A Conservative's View on Violent Video Games

I'm one of those people know as a crazy Christian, conservative, Republican. The only difference is I don't believe in censorship. We often see the debate about violent video games raging in the media. Are they harmful to kids? Are they not harmful to kids? The answer, I think, is both. Video games, like any form of entertainment can be both harmful and beneficial.

Video games are given ratings by the ESRB. These are not mandatory, but for the most part if you don't get rated you don't get licensed to be sold for a console. They range from Early Childhood, EC, up to Adults Only, AO. Violent video games are generally rated M or Mature. These games are, by law, only to be sold to people over 17. If a parent buys those games for their child, that's their right, and they should be held responsible for the consequences.

Should video games be censored based on content? No. This is America you have the ability and the right to create whatever you want. People will then judge if they feel the material is objectionable and whether they want it around their families or not. By that same token, platform holders have the right to determine what they want on their platforms? If a platform holder doesn't want games that are rated AO on their system, then change the material a bit or find somewhere else to release your ideas. There are a large number of ways to get your ideas to the masses and if you don't want it edited then find one of those avenues for release.

We don't need more legislation telling us who can and can't sell games to whom. We already have laws in place for that. They simply need to be enforced. But the main line of defense, and the ones who should be at the forefront of this are the parents of the children who play the games. Make sure you know what your kids play. Do some research on the games they want to play before you buy it or give your kids money to buy it. If you find the material not appropriate for your children then don't let them have it. Parents are ultimately the ones responsible for the way their children are raised, or at least they should be.

In a perfect world we wouldn't need legislation at all for this topic because the market would dictate. Children would not be subjected to material the parents find objectionable because the parents would know what is going on. I can't tell someone else how to raise their child, but I can do what I have to to keep my kids from being subjected to violence or sex or profanity. I make sure to watch the shows they watch or play the games they play, either before they do or with them. I monitor what they do on the internet and make sure they don't talk to shady individuals or go to sites I find inappropriate.

Most people will not be affected by violent video games because they will be raised in a way that limits their contact with it. They will be taught the difference between what's right and what's wrong. Do your part to help solve this problem. Don't rely on government groups or political activists. Get involved with your children and make sure you are aware of what's going on in their lives.

The Conduit

The Conduit was released yesterday in North America, and it was awesome. If you haven't picked this game up, you owe it to yourself to stop what you're doing right now and buy it. First Person Shooters have not had much success on Wii. Outside of The Call of Duty games and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption they've not fared well in the retail department. Even well received games like Medal of Honor Heroes 2 that improved FPS controls didn't sell well.

The Conduit aims to change that and I think they've done a wonderful job. The story of the game is not ground breaking. It won't win any awards for creativity. The world was invaded by aliens, secret government agencies have to clean up the mess and betrayals occur. You've heard it before, and you'll hear it again. Where it does succeed is in sheer fun. The game is a blast to play. High Voltage Software has delivered a game that redefined shooters for Wii in ways other than story. The customization options allow for any control scheme you can imagine. You can map the controls to any button or motion that you choose and that means that controls should not be a problem for you. Map the options you don't use very much to controls you don't like and put the more used options in positions that you can get to easily.

It also brings life like graphics on Wii to the same level as early Xbox 360 and PS3 games. The game is gorgeous to look at. The environments may be bland and stereotypical, but the level of detail that High Voltage has reached is unmatched to this point on Wii. The Quantum 3 engine designed by High Voltage has allowed them to use techniques that are common on the higher powered system to provide lighting effects, depth, and detail that many thought were not possible on Nintendo's little white box. It's still not as powerful as you see on the other systems. For instance you can't read documents sitting behind glass in the Library of Congress, which would have been a nice touch, but they're also not blurry messes that blend in with everything else when you get close. You can see where words begin and end and paper is raised above the surface it's sitting on. Flags have well defined stars and stripes that don't blur once you touch them. It's not the same experience you get with Halo or Call of Duty on 360, but it's a great first effort for the developer on Wii. A sequel and some more time means they'll be able to do even more to improve on the visuals.

The multi-player portion of the game blows everything else to this point on the system away. There are more modes of play with as many or more players in matches. They have voice chat, friends list, and the ability to add friends without having their friend code. All of those things were thought impossible on Wii, but High Voltage proved they can be done, and done quite well. This game could very well be the Halo style game people have been wanting on Wii.

I hope this game does well, because High Voltage Software has done everything that was necessary to deliver a solid shooter experience on a platform that people dismissed for shooters. They've got two more games on the horizon that should improve on this first offering and hopefully we'll see a sequel to this game because it's an experience that I'm looking forward to again.

High Voltage, you've done well, and you've cemented your place among my favorite developers.

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