Task 3

Society would expect violence to be a lot different to what it was in the past. Technology has allowed people to gain more of a realistic experience because of this. When gaming first took of the resources was limited therefore you saw shapes being the main aspect of the game and did not seem much violent, but as society has been more exposed to violence then video games are created based on violence and this then impacted on others who play the games and therefore as the technology became more advanced programmers were able to create a better game which contains gore and more violence. This suggests that people expect more violent and gory games then in the past, furthermore people become desensitized to it meaning that they are exposed to it and react to it differently.

People found themselves immersed within gaming. This had a major impact on people’s lives. Views and opinions have changed over the years because at first gaming was very simple using shapes which could be controlled by a human. As years progressed technology started to evolve. Nintendo released their console in the 1980s and a decade later Sony released their PlayStation in the 1990s. Games always used the latest technology available at the time in order to create highly impressive graphics and create realism. However by creating these realistic conditions this would have a negative impact on people in years to come, people began to question the content of the games being released and how they were containing violence. This became a concern to many as this could influence people to become more aggressive.

Video games were firstly available in the 1970s; Pac man was a very popular game, which contained a circle eating pills and ghosts. This may not have seemed violent but this was the first game to contain destruction of any kind.

With better technology becoming available in the future Sony and Nintendo were able to create realistic games that contain greater violence and blood.

Space invaders is another game which requires the use of violence against space invaders, this is violence without context, meaning in context of the real world the violence portrayed in this game is unreal and contains fantasy violence. This does not convey the same sort of violence that exists on the streets neither does is show violence, which harm civilians, innocents or other representations of any kind.
Children aged 4-6 became more aggressive after playing 'Space Invaders'








Pac man and space invaders to an extent are similar to my contemporary text grand theft auto. Both of these games are violent although it is difficult to see in Pacman and space invades they both involve the aspect of killing and controlling something or someone. The reason for this is because it has no context therefore people are unable to make sense and deem it to be violent

GTA has a context and to an extent reflects society and therefore people are able to engage in this furthermore it is easily understandable how it is more of a threat to children. Because it is easy to make sense of the killing. Furthermore in the game you are harming innocent people. And this is wrong furthermore in the game it rewards you instead of punishing and this gives the wrong ideas to children.

Therefore the only way they are similar is through the genre. This allows people to see what used to be violence and how it has changed. Because of technology it has become more realistic and a lot more different from the past.

In relation to looking at these media texts, it could be made apparent society have become increasingly violent. The views and opinions regarding violence have changed significantly. The developments within the gaming industry have allowed comparisons to be made such that Pac man and space invaders appear less violent in relation to Grand Theft Auto. Previously, the simple concept of consuming the pills and ghosts and shooting aliens has been revolutionised nowadays to exhibit real life issues associated with gun crime, murder and theft. Thus displayed through games such as Grand Theft Auto. Furthermore, it could be seen perhaps to some extent due to the changing nature of crime and ideologies, the violence exerted through Grand theft auto has influenced the behaviours of individuals. This has caused concern within society demonstrating the age restrictions on games, due to the extreme violence including swearing and the use of weapons. However many do not comply by these laws, greatening the influences.



Moral panic

Throughout the ages, media and society have been concerned over children, the next generation, are doing, or what is being done to them. Moral panics often occur when the desire to protect them and ourselves is expressed.
In 1999, the nation was shocked by a school shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Not only were several students murdered, but two of their classmates were sufficiently depraved to have executed the event. The reality that so much harm could be generated by, and inflicted on, high school students was alarming to a society which values the lives of children.
There had already been some publicity over the amount of violence in video games. When the media emphasized that the Columbine shooters played these games, and society luminaries drew connections between the nature of the shootings and the games, people became more worried than ever about what video games were doing to kids, and what the kids would do as a result. This new technology had become a new threat.
Moral panics have happened throughout the years, though; video games were merely the latest form to feed society's concerns about their children. Though each moral panic plays out in unique ways with different origins and repercussions, they often have similar characteristics, not only in Cohen's definition of the term "moral panic," but also in what society and the media find alarming about the entertainment forms being panicked about.
http://www.gamebits.net/other/mqp/