QUOTE
Popular novelist horrified how politicians use games as a "whipping boy."
Gaming received an unlikely ally this weekend in best-selling horror author Stephen King. In an op-ed piece written for Entertainment Weekly, King outlines his objection to video games being singled out for their objectionable content by politicians and the media. He admits "video games are not my thing," but that doesn't prevent him from defending games as an emerging medium, one that he claims falls into the larger scope of popular culture.
"What really makes me insane is how eager politicians are to use the pop culture," King writes, "not just video games but TV, movies, even Harry Potter--as a whipping boy." Like Cujo, he continues to go for politicians' throats stating, "But what makes me crazy is when politicians take it upon themselves to play surrogate parents. The results of that are usually disastrous. Not to mention undemocratic."
King's work in horror fiction has undoubtedly played a part in his position on video games and censorship. Novels like Misery, It, and most recently Duma Key are graphic portrayals of violence and horror. Books, however, rarely fall under the same scrutiny as games and it's this notion that has King incensed. "Games only reflect a violence that already exists in the society," he contends. ". . . there's a lot more to America's culture of violence than Resident Evil 4."
"I do, however, want to point out that video games, like movies, have a ratings system, and ones with the big M or A on the box mean 'Not for you, baby brother.' " Resident Evil 4, for instance, carries a Mature rating intended to bar youngsters from accessing the game. With the impending release of Grand Theft Auto IV, continued criticism of video game violence and ESRB ratings is all but expected.
Gaming received an unlikely ally this weekend in best-selling horror author Stephen King. In an op-ed piece written for Entertainment Weekly, King outlines his objection to video games being singled out for their objectionable content by politicians and the media. He admits "video games are not my thing," but that doesn't prevent him from defending games as an emerging medium, one that he claims falls into the larger scope of popular culture.
"What really makes me insane is how eager politicians are to use the pop culture," King writes, "not just video games but TV, movies, even Harry Potter--as a whipping boy." Like Cujo, he continues to go for politicians' throats stating, "But what makes me crazy is when politicians take it upon themselves to play surrogate parents. The results of that are usually disastrous. Not to mention undemocratic."
King's work in horror fiction has undoubtedly played a part in his position on video games and censorship. Novels like Misery, It, and most recently Duma Key are graphic portrayals of violence and horror. Books, however, rarely fall under the same scrutiny as games and it's this notion that has King incensed. "Games only reflect a violence that already exists in the society," he contends. ". . . there's a lot more to America's culture of violence than Resident Evil 4."
"I do, however, want to point out that video games, like movies, have a ratings system, and ones with the big M or A on the box mean 'Not for you, baby brother.' " Resident Evil 4, for instance, carries a Mature rating intended to bar youngsters from accessing the game. With the impending release of Grand Theft Auto IV, continued criticism of video game violence and ESRB ratings is all but expected.
Source: http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=174768