Mary Alice Dewees
Writing 121/Paliobagis
May 5, 2008
Expression and Video Games
Growing up, every person must learn how to handle their emotions and feelings in a proper way. While dealing with joy and happiness seem to come naturally, the same is not true when it comes to feelings like rage and aggression. To cope, some people may exercise, garden, or take up a hobby, or worse they may deal with their emotions by overeating, beating their spouse, or abusing drugs. Even still, some find that escaping to an imaginary and often vicious world offered by video games is the best way to find relief. It is important to understand that these violence filled games serve not only as a form of entertainment, but, they provide the player with a harmless avenue to deal with emotions like stress and anger.
America’s fascination with technology and computers took on the form of entertainment beginning in the early 1980s. The invention of games like Pong and Pac-Man enabled the average American a chance to play in a new interactive way. As technology advanced so did the games, and by the time the new century arrived games had become considerably more realistic. Video game companies realized that they no longer had to make products accommodating only the child’s taste; their age base had expanded to now include adult players. Many children of the late 70s and 80s grew up playing video games and as should be expected continued to play as adults. Video game companies tapped into the needs of these adult game players by making more games centered on mature themes like extreme violence. Adults were not just limited to playing the virtuous heroes; players could now take on roles like, criminal, drug dealer, or gangster. As a result, this genre of violent video games was met with high demand, often resulting in newer or additional versions made year to year.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a prime example of the type of game adults are choosing to play. The player of this game takes on the persona of Tommy Vercetti. Tommy is a shady character who has no problem robbing, killing, or destroying any person or thing who might try to jeopardize his chance of becoming the top crime boss of Vice City. Among other scandalous activities, Tommy must car-jack innocent people, fornicate with prostitutes, blow-up buildings, and kill off opposing gang members all while building his own crime-ridden empire.
Since their development, these types of video games have been subject to close scrutiny for the role they play in the behavior of the individual. People want to correlate the violence and blood shed in these games with the reactions the player may eventually exhibit, as if to say that the exposure to violence within these games may somehow influence people to act out in the same manner. It would be unreasonable to think that someone would commit crime simply because they acted the behavior out through a game. Only an irrational, mentally unstable person would confuse the violent fantasy found in games like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City with reality. Any right minded individual is fully aware that these violent video games are not true to life.
It is also essential for people to realize that every game, video or not, is created solely for entertainment purposes; however, this does not mean every person should have access to play every video game. For instance, because of the graphic nature of the game, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is labeled “for mature audiences only”. By using proper labeling video game companies not only safeguard themselves, but they also help to ensure that each consumer knows what they are purchasing. Video game producers are aware that children are very impressionable and may have a harder time distinguishing fantasy from reality; and therefore should not have access to play violent video games. Adults on the other hand, function on a higher level of reasoning than children and should be allowed to choose to play these types of mature games. As with any controversial form of art like hardcore rap or X-rated movies, adults should also have the right to engage in violent video game play.
Besides being a form of entertainment, another key element to understanding why one would chose to engage in playing violent video games, is to be aware of the connection between the release of emotion and playing. While feelings of rage and anger may not be considered desired emotions they are inescapable and must be dealt with. People know the dangers involved when someone continuously bottles emotion up, these people have a tendency to lose their temper and become enraged even over the most trivial of events. Like a tea kettle whistling because it has become too hot, people also have limits as to how much rage and anger can build up inside. Willingly or not one will emotionally blow their top if they do not release the boiling pressure within.
Octavio Paz, one of Mexico’s greatest writers, addresses this very idea in his essay “The Day of the Dead”. Paz discusses how even in times of great joy and celebration the occasional outburst of violence may occur. Paz reasons that these occurrences happen because feelings like anger have not been thoroughly dealt with or perhaps never even acknowledged. He uses the example of the Mexican fiesta to describe his ideas. Once or twice a year during times of fiesta, the secluded Mexican has the chance to express himself; his good characteristics as well as his bad. Paz writes, “…he seeks to escape from himself, to leap over the wall of solitude that confines him during the rest of the year. All are possessed by violence and frenzy”(348). Because society has certain ideas about when and where one should express their feelings, a person must take advantage of the times when one can rid themselves of harbored rage and anger. The Mexican at fiesta could be compared to a person who is attempting to enjoy what is left after a long, tiring, and frustrating day at work. Either by partying at fiesta or playing the role of heartless criminal a person has a chance to liberate their built up feelings and therefore move forward.
While some oppose the excessive violent content found in video games like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, others simply see the playing of video games to be a waste of time. They question what someone has to show after spending time playing video games. Mo Tzu author of “Against Music” would certainly agree that playing video games is fruitless. Mo Tzu uses music as a reference to explain why such activities “are not useful to society”(283). Mo Tzu continues to explain his point by questioning “Does this do anything to provide food and clothing for the people?”(284). According to Mo Tzu, a perfect world would be one which eliminated these seemingly futile endeavors like music, arts, and video games.
What Mo Tzu failed to realize is that the activities involved with entertaining provide people with ways to deal with stress, anger, sadness or other emotions, all of which are vital to every person’s mental well-being. One is less productive in life if they do not have a way to express themselves especially when dealing with emotions that are not so pleasant like anger and rage. So it makes sense that one might choose to handle their feelings by taking on imaginary roles like Tommy Vercetti where they can kill, steal, and act out violent crimes without any fear of punishment.
Kenneth Burke, author of The Rhetoric of Motives, also makes some valid points concerning the importance of releasing emotion. Burke was convinced “that the ability to mediate conflicts through language, rather than through violence, provided the best hope for the human race to avoid destroying itself”(538). Language is considered a form of communication, likewise, video games could be thought of as communication. Via an imaginary character a player is able to express or communicate their inner conflicts without causing true physical harm.
Along with communication, the link between identity and video games is another important connection to make in understanding why people choose to use violent video games as a means to emotional liberation. To Burke, identification was achieved when “… perceptions, needs, and values one person or a group (has) are shared by another”(386). Following these concepts, video game companies in turn developed characters that the players could relate with; characters which the player could vicariously live through. For instance, when someone takes on the role of common criminal they are able to gain bits of insight into lives outside of themselves. This relatable insight is the perfect combination of realism and fantasy, which keep the player interested and coming back for more.
Video games could also be thought of as a means of deliberate activity which keep man from submitting to their evil desires. Hsün Tzu wrote in Man’s Nature is Evil, that “He is born with feelings of envy and hate, and if he indulges these, they will lead him into violence and crime, and all that sense of loyalty and good faith will disappear”(25). Hsün Tzu’s views may have been a bit radical, but it can be agreed upon that all people will at some time experience feelings of hate and jealousy. By playing violent video games the player can expresses both feelings of rage and anger without losing their honorable personality traits. Playing the role of characters like Tommy Vercetti in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City create an avenue for one to commit heinous acts like murder and theft, but never resulting in a permanent change of who a person is at the core.
Video games have come a long way since their start back in the early 80s. What was once considered child’s play is now a part of many adult’s lives. Even in the face of opposition, video games continue to be a popular source of entertainment and emotional release. Video games can help one escape to an imaginary world where it is okay to act out even the most gruesome behavior. In all, these games create a benefit not only for the companies who make these games but the adults who play them as well.
Works Cited
Burke, Kenneth “From A Rhetoric of Motives.” Reading the World: Ideas That Matter.
Ed. Michael Austin. New York: Norton, 2006. 538, 585-90.
Paz, Octavio. “The Day of the Dead.” Reading the World: Ideas That Matter. Ed.
Michael Austin. New York: Norton, 2006. 346-51.
Tzu, Hsün. “Man’s Nature is Evil.” Reading the World: Ideas That Matter. Ed. Michael
Austin. New York: Norton, 2006. 24-32.
Tzu, Mo. “Against Music.” Reading the World: Ideas That Matter. Ed. Michael Austin.
New York: Norton, 2006. 283-87.
Appendix
Video games have been around since the eighties, and are now almost as prevalent in the average house as the television. In recent years, games have become so realistic that one can play out roles of being a solider, race car driver, warrior and even a criminal. This paper is going to be centered on the games in which one plays the villainous/ criminal role; specifically focusing on the game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a game based city that would remind one of Miami the weather is warm, sunny and located right on the beach. Vice City has a population of 1.8 million people made up of rednecks, retirees, and drug dealers with a large portion of Cubans, and Haitians. The economy of Vice City relies heavily on tourism, and the black market.
In the video game one plays the part of Tommy Vercetti. Tommy becomes involved with shady criminals involved in drug rings around the town of Vice City. In order to make money Tommy must commit various illegal acts such as robbing or killing people. Each task that has been carried out successfully is rewarded with large sums of money, which in turn is used for Tommy to build his own drug ring. While Tommy starts out one the lowest end of the totem pole, eventually it is he who becomes the most powerful ‘drug lord’.
