Should you be allowed to hurt/kill kids in video games?

[miso2002]

You could kill kids in deus ex invisible wars. you could also pick up and throw their bodies.

 

[MR T3D]

Not really. Killing kids in games, not to mention real life, is really distasteful and is just plain wrong.

you don't see bestality feature in games, either, for a similiar reason.
...second life does not count

 

[Oolinthu]

Yes. And for the simple reason that Children are 'worth' no more than a normal person. People always get so high strung if something happens to a child, but if it's to a grown person, the care is much less.

So, in shorter words.. Yes, it should be allowed.

Edit: Ninja'd.

Don't get me started! "they had so much to live for!" It wrecks my head, a life is a life no matter the age.

Exactly, finally, someone who gets it. A child has the exact same potential as say, a 30 year old man, to cure cancer. So what makes the kid so special? He's young? So what. I realize this sounds cold, but really, get over it. >.>

Shit, man, you're ice cold. The 30 year old man has had 30 years to live already, and if killed is being deprived of less life than the child. The child had the vast majority of his life ahead of him, as opposed to somewhere between 1/2 and 2/3 of it.

A child is also completely defenseless, as opposed to an adult who can at the very least understand the situation and argue on their own behalf. Thus, killing a child is a particularly heinous act.

Furthermore, assuming the child and the adult are of the same intellectual capacity, the adult either has less or equal potential. Equal if he's been educated in the medical and scientific disciplines pertaining to cancer, in which case the same could be done with the child. Less if he's, say, a 30 year old janitor.

Now, with all that said, free speech demands that we be allowed to show anyone and anything, killing children included. Bear in mind, of course, that if it's determined that anything with child-killing in it gets an AO rating (and thus doesn't get carried by mainstream retailers), well, you should have been careful what you wished for.

 

[ConstantJoe]

In Warcraft 3, you could kill the children, though they all sounded mentally retarded.

"Are you my mommy?"

"NO!"

*decapitation*

 

[Therumancer]

In short "yes" I feel you should be able to kill kids when it fits in with the game. Truthfully the first time *I* ran into the issue was with Silent Hill 2 and the game company basically backed down screaming when they were criticized for all of the evil-skinned child bashing in the demo. The evil children having been a big part of Silent Hill 1 and responsible for perhaps the most creepy game opening EVER. Whether this is the first example or not, it's when I seriously started paying attention to the issue.

Simply put killing children has been done in many games, the one above (sort of, the children are already dead), Fallout, and others. If your doing an intentionally dark 'M' rated game where it fits, then go for it.

I will also point out that due to all of the african child-fighters (you see on the news), the Hitler Youth, and things like Saddam's lion cubs, killing children might also be appropriate in various military games as well within specific situations. For example if your doing a game where your attacking Berlin, not portraying the Volkssturm and the Hitler Youth being involved prevents it from ever truely being realistic. A real war similator (WW II or otherwise) would include a decent amount of moral ambiguity .

I think the issue is largely one of the game industry lacking the guts to fight against censorship, both private and govermental. Simply put they have long ago ceased to be serious artists/writers, and if we buy the games in censored form, why should they bother to invest the resources in fighting?

The no child-killing thing bugs me not in of itself (I don't usually play war simulators, and honestly in most games I take the good path given the option) but as part of the overall issues about sex, violence, and other content in video games. Especially in some generes I *DO* play like horror games where all of that stuff is very appropriate.

 

[philzibit]

I don't see killing kids adding to gameplay, so no.

 

[Easykill]

Aye.

 

[philzibit]

I don't think so. It serves absolutely no purpose than to be utterly sadistic and sick for your own amusement.

Sounds awesome! Common! The developers should give us a chance to waste those crying little fuckers since we are bound by law not to do so in the real world.

we are bound by law not to kill anybody, not just kids

 

[Deathsquirt]

Yes. They're usually the ones who deserve it the most.

 

[Broady Brio]

Hurt their feelings? Yes, if they are "EVIL" buggers.

All other violence to kids, is a big no-no.

 

[Geekmaster]

As long as it makes sense within the context of the game I don't see a problem.

 

[Fraught]

In games like Fable 2, Fallout 3, Grand Theft Auto, and Prototype(just to name a few) you can't kill kids. Should game designers let you be able to kill/hurt kids.

Yes.

I want to give you a long drawn out reason why. But really there is no better reason beyond it being utterly nonsensical to not let you.

Games are not reality, anything done in them is not real, people who do terrible things that play games would have done terrible things if they didn't have games.

Game Actions do not lead to real life actions. So yes.

Damnit...that was longer than the original "Yes."

This man speaks what I think.

Also, have there been any kids in GTA games?

 

[GenHellspawn]

but if you're saying that just so you can clamor for the blood of children - fake as they may be - then there are probably some deep-rooted issues you need sorted out.

Does that matter? I mean, I have never killed a human being in my whole life and never plan to, but let's just assume I'm a child rapist/serial killer. So what? I believe that you should have the right to do anything in fantasies and in video games, and I don't believe something like that could be carthartic, that if you were to kill a child in a video game that would lose the urge to kill one in the real world. Because as soon as you are taking the blame off the serial killer/rapist, and on to a harmless fantasy, you are showing compassion for them, and I don't think they deserve that.

 

[MercenaryCanary]

yeah I was peeved at that...
I bet GTA is the first to implement this, and good on them.

GTA doesn't even have kids....
I think it might have been the first Fallout to do that. Damn, those kids look HILARIOUS when they get shot with the Bloody Mess perk selected.

 

[Vuljatar]

I don't see killing kids adding to gameplay, so no.

Then you've obviously never played a game where you can kill anyone BUT the little brats with their invincibility forcefields.

 

[G-Virus]

I suppose that you SHOULD be allowed to kill kids in video games, but as has been suggested numerous times, I don't really see the point; it doesn't really solve anything.

Except in Fallout 3, in which case I have a few words - and bullets - for a certain brat in Rivet City. Savvy?

 

[ablac]

i cant see why anyone would want to i mean killing adults in a game is different usually there trying to kill you but children are never trying to hurt you in games though if there is a game where this happens please tell me i can only think anyone would want to kill a child in a game would please sadists and probably get most games even the ones withought child killing banned