As game designers, we need to ask ourselves how far we should go. The Wii is a whole new playing field for experimenting with forms of game play. And right now, the news is abuzz with the upcoming release of Mad World for its violence in physically enacting attacks with the Wiimote. I’d like to remind everyone that this is nothing new–other games such as Manhunt 2 and Red Steel experimented with this play awhile ago. Of them all, Man Hunt 2 is the most overtly violent.

Originally due to release in the summer of 2007, Manhunt 2 was first banned in the UK after the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) refused to certify the game. Shortly after, the USA Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) rated it Adults-Only (AO)–essentially banning it, since retailers will not stock AO games. The game content (such as usable weapons and killing moves) was later modified to meet a November 2007 release date, which makes me wonder how violently messed up the game was before revisions.

BBFC cited “sustained and cumulative casual sadism in the way in which these killings are committed, and encouraged, in the game” as its reasoning for pulling certification. Uniquely, Manhunt 2 is the first console game to receive an AO rating from the ESRB, in part due to the “degree of player control.” Not everyone gets to say that!

Yes, you hit people.

I’ve tried to get through playing Manhunt 2, but I can’t. It’s actually the first game where I stopped and said to myself, “You know, this is kinda sick.” Of course, it didn’t help playing it at night in the dark. For me, the most violent move of them all was strangling with a plastic bag. It’s the upfront in-your-face modern day all-human play that gets to me the most. It’s for this reason that Mad World will undoubtedly pale in comparison, but in a good way.

Mad World’s art style is contrasting and beautiful, as opposed to Manhunt 2’s 3D realism. Further, in Mad World, the violence is often more distanced with use of weapons that stick with your character. In Manhunt 2, you often lose a weapon after one time use, since yeah… I guess it would be hard to peel a plastic bag off of your victim and use it on someone else…

Mmm, Mad World!

The motion with the Wiimote is still abstract, but certainly miles beyond clicking a mouse or pressing controller buttons. Instead of mashing X, Y, A, B and memorizing combinations for unlocking special attacks, you’re actually making motions intended to mimic the violent attacks in Wii games. Will this teach violence to players? Well, I’d hate to see anyone try to apply Wiimote motions to real weapons in a real situation–I don’t think it would be very effective. However, the physical aspect of this kind of game play still remains a factor for concern to groups like BBFC and ESRB, and not without justification.

How far can we go as designers in the realism we put into gameplay? What happens when something like the Wiimote but much more accurate comes out? This drums up all sorts of questions about ethical game design but also regulations. How do we test for the effects of violent games, really? How much does making the physical movements to perform actions differ from using a more distanced controller?

On the other hand, with games like these, the Wii is proving it’s a console for all members of the family. Because seriously, kids shouldn’t be playing in worlds like these with controllers like the Wiimote. Most of the concern at this point is just another sensational news explosion in Grand Theft Auto fashion. This is what it gets down to for me–if parents have a problem with Mad World, they just need to parent properly and not let their kids play it (yes, it can be done). If you have a problem with violent games, just don’t play them. Even I had to take a step back from Manhunt 2, because if you think Mad World is violent, you haven’t played Manhunt.

References:
‘Manhunt 2’ bloodied, unbowed by M rating, USA Today.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 22nd, 2008 at 6:01 pm and is filed under Design, INSPIRATION. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.