Rabid press declares war on games

31 Mar 2008 | 20:57 BST

By Nick Farrell

HER MADGE'S loyal press have been rushing to pillory violent video games in the wake of a report by Dr. Tanya Byron.

Since the report was released there has been a baying of blood from the press. TV presenter Anne Diamond appeared in a Daily Mail article last week, discussing the ‘chilling’ dangers of titles such as Resident Evil 4 and Scarface: The World Is Yours.

It also seems that an unnamed national newspaper has been offering hundreds of pounds to hard up actors to confess that violent games lead to a life of crime.

An advertisement appeared on an 'online talent community’ site which promotes opportunities for aspiring actors and models.
The advert promised hundreds of pounds to the right person. All they had to do was write a few lines about how computer games turned you to crime and "if it's something we like, we'll call you straight back".

This is all an indication that if the press is going to keep hammering on about violent games until it gets bored or there is a real news story.

The report should have been a catalyst by which law makers and everyone should run around and do something. However it seems that the hacks wrote many of their anti-gaming stories without actually reading the report.

Byron was shocked when her report was beaten into a coma by the tabloids who claimed she wanted tougher penalties for retailers who flogged the games. In fact she said that the laws were ok as they stood.

The law as it stands says you can’t sell games to anyone under the statutory age of a BBFC-rated product, and she thinks that is tough enough for all concerned.

Reading the report one can't but be struck by its banality. The government could adopt all its recommendations and no one would be any the wiser. Gamers certainly would not care.
So why is the press so excited? Well her Majesty's loyal scandal mongers have a hate relationship with games and gamers. It is the same thing they did in the 1970s over television. They are not interested in promoting facts, but are more interested in a peddling a pre-packaged standard for which they don't need to engage brain.

It is a fairly safe bet that no one will complain other than gamers and they are just geeks who don't read papers anyway.

Hacks know their readers. The target for the stories are the fearful British middle classes or slightly older parents who still have a degree of techno-fear. These are the types who drive their children to school in oversized SUVs because they fear that a sex pest is going to steal them away.

These people will wrap their child in bubble wrap at the slightest provocation. Violent games are just another thing for them to take away and the press will love them to do just that. µ

L'Inq
MCVUK

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