Understanding the creative industry - Ethics
In this blog I'll discuss the some of the main issues effecting the creative industry. This topic - ethics, contain very controversial items, such as the attempted rape in Tomb Raider (2013), which I will explore and explain.
Ethical Issues
Maintaining 'good' ethics in a video game (or to that, any media in the creative industry), can be a vital part in determining how the product will end up for the user, and the company. Tomb Raider (2013) is one that has apparently lacked in good ethics.
This picture shows where this villain in Tomb Raider attempts (subtly) to rape Lara Croft. The subject of rape is very serious, and the fact that Crystal Dynamics included this scene is very controversial. Many argue that rape is too serious to trivialise, and that by playing it in a game is mocking victims of rape. But non of these critics mention on the fact that this is the first person Lara kills - so is killing another human being OK? Of course neither murder or rape are in 'the real world', but as this is just a game, in my opinion this scene is fine. If the man actually did rape her, then yes, that is too far. I believe that this scene gives the player a strong connection with Lara, as they build an interactive, emotional connection with the character They may feel like they have to protect Lara from this horrible event. There is the old belief that playing violent games makes people violent, but in this case, would it make people more protective over women, and change peoples minds on rape? Surely this won't encourage the idea of rape, as the scene is very unappealing and gritty.
This picture shows where this villain in Tomb Raider attempts (subtly) to rape Lara Croft. The subject of rape is very serious, and the fact that Crystal Dynamics included this scene is very controversial. Many argue that rape is too serious to trivialise, and that by playing it in a game is mocking victims of rape. But non of these critics mention on the fact that this is the first person Lara kills - so is killing another human being OK? Of course neither murder or rape are in 'the real world', but as this is just a game, in my opinion this scene is fine. If the man actually did rape her, then yes, that is too far. I believe that this scene gives the player a strong connection with Lara, as they build an interactive, emotional connection with the character They may feel like they have to protect Lara from this horrible event. There is the old belief that playing violent games makes people violent, but in this case, would it make people more protective over women, and change peoples minds on rape? Surely this won't encourage the idea of rape, as the scene is very unappealing and gritty.
As all this controversy unfolds, Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics are at the center of it all. I see this 'bad' image that the companies have earned from this scene as a double edged sword. All the bad press and media exaggeration of the trailer received is bound to put people off purchasing this game. As of course, if all you've heard of the game is "Lara Croft almost gets raped", who would? But then as many people and I alike don't believe everything the media put in front of me, I had to investigate. By reading into the game play and watching the full trailer as well as studying in class, (which not being a big Lara fan, I normally wouldn't of done), I'm suddenly intrigued by the game. Not because of the rape scene, but by the game itself. Square Enix will suddenly receive a lot more attention for this game, as it appeals to a market it never once had by people interested in all the controversy.This can benefit the company as this extra money can be used to patch the game after it is released, and to release downloadable content (DLC's) to benefit the game. The companies may then of created a bigger market for themselves, as new games start playing the rest of the Tomb Raider series and other games that they make.
Counter Strike: Global Offensive, the new installment from Valve Corporation, has also been involved with ethical controversy. It was announced before the release, that on certain levels of the game you would be able to play in the Terrorist team looking similar to the ETA (A nationalist, separatist organisation in Spain). When Spanish officials got wind of this, they immediately requested that this faction should be removed from the game, as they believed it would offensive to victims of the attacks and could make the ETA look trivial. I agree with this point, as the latest ETA attack was only April 9th 2011, and by including them in the game could be offensive as there is still violence in Spain. This affected the way Valve ended up making the final game, as they would of have to re-written some parts to exclude these factions. This could of possibly delayed the release, or made working life making this game difficult as new parts to the game would of needed to be added. This links into the terrible history and image the games industry already has with poor working conditions, as already this year giant EA got voted worst company in America. But on the other hand, many games such as Call of Duty series, and Battlefield 2, include factions similar to Al Queda, the Taliban, the Nazi's and the Japanese. All of whom have been included in recent terrorism or in terrible wars and mass killings. These two games are two of the most popular games in the modern world, yet they receive little controversy about these playable factions. I believe the regulatory bodies such as PEGI and the ESA (in which I will discuss in more detail in the next blog), and gaming officials feel more lenient into letting these games publish factions in this way, as their profit margin will be a lot higher due to this.
Many ethical issues arise in games. Although the changes to games such as the issue with Counter Strike: Global Offensive have been quickly altered for the best intentions, I believe that the market is biased towards more profitable organisations. Ethical issues in games will gradually fade, as the public become desensatised to violence and topics such as rape. This can be shown from Death Race (1976), where the game received heavy controversy from the apparent violence in this game (the basic idea being you drive the car and run people over). As of the standards of today, this game seems childish in comparison to Grand Theft Auto and others alike. To conclude, I believe most ethical controversy is due to the media exaggerating, although some issues can be pushing the boundaries of what is "acceptable".
Counter Strike: Global Offensive, the new installment from Valve Corporation, has also been involved with ethical controversy. It was announced before the release, that on certain levels of the game you would be able to play in the Terrorist team looking similar to the ETA (A nationalist, separatist organisation in Spain). When Spanish officials got wind of this, they immediately requested that this faction should be removed from the game, as they believed it would offensive to victims of the attacks and could make the ETA look trivial. I agree with this point, as the latest ETA attack was only April 9th 2011, and by including them in the game could be offensive as there is still violence in Spain. This affected the way Valve ended up making the final game, as they would of have to re-written some parts to exclude these factions. This could of possibly delayed the release, or made working life making this game difficult as new parts to the game would of needed to be added. This links into the terrible history and image the games industry already has with poor working conditions, as already this year giant EA got voted worst company in America. But on the other hand, many games such as Call of Duty series, and Battlefield 2, include factions similar to Al Queda, the Taliban, the Nazi's and the Japanese. All of whom have been included in recent terrorism or in terrible wars and mass killings. These two games are two of the most popular games in the modern world, yet they receive little controversy about these playable factions. I believe the regulatory bodies such as PEGI and the ESA (in which I will discuss in more detail in the next blog), and gaming officials feel more lenient into letting these games publish factions in this way, as their profit margin will be a lot higher due to this. 
Many ethical issues arise in games. Although the changes to games such as the issue with Counter Strike: Global Offensive have been quickly altered for the best intentions, I believe that the market is biased towards more profitable organisations. Ethical issues in games will gradually fade, as the public become desensatised to violence and topics such as rape. This can be shown from Death Race (1976), where the game received heavy controversy from the apparent violence in this game (the basic idea being you drive the car and run people over). As of the standards of today, this game seems childish in comparison to Grand Theft Auto and others alike. To conclude, I believe most ethical controversy is due to the media exaggerating, although some issues can be pushing the boundaries of what is "acceptable".
Bibliography
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3HfmcDRbn8 (29/09/12)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_Raider_%282013_video_game%29 (29/09/12)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CS_GO (03/10/12)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ETA_attacks (3/10/12)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix8qC8qTarF44yYAbDcOZ4EpDAtm0H4HBIuDwjVuiXIK8okBkMGrPN00uZK1gCy6jtNSh4MlTDWv6_aBe6sxRpYV2WP5OsUh2ZIU4KzcQ_aScvrruLBlLKA4fCYxb-BWGnD-MbhDvkQaXF/s1600/eta_eta_gara.jpg (3/10/12)
http://www.roguesynapse.com/games/death_race/clock%20scr%20cap%202.JPG (4/10/12)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CS_GO (03/10/12)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ETA_attacks (3/10/12)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix8qC8qTarF44yYAbDcOZ4EpDAtm0H4HBIuDwjVuiXIK8okBkMGrPN00uZK1gCy6jtNSh4MlTDWv6_aBe6sxRpYV2WP5OsUh2ZIU4KzcQ_aScvrruLBlLKA4fCYxb-BWGnD-MbhDvkQaXF/s1600/eta_eta_gara.jpg (3/10/12)
http://www.roguesynapse.com/games/death_race/clock%20scr%20cap%202.JPG (4/10/12)
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