cloudswift's Blogs

It seems every game I've played for the past month has resulted with several screamed "exploitive deletives", slapping myself, and the occasional throwing around of expensive controllers. So I thought I'd write a little article on the old Gamer Rage.

GR has become an umbrella term that not only incorporates personal frustration and the abuses that follows, it also includes unlawful gaming related acts, and by implication, censorship.

And this is serious stuff. Most people with their ear to the ground will have heard of the Thai kid who robbed and murdered a taxi driver for cash to play GTA4 in the arcade (1).  

GR with regards to the individual, results with several stress reactions that vary across genders. Trying not to generalize, gamers tend to damage their controllers, the game disc or cartridge, and the odd bit of swearing. Males also indulge in cathartic stress release via physical exertion, i.e. punching, stomping and even light self-harming (2). 

The cause of gamer rage vary according to a myriad of individual factors; initial mood, multiplayer competition, game difficulty, time trials, internet lag, hormone levels, blood pressure etc (2). Anything that blocks success, or is judged to be unfair. The effects get shaken off when your "fight or flight" reaction and hormone levels stabilize. But that's boring biology (3). 

What is interesting are the implications because a few high profile cases are in the media spotlight due to the defendants blaming the game.

The Halo Killer, addicted to Halo 3 shot his parents when they tried to limit his gaming. It's not all bad though, his father survived and he's been given a clean slate by a local Pastor. The same article also mentions that the DC sniper murderers were big "Halo" fans (those killings were actually related to trouble in the Middle East and race hate). The Sparked Hammer Murder in London, where a 14 year old boy was lured into a park and murdered after playing too much manhunt. And the Thai kid, I know what your thinking... who plays GTA4 in an arcade? that game takes up far too much time to played in an arcade. As a result, the prick blamed GTA4, and now it's banned in Thailand. It should be noted that the kid also attempted to make his getaway by stealing the taxi, the problem was he couldn't drive...

"Where's the R2 button"

Jack Thompson has quickly made a name for himself as a lawyer for family victims of VG murders, and frequently appears on Republican middle class white American news shows in an attempt to put the fear into parents. What they don't mention is how he was disbarred from practicing law by the courts for ridiculous cases.

With Left for Dead 2 facing non-classification in AUS due to violence, the Manhunt series banned in NZ for violence, and GTA (3,4, Vice City, San Andreas) banned in most countries for violence, video gaming faces censorship from people who aren't gamers, and are from a different generation bent on protecting the minds of children. Yet they still allow the release of violent movies and porn. That's hypocrisy.

But I digress. GR gets a bad rap when gamers are just trying to blow off steam just because a few sociopaths blame the game, while in truth, they probably would have committed the crimes anyway because they're abnormal and mentally defunct. This in turn promotes censorship that ruins it for everyone else. So eat your vegetables, drink plenty of water, and when the game gets the best of you, take five and remember this little saying:

"Learn to enjoy losing"

- Raoul Duke, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Funny bannings just for kicks:

China mainly bans games if they portray Tibet as a separate country.

Pokemon Red/Blue was banned in Saudi Arabia for Zionism, gambling, and possessing the minds of children.

Mass Effect banned (and uplifted) in South Korea for potential Lesbian love scenes.

GRAW2 banned in South Korea because it features a "war-torn" North Korea, and they don't like North Korea.

Germany bans any games with NAZI symbolism.