88 seconds of video games, not violence
Games for Change has hit back at The White House after earlier this month the US Government released a graphic, violent video games montage that seems to reflect its stance on violence in gaming today.
In their statement they point out that games are more than ‘ultra-violent’ and how they wished to share a different view of games.
After seeing that the White House produced a video depicting video games as ultra-violent, we felt compelled to share a different view of games. Video games, their innovative creators and the vast community of players are so much more than what is depicted in the White House’s video. We wanted to create our own version, at the same length, to challenge the White House’s misdirected blame being placed upon video games. To all you game developers and players who create and enjoy games – this is for you! #GAMEON
You can watch the Games for Change video below.
Games for Change, a non-profit group that focuses on using games and technology as social activism, is now pushing back against the message of Trump’s video with its own video montage, which shines a light on the beauty found in games. The response video includes scenes from games like Journey, Mirror’s Edge and Monument Valley, among many others.
The response follows President Trump recently hosting a meeting with representatives from the video game industry and well-known critics of violent media, held in response to what he believes is a link between virtual and real-life violence.
The meeting featured a montage of violent scenes from various games; it was also posted on the White House’s YouTube channel.
The video, seen below, pulls clips from titles including Dead by Daylight, Wolfenstein: The New Order, Sniper Elite 4 and more. Of course, it also includes Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2‘s infamous “No Russian” mission.
The White House spoke of a meeting between President Trump and the ESA in a statement that accompanied the video.
“The President acknowledged some studies have indicated there is a correlation between video game violence and real violence,”
“The conversation centered on whether violent video games, including games that graphically simulate killing, desensitize our community to violence.”
Gamers are no stranger to ill-informed public panic at video games or even tabletop games by government and public figures. From the ‘Satanic Panic’ around Dungeons & Dragons to Jack Thompson and his crusade against violent video games, those who’ve seen these arguments before may be forgiven for an eye-roll or two.
What do you think of the videos above?
