Mature Games Industry
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The industry is awash with self-congratulatory pomposity about how it has matured. “We make mature games now” we say, amid nodding heads and much back-slapping. This could not be further from the truth. Maturity does not lie in an 18+ certificate warranted by blood, nudity and swearing. In all other social spheres this is considered to be immature. When developers say mature, they mean that the immaturity has evolved to a new state. Nowhere can this be seen more clearly than with the controversy around ‘Manhunt’. This is a not a new phenomenon, and the issues of prevention, cause and blame surrounding such events have been discussed within the industry every time a game is linked to an event such as ‘Quake’ and Columbine, or ‘G.T.A.’ and the Buckner car shootings in Tennessee. Such occurrences do not mean that violence cannot be portrayed, simply that its context needs to be considered. ‘American History X’ is bold, stark and shocking in its violence, but it is made acceptable given the context and message of the film. The presentation of violence in the overwhelming majority of gaming products is crass, superficial and exploitative. Although this can be addressed, it is merely the beginning of a content revolution towards truly mature gaming.
Consider this hypothetical game mechanic. You control a character and have to run away to avoid being caught. The setting could focus on the plight of Aborigines escaping from slavery and trying to make a long journey home on foot. However, exactly the same mechanics could be presented through two robots on the run from the mines that they are forced to work in. Go to a publisher with the one funky game mechanic, but with the two games, styled and narrated to either the sci-fi or historical setting and I’ll give you my house if they choose to fund ‘Rabbit Proof Fence’ the game.
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