The Controversial Rockstar Games
Have Video Games Negatively Impacted Civilization?
Has Rockstar Games positively altered video game culture or have they merely assisted in the deconstruction of the values and codes governing present day society?
There is no doubting the influence that Rockstar Games and its most important series, Grand Theft Auto, have had on video game culture. They have rejuvenated the industry and, as a result, have opened the doors for a countless array of others. However, there are many that find Rockstar Games highly influential in other, not so positive ways.
To some (government authority figures and concerned parents), Rockstar promotes violence, sexual attacks, debauchery, theft and lust. While Rockstar Games does include many adult-oriented themes in their games which are not intended for children, these games are rated M for Mature for a reason (ESRB rating system). The violence is extreme, as is the case in Manhunt. The sex is indecent, as is the case in Grand Theft Auto. The point is, is that Rockstar Games is attempting to push the limits of what is deemed acceptable by society in the present day. They don’t merely do this for their own personal gratification but rather to challenge and question the rules that are deemed justifiable by the higher ups of society. In an interview with Wired Magazine, the originators of Rockstar Games admitted that one of their initial goals for their company was to make video-games hip. They wanted to elevate a medium built on Mario and Pokémon into something defiantly grown-up — games that would earn a place on shelves between Scarface and Licensed to Ill (David Kushner, March 29,2007).
Anything innovative that is not confined within the walls of acceptable behavior has always been deemed inappropriate and anti-establishment. As a result, controversy has always existed in relation to all forms of art. In the films Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and Midnight Cowboy (1969), both strived to push the limits of violence and sexuality, respectively. This was a new era that strived to do something different.
Controversy is still seen today in films such as Pulp Fiction (1994), The Matrix (1999) and Saw (2004). In music, Eminem and Marilyn Manson were deemed controversial and blamed for many violent crimes, like the Columbine shootings. These were not artists that attempted to conform and thus were labeled as indecent and amoral. To be confined is to be constricted in movement, in thought and in free will.
According to David Kushner: "Like the Rolling Stones, Twisted Sister, and Marilyn Manson before it, GTA III was blamed for the supposed corruption of a generation. Following the game’s release, US representative Joe Baca, a Democrat from Southern California, introduced the Protect Children from Video Game Sex and Violence Act of 2002, asking, “Do you really want your kids assuming the role of a mass murderer or a carjacker while you are away at work?” (Wired Magazine, March 29, 2007)
There is no way to verify that violence in video games has anything to do with violence in the real world. It’s an easy cop out by government officials to merely blame the media when there are so many other factors at play. According to Terry Donovan (former member of Rockstar Games): "There isn’t some kind of social responsibility to have a redeeming value. Your responsibility is to provide a toolkit with which young adults can entertain themselves.” (Kushner, 2007) Rockstar Games is important to the industry; they strive to work outside the box by attempting to challenge society’s established rules.
There are far more extreme games out there in regards to violence and sexuality; however, Rockstar Games have worked to clearly identify themselves as a pioneer in this market. Without Bonnie and Clyde, how would film critique the use of violence in cinema and its relation to society? Without All in the Family (1971-1979), would television be as open minded to the issues surrounding race and politics?
Where would culture be without controversy and change? To evolve is to constantly change. Rockstar Games is a true representation of transition in the video game industry. Not because it promotes indecent behavior, but rather because it cares about the industry and its future. Change was needed in the industry and Rockstar Games stepped up. The rebel of the video game industry, Rockstar Games truly lives up to the name.
