A video I watched recently in which an elderly women claimed video games cause children to be sexist, racist, and violent sparked my interest in the concept of blood and gore in video games. I have seen debates in the past regarding this concept and whether or not the gore we see today in games like Gears of War and God of War is too much, but a side of the argument some people fail to explore is the side I support. It's that gore is not necessarily excessive; rather, our technology has improved over the years, allowing developers to explore the art of blowing off limbs in more detail than ever before.
Not even morphine will make that wound feel better Innovation is key to the development of video games. It now plays a bigger role in consumer enjoyment than ever before. It's not rare to see a game receive mediocre reviews if it didn't bring anything new to the table. Is the increase in gore an example of a previously not-well-known concept going through the process of innovation? Ever since video games first hit the market, our technology has progressed at such a fast rate that developers are given more opportunities to take advantage of the technology. Personally, I think blood and gore is an example of the developers doing just that. In the early days of games, did you see limbs flying off of bodies and rolling across the floor? Probably not, because the tech we had back then made it impossible to make that sort of thing happen. But in the current day and age, developers can now make body parts break off when shot and create a plethora of other grotesque ways to mangle bodies.
ARGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!1 The question now is whether or not the gore we see nowadays is excessive. Your answer to that question may be different from others due to personal taste, but I think an important factor to consider is the game. Let's take God Of War as an example. Kratos is a very, very angry person. He has blades attached to his hands, and he's out to cause as much damage as possible. The man killed a god! Would this game be any worse if the gore was turned down a bit, or even taken out completely? The answer is yes. Playing as a big burly man with this much rage wouldn't be as fun if he wasn't tearing enemies in half and gutting creatures with his blades. It would seem silly, almost as if the developers were afraid to include gore or were just too lazy.
Over the years, we've seen a major increase in visual/graphical quality due to technological advancement. The same thing is happening with gore in video games. Is there anything wrong with developers taking advantage of the rise in opportunities? No. Gore in video games becomes a problem when the developer focuses too much attention on it and as a result the core gameplay of said game is affected in a negative way. I think we have yet to head down that path, and I don't see any reason that we should. Gore, like pretty graphics, is meant to enhance the experience for the player, not hinder it. So let's be thankful that video game companies recognize that they can make games better than they could years and years ago. Let's appreciate the developers for introducing gore as a way of saying, "Hey, look what we can do now!"
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A video I watched recently in which an elderly women claimed video games cause children to be sexist, racist, and violent sparked my interest in the concept of blood and gore in video games. I have seen debates in the past regarding this concept and whether or not the gore we see today in games like Gears of War and God of War is too much, but a side of the argument some people fail to explore is the side I support. It's that gore is not necessarily excessive; rather, our technology has improved over the years, allowing developers to explore the art of blowing off limbs in more detail than ever before.
Not even morphine will make that wound feel better Innovation is key to the development of video games. It now plays a bigger role in consumer enjoyment than ever before. It's not rare to see a game receive mediocre reviews if it didn't bring anything new to the table. Is the increase in gore an example of a previously not-well-known concept going through the process of innovation? Ever since video games first hit the market, our technology has progressed at such a fast rate that developers are given more opportunities to take advantage of the technology. Personally, I think blood and gore is an example of the developers doing just that. In the early days of games, did you see limbs flying off of bodies and rolling across the floor? Probably not, because the tech we had back then made it impossible to make that sort of thing happen. But in the current day and age, developers can now make body parts break off when shot and create a plethora of other grotesque ways to mangle bodies.
ARGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!1 The question now is whether or not the gore we see nowadays is excessive. Your answer to that question may be different from others due to personal taste, but I think an important factor to consider is the game. Let's take God Of War as an example. Kratos is a very, very angry person. He has blades attached to his hands, and he's out to cause as much damage as possible. The man killed a god! Would this game be any worse if the gore was turned down a bit, or even taken out completely? The answer is yes. Playing as a big burly man with this much rage wouldn't be as fun if he wasn't tearing enemies in half and gutting creatures with his blades. It would seem silly, almost as if the developers were afraid to include gore or were just too lazy.
Over the years, we've seen a major increase in visual/graphical quality due to technological advancement. The same thing is happening with gore in video games. Is there anything wrong with developers taking advantage of the rise in opportunities? No. Gore in video games becomes a problem when the developer focuses too much attention on it and as a result the core gameplay of said game is affected in a negative way. I think we have yet to head down that path, and I don't see any reason that we should. Gore, like pretty graphics, is meant to enhance the experience for the player, not hinder it. So let's be thankful that video game companies recognize that they can make games better than they could years and years ago. Let's appreciate the developers for introducing gore as a way of saying, "Hey, look what we can do now!"
gore is awesome but i still have a good time without it. take Ninja Gaiden II as a good example. game is gory but when it's re-released on the PS3, all the gore was removed (because they wanted to focus more on the "story" but i was told it was some way to get back at Itagaki) and well, it's still a solid game. i had quite a blast playing it but.. some of the cutscenes looked wrong without the excessive gore.
" gore is awesome but i still have a good time without it. take Ninja Gaiden II as a good example. game is gory but when it's re-released on the PS3, all the gore was removed (because they wanted to focus more on the "story" but i was told it was some way to get back at Itagaki) and well, it's still a solid game. i had quite a blast playing it but.. some of the cutscenes looked wrong without the excessive gore. "
Anyone wondering why Ninja Gaidan II wasn't mentioned should know that I've never played it.
" gore is awesome but i still have a good time without it. take Ninja Gaiden II as a good example. game is gory but when it's re-released on the PS3, all the gore was removed (because they wanted to focus more on the "story" but i was told it was some way to get back at Itagaki) and well, it's still a solid game. i had quite a blast playing it but.. some of the cutscenes looked wrong without the excessive gore. "
That's a good example. I miss the blood from Ninja Gaiden 2 Sigma.
There are honestly some games that I just can't imagine playing without any blood or gore. Ninja Gaiden 2 would be one of them (it'd just seem so less.....ninja-esque), and Starcraft would be another one too. Hell, pretty much any game with combat as it's core gameplay not having some sort of extended amount of violence (but it blood or gore) just seems weird in this day and age.
I liked the technical point that you brought up. I never really thought of it that way before.
I really enjoy gore in games. It makes them seem so much more real, baddass and awesome. I don't think God of War would be as awesome if there wasn't any gore.
Gore is always a sweet bonus to a game, though sometimes it feels downright necessary depending on the games content and fiction. Shadow of Rome for example was greatly benefitted from it, to which is also a fantastic game might I add! ^^...Well if you ignore the stealth sections at least.
When I was a kid, I thought it was quite cool, aswell as heavy metal, and sex. Then when I grew up, I realised it's far too lewd, over the top, and pointless. There's nothing glamorous about putting a knife in someones neck.
Gore is always a sweet bonus to a game, though sometimes it feels downright necessary depending on the games content and fiction.
I agree with this statement. Also, people who don't play video games or people who believe that video games turn kids into racists, sexists, and violent are ignorant. There are ratings on the front of all games and a parent or legal guardian should monitor what their child is being exposed to. How can one make a claim such as "Video games make kids racist", without any proof that games were the actual cause? If people hate video games and want to voice their opinions about them they should at least be armed with accurate information.
" When I was a kid, I thought it was quite cool, aswell as heavy metal, and sex. Then when I grew up, I realised it's far too lewd, over the top, and pointless. There's nothing glamorous about putting a knife in someones neck. "
" didnt somebody make the exact same thread yesterday? oh yeah! doesnt mean that you cant make your own. im just saying i had weird Deja Vu right there "
I felt it more appropriate to put my thoughts into a blog rather than responding in the thread.
" gore is awesome but i still have a good time without it. take Ninja Gaiden II as a good example. game is gory but when it's re-released on the PS3, all the gore was removed (because they wanted to focus more on the "story" but i was told it was some way to get back at Itagaki) and well, it's still a solid game. i had quite a blast playing it but.. some of the cutscenes looked wrong without the excessive gore. "
Actually, my understanding was the reason Sigma 2 had the gore significantly reduced was financial in nature. Ninja Gaiden II for the 360 received Japan's "Z" rating. While not exactly equivalent, this is akin to the US's AO rating and impacts where, how, and to whom the game can legally be sold. However, given the 360's minute Japanese market share and an agreement to respect Itagaki's vision, Microsoft made the decision to release the game with that rating. With the departure of Itagaki, and the fact that the PS3 version had a chance at significantly higher sales in Japan, the gore was reduced in order to get a "D" rating and the additional sales opportunities that would include.
EDIT: Quick note- the US's E, T, M, and AO ratings are suggestive like the movie rating system. The Japanese "Z" rating is legally binding like the U.S.'s prohibition on the sale of tobacco or alcohol to minors.
Its just that if you have an excess amount it starts to become over the top. There are some times where its appropriate and others when it isn't. Gears of War 2 for example has it done perfectly well. Chainsawing people results in limbs coming off. Chainsawing inside a giant worm results in a large amount of blood.
gore is something that we need. video games don't cause people do be violent, aggressive, it can be from something else like being beaten as a kid, not having a father. other things that can lead to that.
When done well, excessive gore can benefit a game, but only if the game's style is really supported by it. One of the single oddest criticisms I ever read in a review for a game was a Soul Calibur III review in which the reviewer took the developers to task for not putting blood in the game.
What? Why? Soul Calibur was perfectly fine up to that point without blood spurting everywhere. What purpose would adding blood serve, other than maybe increase the ESRB rating to an M? Granted, Soul Calibur III was not a good game for a number of reasons, but a lack of blood isn't one of them.
Not to mention that in most games, the gore looks so unrealistic that it's difficult to be shocked by it, even if you're sensitive to that kind of thing. People who have seen gore in real life know that it's usually no where near as spectacular as it looks in most video games.
Was the video you mentioned this piece of crap by any chance? Excellent article, I've never considered the technical point of view before. However, I don't think progression of gaming technology is the reason developers include gore in their games. I think it's mostly because it's awesome :3
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