Donald Trump and the Media Censorship Disparity

The ongoing issue of the double standard and lack of consistency in rating our media

November 8th saw America elect Donald J Trump to presidency, a move that has not received universal support. Whatever your values and opinions on the result, his election could alter the way we game over the coming years. Only a few years ago, Trump tweeted the following:

Republican sensibilities have often been offended by violent games, but only time will tell how President Trump and the Republican Party can influence the censorship of the gaming world.

Having played games famed for their violent content such as the uncut Manhunt 2 and Splatterhouse, I can see how some parties may be offended or upset by their content but that is where the double standard comes in. When interviewed about their favorite TV programmes in the run up to this year’s US elections, noted Republicans have cited Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad amongst their favorite shows; how can a party so openly outraged by the GTA “Hot Coffee” scenes (that weren’t even accessible without mods) favor the far more explicit content of these shows? Even at the time of release, Manhunt 2 looked dated and lacked the visceral details of Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead. It certainly lacked the emotional content too.

So… Nudity, sex, drug abuse, language and graphic violence are all fine on TV where any content can be viewed without non-parental restriction, but ‘M’ or ‘Adult Only’ games that cannot be purchased by children shouldn’t even approach this sort of material. We all know the arguments; parents can choose which channels they have, they can limit what their children watch. But they can’t limit the games and consoles they buy their children, right? Maybe it’s the interactivity, then? Let’s be honest, even with Kinect or PlayStation Move, interactivity is fairly limited in games. With the advent of VR, perhaps we will see more of an issue, but to say that lacks foresight. Imagine a world where immersion can deepen the impact of an experience and really get a point across. However, for me, this remains an issue of parental control and understanding – Politicians have a responsibility not to censor art, but to educate parents who are supposedly trusted to understand MPAA or BBFC ratings; let’s bring that level of understanding to PEGI or the ESRB.

There’s a parallel to be drawn with comics in the 20th century; content became more adult and there wasn’t a system to adequately rate the material so they tried to implement The Comics Code and ultimately failed (shortest version of that story…). Thanks to organisations like the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, we’ve got a world where works such as Watchmen and The Sandman exist and are universally praised. I can see where games are going. Games will be recognized alongside film and literature some day; let’s not kill them off in a moral panic.

What do you think? Want to give your opinions? Maybe you’ve been affected by video game censorship or violence? Get involved in the comments or on the RGM Forums.