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Video Games and Traditional Values
Posted by Paul Szynol on Thursday, November 07 @ 03:35:33 EST Free Expression
The pornography section of the American Family Association's web site contains articles with titles like "My Visit to an Asian Brothel", "Former Stripper Moves Out of Darkness, Into Light" and "How to Raise Your Son to Be a Porn Addict". Other articles provide information on how one can combat SOBs -- sexually-oriented businesses -- and, in general, AFA's literature speaks out against deviations from the sexual morality which the organization promotes.

One of AFA's latest targets is the video game industry. In February, for instance, the AFA published an article which critized the portrayal of women in video games: the article cited a study conducted in 1998 at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, which concluded that "28% [of the 33 video games tested] portrayed women as sex objects, and 21% contained violence aimed at women."

Since then, AFA's Randy Sharp has condemned as pornographic a number of video games which feature barely-clad women--for instance, BMX XXX. Indeed, Sharp's organization mobilized its members to speak out against Best Buy's decision to carry BMX XXX--in one day, the company received 33,000 e-mails protesting the decision to sell the game.

How are video game makers weathering this attack from the religious right? They point to TV shows and movies with parallel content; to the older age of gamers; to parental controls, indicative ratings (M for mature) and, of course, consumer demand: "Game industry analysts say that M-rated games - usually so rated because of graphic violence - are now the fastest-growing genre in the home market."

NY Times reports here.

 
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