I wanted to bring up a little topic I have fondled over for awhile now. Age of game developers in the market and content restrictions.
Now you remember when you were 12 maybe 13 and you wanted that new gory game? The latest shoot em’ up? The guy at the store said you have to be 17+ to purchase. So what happens? Your parent or an older friend will buy it for you and you will go play it at home. Well that is all fine and good, but what if very young game developers are working on a very gruesome type game, one in which they legally are not even allowed to play? Forming a team with others with the same situation? What about the older team mates that are aware of this such law?
What I am getting at is before this really was like w/e you will never finish it anyways, but people are getting more and more skilled at younger ages. I could care less that a 12 year old was playing games like Left for Dead. But what about a legit company, and their community being filled up with it. This has been going on for awhile now, not just Unity but almost all available game engines, and or gaming community boards.
Normally most would scratch their heads and move on, but with all the latest school shootings, and protestors trying to blame the game industry, I think maybe younger people, I mean the real young, making such games is not quite the professional thing to allow, nor a good image to represent on the industry.
But the issue comes to when we try to find out who these 12-16 year old’s are. The internet is vast and people lie everyday. Specially about age. maybe in the future social security cards or a new form of identity will be required to gain certain access to many parts of the web. But I doubt there is any solution right now, or near future. Just something I wanted to bring up and get some thoughts on. cannot wait to read the replies.
I don’t know. I agree about people at younger ages becoming developers. But if they were indie developers, then they wouldn’t have to worry about the law, they wouldn’t buy from stores. The law is they can’t buy, not play. Even though I don’t agree with them spamming the forums with unrealistic games that they won’t accomplish, but they should have the right to develop such games if they want.
It isn’t so much the law, but the image it is representing. It is like fueling the politics fire to rage on us for making games and causing people to lose lives due to our supposed violent nature.
Just another reason for them to hate on us. That is something we do not want. Give them too many reasons and who knows what would happen. Would we have a thing called controlled gaming laws passed? That would suck.
I like guns, going hunting, and going to the ocassional shooting range for a good time. had since I was 9. I play many gore infested games, many violent games. I think it is cool, fun, and entertaining. I may have a very twisted and corrupt mind, but taking someones life would be no option unless my family was at threat, or myself to an extreme extent. But what about people who cannot handle the school bullying and the reality of life and the fiction of gaming?
Games are getting more realistic now as well, could that play an even worsening part in it? What are your thoughts?
I agree, I like to hunt and shoot as well. It’s like the gun control laws. It’s not the game or the person making it, it’s the sociopathic killer that is playing it. I don’t think kids shouldn’t develop, I thin parents who have kids that can’t handle it shouldn’t be allowing them to play/develop it.
Let’s not attack the children that could be making the games we will be playing in a dozen years by saying they’re too young.
I’m sorry, but at even 14 I was making games. Although they weren’t “gory killing fests” but rather my attempt at a life simulator inspired by Dwarf Fortress. If a kid wants to make a gory game, let them.
I always liked to draw, so obviously when I was 11 or so I was also drawing - among other things - gory scenes, naked women, and clumsy sex acts. Now kids might make gory games instead than drawing them, but I say: it’s normal. It’s always been like that. It’s part of the growth. Worrying about it (unless you’re one of their parents) looks blindly ridiculous - no offense - to me.
Well I think its silly to focus on how old what developer is, especially in the indie community. But I do think its very silly for anyone to point fingers at developers for being the cause of violence. I agree there is a point where you draw the line. For example, I wouldn’t want a 8-10 year old playing GTA, his mind is not ready for such sadistic violence, and that is the age children are most vulnerable to becoming potential socio-paths.
But my point in all this… Blaming developers for violence is like blaming the inventor of margarine for causing cholesterol and obesity. Game design is invention and art in technology, and we are just doing what we do best. Inventing and creating. No one is gonna blame Beethoven for someone committing suicide cause they happened to be listening to Moonlight Sonata at their last minutes.
In the U.S. there are no legal restrictions on games (they are protected by the first amendment). That’s purely the policy of individual retailers. So not only can a 12 year old make a gory game, but they can also legally play it all they want.
Have some compassion people. This is not a totally sane world and the people in it are not totally sane. When people aren’t sane they believe they’re experiencing something that isn’t really happening and that there are causes outside of their own control that they use to justify their delusions. You wouldn’t go putting a gun in the hands of such a person. Just as if someone drinks a heck of a lot of alchohol and becomes an alchoholic (which is extremely prevalent and full of denial and guilt), and that person seeks sobriety yet has obviously exhibited a weakness with regards controlling themselves when presented with alchohol, you don’t just dancing around them with beer in your hand suggesting they have one more drink. Even if it is that person who has the issue, or has a weakness, or isn’t centered and fully sane, that doesn’t give everyone else the right to treat them as though they aren’t experiencing the world in the way that they are. Understanding and having empathy for where people are at from their own perspective and what they believe they are going through is a matter of kindness and compassion. If someone is having an hallucination that they’re being attacked by a giant monster, even if you know it’s not real, you don’t go dressing up in a monster costume and chase after them. Even though you in your sanity might know it’s just a joke, their inability to experience reality in a sane way renders them vulnerable and likely to read-into your actions in a way that frightens them and gives them justifications for acting in an insane manner. Instead, have compassion for such people and understand that they are not in their right mind - “forgive them for they know not what they do”. Touting games as some kind of innocent has-no-effect-on-anything part of our environment is heartless and cold, even if to sane people such games have no effect on them. I do agree that an individual HAS to have something wrong in their perception of reality in order for anything outside of them to become a cause for behavior, but let’s be realistic here also… people young and old across this planet are not really in their right minds much of the time at all. It would be inconsiderate and irresponsible to expose people to stuff that only makes their condition worse, even if to the rest of us it really isn’t the cause. That said the real problem is that people are insane in the first place, and that is the problem that really needs to be fixed. But since this is also a world of profound denial most people don’t like looking at the real problems and want to keep them in place while they work on band aids, which is why censorship of games has become band-aided and will continue to do so.
LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE! Lol yeah, all jokes aside i think its awesome that kids are being constructive, even if it is developing a gorey game, or “draing naked women and sex scenes”, its up to the parents whether or not they allowed to do it.
There’s a sentiment that worldwide there’s many forms of depictions of “Problems being resolved by Guns”.
Nearly every drama TV show. Literally hundreds of Police shows, and most problems are resolved by guns.
Popular massively advertised Games as well. Even MMO’s depict killing everything in sight.
I remember my GF’s first PVP moment in Dark Age of Camelot, her first game of any type that involved killing. The first time 2 enemy Stealthers popped out and attacked us years ago, she froze for nearly 15 seconds and “got me killed” she was my PVE healer. She was visibly shaken by the interaction and shocked when it actually occured. That was years ago…
Now…She has situational awareness of combat tactics, using cover, attacking swiftly, changing weapons for the situation. She is ruthless and complains at others in Ventrillo when they screw up tactically.
My point is that “If she were to Snap” one day, she is far more dangerous now than prior to being “tactically trained”. Hence I don’t piss her off. :mrgreen:
Psych 101, your subconsious brain does not know the difference between real and imagined. When someone willfully decides to align concious evil doing with subconcious feelings of vengeance, bad things happen.
So in the short term, no one deciding to make Rainbow Bright Clouds Unicorn game as opposed to a “shooter” is going to make any difference as there’s just so much content already out giving violence as a fun getaway.
Games alone are not the problem, nor is TV, otherwise there’d be outright Anarchy worldwide. However when someone Snaps they don’t think very hard for weapon of choice. They’ve seen examples their entire life in on what favored methods are available to take care of their perceived problem. Deep subject that I cannot do justice due to underlying causes of these select individuals and their psych.
I must admit to not getting this nowadays PC with regards to violence, gore, sex etc, especially in gaming.
Historically, bad taste was always the first rung on the ladder for many people… including those who are now deemed as professionals within their field… i.e Peter Jackson (Hobbit, LOTR) starting off making slasher movies, Sam Raimi, John Carpenter et al. I remember being a film student making some absolute shocking pieces; far worse than anything you would see today in mainstream cinema. Damien Hurst, Tracey Emin also aimed high with shock. Does fine art command media PC?
Thinking back to the heady days of gaming and playing games about sex, violence and substance abuse were quite common… just look at the C64 catalogue! I was virtually walking back from the pub drunk at age 8 (Bozo’s night out!).
With regards to developers age… how does this differ from Cinema… take KickAss… should Chloë Grace Moretz be able to act like that in an adult film, whilst not being an adult? Was she able to go to the film’s premier?
But your conscious mind can, so that’s irrelevant. It goes back to the person having to already be messed up in the head in order to carry out violent actions… unless they go on a murderous rampage in their sleep.
Reminds of when they claimed gaming make you fat? How can you get fat when sometimes you go on gaming for days without food? or can eat well while both hands are grappling the controller?
I concur with you, but I have to add, that as long as the person is happy and not physically harming themselves or anyone else, there are in their right mind!!! There is no absolute definition for being sane.
First, awesome GF. My finance doesn’t like shooters so much, but is awesome at fighting games… and she’s a peaceful person. She’ll never get into a actual fight(that’s my job), but can beat me in Tekken easy.
Second, even though the subconscious doesn’t know the diff, we do. I believe we(the self) can make choices whether or not to follow our thought-patterns and emotional state. I find it enslaving to believe that we cannot. Allowing us to be driven by such things!!!
Third, Media has a serious identity crisis!!! First, they’ll tell you that killing, murder, stealing is bad on the news, and later have a TV show with all of the above. Luckily, cop shows have a moral compass to their programming.
Do we really have to keep blaming games for the shooting, It was a horrible incident and it should have never happened, but games are not at fault!
OH saying that video games drive these things is out of the question, people always need an excuse apart from, they did it because they were sick and obviously tormented.
As for the age restriction I think it is a horrible idea, it is a big hobby for many young people, including myself, we don’t create ultra gory games because we have a burning desire to kill! We do it because many believe it is what is required to actually even appear on the market (I personally do not). Nuff said.
And If violent video games are the problem what do you want to do? Stop making indie violent games? That will do nothing
I do not believe we should worry about what young developers are making. I was into art at a very young age, I would have been enraged if somebody tried to censor what I could draw. I do not believe creativity should ever be censored.
I think the worry is about these kids that torture small animals and show signs of being mentally disturbed. Even if such a kid were developing a video game, the game would be a warning sign of that kids mental disability and hopefully he/she would get help.
If it’s a game that is all about adult content, not just parts, but the whole game and you have some older developers working with younger ones, that would seem odd. If this younger developer actually has the skills to contribute, I say let them. If their parents don’t want them being apart of that, then it’s the parents responsibility. I don’t think it’s the place for game engine developers like unity or any government agencies to regulate that. I don’t want the internet in the free world to end up like in China.
I think there are some more convincing arguments for blocking certain aspects of the internet from young users, but this isn’t one of them. Leave creativity alone.
Nuff said, we are becoming a nannied world more so than ever. Taking away this creativity is just another way to restrict access to things that shouldn’t be restricted!
she was my PVE healer. She was visibly shaken by the interaction and shocked when it actually occured. That was years ago…