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The Impact of Violence-Themed Games on the Console Video Game Economy
It can
be said that the console video game industry has improved dramatically since
its introduction in the commercial market in the 1970s (Herman et al, 2004). As
technology develops, games become more realistic and attract more and more
people. Records show that video games sales have improved over the years. In
1972, Magnavox created the first home video game called the Odyssey – a console
with a low-bit video tennis game (Herman et al, 2004). Then it was followed
Atari in the same year (the company that popularize the video game “Pong”) and
the list of development for the industry goes on and on with the emergence of
companies like Nintendo, NEC and SEGA. The graphics developed slowly into more
sophisticated visual feats. The 8-bit graphics were replaced by a more colorful
16-bit. Then, the games developed to 32-bit graphic, to 64-bit, to 182-bit and
now to a more graphic DVD supported games (Herman et al, 2004), which basically
makes the visual experience of players become more realistic. The issue of
violence in video games and how it influences people came from the improvement
of graphics but not from the themes of the games. With the release of games
like Mortal Kombat and Nightrap in 1993, Senators Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut and Herbert Kohl of Wisconsin launch a Senate
"investigation" into video game violence; threaten to somehow affect
a ban on "violent" games (Herman et al, 2004). However, their demand
of banning violent video games was somehow demoted into establishing a
regulatory board for video games. In 1994, “The Entertainment Software Rating
Board (ESRB) was established to rate video games” (Herman et al, 2004). The
board uses large letter icons that appear on game boxes to let consumers know
the recommended age of players for each game and whether the game is violent.
In 1975, the factory sales of video
games only reached $22 million. Its estimated sales in 1981 were $1.2 billion.
From early to late 80s, the highest sales of video games reached only $3
billion. However, by the end of 1992, video games sales reached nearly $4.9
billion (McConville, 1992). In 1998, the
U.S. retail sales of console video game software and hardware totaled $4.96 billion (PC Data,
1998). This increased over the succeeding years, but with inconsistencies. For
instance, annual 2004 U.S.
retail sales of video games, which include portable and console hardware,
software and accessories, saw sales of over $9.9 billion. This was lower than
one percent when compared to $10 billion in Annual 2003 (NPD Group, 2005).
Looking from its past, the video game
industry shortly boomed in 1981, and then in 1982, sales fell precipitously
that almost ended the whole industry. Fortunately, Nintendo’s introduction of
the home-based video games gave light to the industry once more. One of the
most instrumental in the revival of video games in the 80s was Nintendo’s Super
Mario Bros. In 1985, Nintendo earned over $40 million from the game
(GameCubicle.com, 2005). During those times, there were no issues about how
video games promote violence. Then In 1992, Mortal Kombat was introduced and
had $275 million sales. In 2002, the release of Grand Theft Auto games for the
PlayStation 2 broke all records of video games sales. GTA III grossed almost
$400 million. GTA
Vice City
equaled this record, and the newest GTA San Andreas is still selling strong.
The question is do violent games play
a strong role in the growth of the video games industry? In the past, sales of
video games were low and incidentally, there were still no violent games
running in 128-bit graphics. It is obvious that with the growth of the video
games industry, there is also an increase in violent games. It can also be seen
that violent games perform well in terms of sales, which can be linked with the
strong growth of the video games industry.
Aside from the issue of how violent
games influences people, the researcher sees the issue of how violent games
contribute to the video games industry. According to the Interactive Digital
Software Association (2001), about 145 million people, or 60% of Americans,
play video games and the average age of the players is 28 and 43% are women.
This statistics show some of hint on why the top-selling games are violence
themed. There are more sides of the story that needs further investigation to
determine the real impact of violence on the sales of video games. Basically,
there is a need to determine first what violence is and how the players define
violence in the video games context. There is also a need to determine on why
they enjoy playing such games. In the past, games are also violence-themed but
lacked emphasis on graphics. Today, the graphics show realistic violence. Does
this improvement have any relationship with the increasing sales of video
games? These are just of some of the questions that are needed to be explored.
Comparison of Media
Violence Histories
Violence in media did not start in
video games. One of its early proponents and still ongoing is television.
Television started and introduced in America in 1939 (Bushman and
Anderson, 2001). Television broadcasting was suspended during the period of World
War II but resumed in 1947 (Bushman and Anderson, 2001). Started in the 1950s,
the percentage of television owners in America grown from 9% in 1950 to
98% in 1985 (Bushman and Anderson, 2001). Today, almost all households have
television. This shows the strong appeal of television and its potential market
source characteristic.
Admittedly, it can be observed that
one of the reasons why television programs sell is because of its violent
contents. However, it can be easily understood that violence has been a part of
entertainment for centuries. This can be traced as early as the Ancient Greek
civilization where it is common in plays to show violence or violent
storylines. Furthermore, a more popular example of signs of violence in
entertainment the past are the Gladiatorial tournaments produced by the Holy Roman Empire. Perhaps these shows can be considered
as the father of reality shows. However, the themes are all about killing and
mutilation in public. Coleman (2003) from BBC History depicts: “Exotic animals
might be displayed and hunted in the early part of the programme, and prisoners
might be executed, by exposure to the beasts”. Coleman (2003) also added: “The
thirst for thrills even resulted in a particular rarity, female gladiators”. Violence
can also be reflected in medieval plays such as that of Shakespear,
particularly Macbeth, where the head of Macbeth is necessary to be shown on
stage. These shards of history obviously shows that violence sells and has been
an integral part of entertainment ever since the beginning of civilization.
In the modern entertainment
industry, violence started in the cinema. The first movie to tell an organized
story “The Great Train Robber” in 1908 shows a large close-up of a cowboy
firing his pistol directly at the camera (Bushman and Anderson, 2001). Laughably, the first audiences who saw the
film reacted by running out of the theater screaming (Bushman and Anderson,
2001). Research reports published in the early 1970’s stated that by age 14,
the average child had witnessed more than 11,000 murders on television (Looney,
1971). This figure increased, with more recent reports stating that the average
American child now witnesses about 10,000 violent crimes (e.g., murder, rape,
and assault) per year on television- about 200,000 total violent crimes by the
time they are teens (Signorielli et al, 1995). Moreover, the authors of the
NTVS (1998) reported that 61% of television programs contain violence. Other
reports contend that the figure for prime time network programs is more than
70% (Gerbner et al,1994). Violent acts occur 5 times per hour in primetime
programs and 20 times per hour in children’s programs (Strasburger, and Wilson,
2002).The report of the National Television Violence Study (1996, 1997, 1998) also
shows the high rate of TV violence consumption in America. Their analysis showed that
in more than 8,000 hours of programming on cable and broadcast television in
the United States,
about 60% of TV programs contained violence. This is another indication that
violence sells. In addition, Video Freedom (2002) stated that “5 violent acts
per hour occur during prime time and 20-25 violent acts occur during Saturday
morning children's programming”. In 2003-2004, the highest rating television
show in the U.S.
is CSI, which is also violence oriented (National People Meter Sample, 2004). Moreover,
Vos Post (1995) found in his research that violence prevails in eight out of
every ten programs. This indicates that producers are willing to invest in
violent programs for some reasons. In 2002, depictions of violence were 41%
more frequent during the 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT) Family Hour, and 134.4% more
frequent during the 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT) hour than in 1998 (Parental Television
Council, 2003). Another report shows that violent acts occur 5 times per hour
in primetime programs and 20 times per hour in children’s programs (Strasburger,
and Wilson, 2002).
Violence sells in television. This
can be reflected in certain studies. For instance, Hamilton (1998) found in a
large survey consists of adults in three age categories (18-34, 35-50, and 50+)
that 73% of men in the 18-34 group were heavy consumers of violent programming
and that overall, men in this age category answered yes to an average of almost
5 out of 10 questions related to viewing violent shows. Furthermore, the next
highest-viewing group was women in the 18-34 age groups, 60% of whom were
considered profound consumers of televised violence.
Grobel (2001) enumerated several
reasons why violence sells in television. Reasons include: violent media are
successful in part because violence attracts the attention of male adolescents,
a highly sought after demographic for marketers; it easier to produce and has a
more universal language than complex, dialogue-based stories; and its scenes
essentially speak for themselves, needing very little in the way of verbal
translation.
Basically,
the rationale being presented here is that while violence is widely used in
television as can be seen on several accounts of history, the same formula is
being applied in video games. Almost all video games are violence-based which
are similar with television or movie violence. The profit acquired by violent
video games can be associated with the success of violence in television, which
suggests that it is indeed an easy ticket to gain sales. It has been tested as
effective in television. People are really buying violence, which gives a
rather awkward title of being an essential factor in marketing entertainment. The
birth of violence in television created genres of shows that are violent
oriented, which some have achieved cult status. This is the main foundation of
video games as their only difference in television entertainment is that they
are interactive and can be controlled. The sales of the Grand Theft Auto
series, the Resident Evil series, and other violent video games reflect and
identify with the ratings of shows such as CSI, NYPD Blues, and other popular
shows that depict violence in the most obvious or subtlest form. However, the
role of violence in the sales of entertainment media still needs further
investigation. This should be carefully approached as it enters into the moral
grounds, particularly the question on whether or not it is justifiable to use
violent content for profit purposes.
Research Question
To
further explain the problem being presented, the following research questions
have been formed:
1. Does
the trend of violence in games can be rooted from the strong foundation of
violence in television?
2. Does
the ratings or profit acquired by producers of violent television programs
similar with the profits acquired by video game developers that develop violent
video games?
3. Are
the graphics of video games important to consumers and do they want it to
become as realistic with the violent shows they watch on televisions or films?
4. Is
the emergence of violent video games resulted from the decades of promotion of
violent shows in television and cinema?
Conclusion
Both television shows and video
games are vehicles for violent entertainment. It is perceived that violence is
an essential factor for the success of TV and video game productions. The
investigation on the role of violence in entertainment sales may create new
media theories, particularly the link between the evolution of violence in both
graphics and plot in video games, and the established violence in television.
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