Our Limits

As the world of video gaming evolves, game writers will constantly be pushing the boundaries of what society accepts in terms of violence, sex, and other major social issues. While many will be appalled at what is being produced, sales will continue to rise and gamers will always want more of what's shocking the rest of the world. It is impossible for the level of realism and intensity in games to remain stagnant; now that progress in that direction is solidly in motion, it can't be slowed or stopped.

Our society's sensitivity to violence seems to have decreased sharply over the last several decades. Films show copious amounts of blood and gore, and the news is constantly reminding us of deaths throughout the world. By being surrounded by violence through multiple mediums, we become accustomed to various forms of death and tragedy. In games, violence occurs in hundreds of forms ranging from stomping a Goomba in Super Mario Brothers to blowing up body parts in Fallout 3. While the average person may not be mentally prepared to witness real violence firsthand, the culture as a whole is numb to the video-violence found in games, films, and television. Because we are so desensitized to false violence, gamers will always require a new level of shock to be interested in new games.

The subject of sex is a bit more complex. While the allowance of sex has vastly increased in film and television over the last few decades, it seems to bring about the largest objections when found in video games. For example, in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Hot Coffee mod, the character has sex with his girlfriend. This caused a massive controversy, despite the game already containing vast amounts of violence and crime simulation. While the game went by unchecked with it's homicide and theft, the introduction of sex sparked an uproar with everyone from parents to politicians. However, history has proven that sex always sells, and it's likely that games will continue on a route of of increased sensuality. Even in games that would normally seem to dodge the bullet of sex, it still appears on various levels. The sexual tension between Gordon and Alyx in Half Life 2 is steady and ever-present, most often shown by Alyx's random quips and gestures. In Fallout 3, options are made available to flirt heavily with male and female characters (depending on the player character's gender) in order to benefit the player. In one instance, it's even inferred that the player sleeps with a prostitute character, Nova, when they rent a room from her. While no sexual scene is present, everything leading up to the aforementioned moment still occurs.

As any art form evolves, it becomes more abrasive so as to retain the interest of the next generation and remain viable. Popular music, for example, has grown far more primal and aggressive over the last hundred years. Each consecutive generation has its music that is generally viewed as too harsh and aggressive for the previous generation. Our grandparents listened to swing and jazz, their children rebelled with rock and punk, and our generation has even more intense music. Video games are evolving along the same lines, only much more quickly. If more realism, violence, sex, and social abrasion aren't added to the coming waves of video games, they simply won't hold the interest of gamers.

The explosion of sex and violence found in games recently won't likely storm the entire industry, however. Even though the most intense games will continue to grow a harder edge, there will always be a massive amount of more benign entertainment. Forcing everyone to view simulated gore and sex is very improbable; casual gamers will almost always gravitate to the more innocent games. Parents who monitor the games their children play are also a major factor, and having a large selection for that demographic cannot be overlooked.

Despite the increasing levels of social friction found in games, major retaliation against it will probably remain low and steady, as it has since the first bloody game and rating systems were introduced. The occasional game will likely appear that contains a disturbingly violent or explicitly sexual scene that draws massive retribution, but in reality these games are just checkpoints for what's socially allowed in games. Gamers would simply lose interest if they were left at the same level of exposure to violence and sex, just as if music remained as heavy as it was thirty years ago. Each new generation requires more stimulation in order to keep interest high, and the only way to accomplish this is to continue making games more brutal and sensual.