It's the Fourth of July, and with the coming of such a holiday comes a lot of different things. Some have family gatherings. Others attend parades, or host barbecues or the like. But one thing that should factor in to any Fourth of July celebration is the consideration of the principles which made America great: freedom, and individual responsibility. For gamers, this means just as much as anything else.
A recent event has underscored the difference between the gaming environments of the United States and those of other countries, and it comes in the form of "State of Decay." While United States gamers have been enjoying what may well be the first console based zombie apocalypse simulator, gamers in Australia have not been so blessed. Due to the efforts of the Australian Classification Board, objecting to a portion of content in "State of Decay"--namely, the mere portrayal of the use of certain medications-- or as the ratings board calls it "illicit or proscribed drug use related to incentives or rewards".
Yes, because a game features someone taking morphine as a pain reliever--it's a common condition; you're attacked by zombies, it hurts, you turn to painkillers to survive--the game is banned in Australia. Now, to its credit, Undead Labs recoded a version for the Australian market in which the names of the "proscribed" substances are replaced with those of common vitamins, but the question is, should this have been necessary?
Granted, the use of illegal medications is a crime, and often a tragedy. But this matter aside, was it so necessary to remove all mention of the substances from a mere video game that an entire new version must be coded to satisfy squeamish regulators? In the United States, such things aren't necessary, and this is a development for which we should all be thankful. Thanks to a growing array of publishing platforms--the growth of Kickstarter, app stores, browser gaming and the like--the ability for a game maker to say exactly that which they want to say has never been so available. Yes, market forces keep many games mainstream, so too the risk of being excluded from a market--many stores won't carry games above a certain ratings class--but the possibilities exist to create and release a game precisely according to a game maker's vision.
This ability carries with it a great responsibility: that of presenting a worthwhile vision. Sure, many gamers like to complain about the lack of originality in gaming--how many World War II games have we played so far?--but original games aren't always met with the kind of popularity that developers must have in order to survive. This offers up something of a challenge to the regular gamer: play a new game. Try something new that you may not have, ordinarily.
So this gamer is issuing just that challenge. This Fourth of July, when your barbecue lies cold and eaten, when your pies have been split, when the smell of smoke is all that remains of a fireworks display, give a note of thanks, settle into your favorite chair, and try a new game. You'll be supporting the dreams of developers out there who accepted both the blessing and the responsibility that comes with game development, and making the gaming world itself just a little better place, with plenty of competition and lots of unique voices creating the games that we may well love tomorrow.
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