BlindWorg said:
*insert generic rant about game and fictions not having an effect on the real world expect through very unhinged individuals who were crazy even before buying the game*
Seriously? I'd actually go the other way. Unhinged individuals may focus on certain fictions, but, being unhinged, they're just as likely to use one fiction (The Dark Knight) as another (Modern Warfare), so the results would likely be the same whether one fiction existed or not.
Stable individuals, on the other hand, are much more susceptible to the influences of fiction, and fiction is often an indicator of current societal moors. Not in a, "You played Hitman so now you're an assassin," or, "Violent videogames cause real world violence," or even the whole idea that rape jokes cause real world rape.
I'm talking about a much more subtle, "Most things you've ever read, played, or watched treat women as disposable, helpless sex toys that need men to save them and keep them in line," and the cumulative effect that has on a male's ability to relate to and respect women, and a female's ability to respect and empower herself.
For example. Other examples include, "War is awesome if you're white and male," "Fat people are lazy, disgusting, and evil," and, "It's impossible for a woman to rape a man" (with the corollary of, "Male-on-male rape in prison is hilarious.")
