and racism (Schindler's List), or even include a throw-away joke about sex with green women (Star Trek, of course). There is usually no controversy. What's more, these films can do so while still maintaining some gravitas and artistic merit.
Which games have managed to deal with taboo topics with the same kind of maturity? How did they do it?
Who just cocked it up and set us back?
What developers and writers do you trust to deal with these kinds of topics?
Are there any topics video games just can't address maturely?
Are there any topics video games just shouldn't address?
Which topics have been dealt with well in games?
Which topics have just not been given a good examination?
I want to single out religion. I get why the Japanese often include Christian symbols without Christianity - this isn't the time for a history lesson on Japanese Christians. Yet very few Western developers make any more than a slight passing mention of religion in games. Given its influence over many people, why is this important facet of life usually completely ignored?
TL
R: I would kindly ask you not to bother replying.* - heresy means "different from the orthodox." It does not mean "untrue." Let's be blunt; throughout the world, religion is a major factor in -many- people's lives. In games, it is usually a way for a character to be a D&D cleric, or as close as they can be without infringing on copyrights. Why should this be the case?