Making Torture Accessible: Fun for the Family ~ Op Ed

For today’s blog entry, I will be modifying my normal style, of relating historical events to the present, by talking about a current event and responding to it in op-ed style. The discussion I would like to have today centers around violence, torture in particular, that has become common in society through its use in video games and in media. 

 

GTAV Cover showing elements of the game ~ Getty Images

Rockstar Games, makers of the very popular but controversial Grand Theft Auto series, have always received a lot of criticism about the premise of their games.  In game play of Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTAV), the user must “…electrocute a man, pull out his teeth and use other various torture implements,” for the purposes of gathering information and progress in the game (Tsukayama). To give you a bit more background, the entire Grand Theft Auto series of games began in 1997, and has always centered on crime and violence. You can play as a range of different criminals in order to complete the objective, giving the user a great deal of control over gameplay.

With the background covered, I would like to look at ReadWrite’s article, “Confronting Video Game Torture, After The CIA’S Report,” as well as some points made by The Washington Post’s piece “Here’s what makes torture in video games worse than on TV,” and respond in an op-ed fashion.

        

Torture Scene from Splinter Cell ~ ReadWrite

    In ReadWrite’s article, they center their piece on the late Justice Scalia’s statement about the use of torture, and how it justifies its use in real life, as he uses the show 24, as an example of how torture is acceptable in media. In the show, Jack Bauer is tasked with disarming a bomb that would blow up Los Angeles.  Scalia states that, “Jack Bauer saved Los Angeles…He saved hundreds of thousands of lives… Is any jury going to convict Jack Bauer?” (Grahm). 

I disagree with Scalia’s statement, as it refers to, the often-used justification, of the greater good. One persons suffering, and severe bodily harm, cannot be justified by the outcome. The article tries to further this point, by translating it to videogames. I take issue with this, as there is a distinct difference between the users involvement in game play versus television. It is not fair to correlate the actions of an actor, to user input in a game like Grand Theft Auto with regards to moving a joystick back and forth, to simulate pulling out a tooth. This is not the same as going out, kidnapping someone, and doing that in real life. I think that this is where a strong distinction must be made, because you cannot assume that everyone who plays the game is inclined to act upon what they have done virtually.

The article also argues that this kind of gameplay desensitizes people to violence, but the same could be said about numerous television shows and films that do the same. It is simply not fair to say that videogames promote the use of violence, to obtain new information, as just that is done in critically acclaimed shows such as 24, action films like the Bourne series, and many others.  This argument fixates on the belief that video games are more influential, or make more of an impression on those who play them, than other forms of media, which is simply not the case. With the evident success of the Grand Theft Auto series, there is clearly a demand for this type of gameplay, and simply removing torture from the game will not solve the problem.

            Despite all the opinions surrounding the topic, I believe that there is a sensible way to solve the problem of torture in digital media. Understand the show you are about to watch, or game you are about to buy, and if it happens to include torture, do not buy or watch it. If the market does not like the product, the company will realize, and change it. If not, they risk loosing tremendous amounts of money and relations, as their product fails in the face of the consumers. Though this is a hypothetical, and very simple solution, this kind of feedback is vital in the world we live in. Without the consumer’s response, there would be little innovation or incentive to keep pushing forward.

Works Cited

Grahm, Roy. "Confronting Video Game Torture, After The CIA’S Report." ReadWrite.

N.p., 7 Jan. 2015. Web. 9 Mar. 2016.

"Grand Theft Auto: The Official Site." Grand Theft Auto: The Official Site. Rockstar

Games, n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.

Tsukayama, Hayley. "Here’s What Makes Torture in Video Games Worse than on

TV." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 20 Sept. 2013. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.