- Mar 6, 2001
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From The NIMF-
A Dark Cloud Descends Over the Industry
The best selling games of the past year (2003) glorify and reward extreme violence, particularly toward women. While these games are rated M (Mature), they are extremely popular with pre-teen and teenage boys who report no trouble buying the games.
For the past seven years, we have consistently expressed concern about a subset of very violent games called "first person shooters." In these games the player advances in the game by killing. Even more disturbing this year is the fact that the best selling games of the past twelve months are not only ultra-violent, but feature brutal violence toward women. In addition, a growing number of non-violent games like BMX XXX degrade women and reinforce dangerous stereotypes by treating them as sexual objects.
Indicative of this problem is the fact that a major retailer, Zany Brainy, announced on November 26, 2002 that it was pulling all video games off the shelves of its 170 stores. A spokesperson for FAO, the parent company of Zany Brainy was quoted as saying, "We didn't carry any of the games with violence, and it seemed to us that those are the most popular games and the games that the industry was focusing on." (Emphasis added.)
Almost all video games are designed and produced by men. Many games appear to reflect young male fantasies. It is very disturbing that the most popular games reflect a violent and misogynist attitude toward girls and women or treat girls and women as sexual playthings.
Though this problem is not new, it is accelerating. Several years ago we alerted parents about Duke Nukem, a game in which the player enters a room where naked women are tied to posts pleading with the gamer (as Duke), "Kill me. Kill me." In Grand Theft Auto 3 (GTA 3), the top selling game of the past year, the player is rewarded if he murders a prostitute after having sex with her. However, the trend has reached truly alarming levels with Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
Building on the incredible financial success of Grand Theft Auto 3, the latest edition, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was released on October 21, 2002. Over 1.4 million copies were sold in two days making it the fastest sales start for a video game in the thirty-year history of the industry. It could become the top selling game ever. Experts predict that Grand Theft Auto: Vice City will sell 10 million copies grossing almost a half billion dollars. By comparison, Pokemon, a phenomenon in its own right, only sold 5.1 million copies. In addition to building on its predecessor's impressive sales figures, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City picks up where GTA 3 left off with violence toward women.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is receiving rave reviews for its technical excellence. However, its portrayal and mistreatment of women is disturbing. The brutal murder of women as entertainment is cause for great concern. Parents of both boys and girls should be very alarmed by the following:
Every day millions of boys and young men are entertaining themselves with a game that denigrates women and glamorizes violence against them. The theory that it is a game that only adults are playing is simply not valid. Our recent survey of boys showed that it is extremely popular with pre-teen and teen males.
Parents and other adults are almost totally unaware of the content of the game. We have surveyed over 600 parents and teachers over the past month and less than 3 percent have any knowledge of the anti-female content of the game.
A Dark Cloud Descends Over the Industry
The best selling games of the past year (2003) glorify and reward extreme violence, particularly toward women. While these games are rated M (Mature), they are extremely popular with pre-teen and teenage boys who report no trouble buying the games.
For the past seven years, we have consistently expressed concern about a subset of very violent games called "first person shooters." In these games the player advances in the game by killing. Even more disturbing this year is the fact that the best selling games of the past twelve months are not only ultra-violent, but feature brutal violence toward women. In addition, a growing number of non-violent games like BMX XXX degrade women and reinforce dangerous stereotypes by treating them as sexual objects.
Indicative of this problem is the fact that a major retailer, Zany Brainy, announced on November 26, 2002 that it was pulling all video games off the shelves of its 170 stores. A spokesperson for FAO, the parent company of Zany Brainy was quoted as saying, "We didn't carry any of the games with violence, and it seemed to us that those are the most popular games and the games that the industry was focusing on." (Emphasis added.)
Almost all video games are designed and produced by men. Many games appear to reflect young male fantasies. It is very disturbing that the most popular games reflect a violent and misogynist attitude toward girls and women or treat girls and women as sexual playthings.
Though this problem is not new, it is accelerating. Several years ago we alerted parents about Duke Nukem, a game in which the player enters a room where naked women are tied to posts pleading with the gamer (as Duke), "Kill me. Kill me." In Grand Theft Auto 3 (GTA 3), the top selling game of the past year, the player is rewarded if he murders a prostitute after having sex with her. However, the trend has reached truly alarming levels with Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
Building on the incredible financial success of Grand Theft Auto 3, the latest edition, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was released on October 21, 2002. Over 1.4 million copies were sold in two days making it the fastest sales start for a video game in the thirty-year history of the industry. It could become the top selling game ever. Experts predict that Grand Theft Auto: Vice City will sell 10 million copies grossing almost a half billion dollars. By comparison, Pokemon, a phenomenon in its own right, only sold 5.1 million copies. In addition to building on its predecessor's impressive sales figures, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City picks up where GTA 3 left off with violence toward women.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is receiving rave reviews for its technical excellence. However, its portrayal and mistreatment of women is disturbing. The brutal murder of women as entertainment is cause for great concern. Parents of both boys and girls should be very alarmed by the following:
Every day millions of boys and young men are entertaining themselves with a game that denigrates women and glamorizes violence against them. The theory that it is a game that only adults are playing is simply not valid. Our recent survey of boys showed that it is extremely popular with pre-teen and teen males.
Parents and other adults are almost totally unaware of the content of the game. We have surveyed over 600 parents and teachers over the past month and less than 3 percent have any knowledge of the anti-female content of the game.
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