7 Reasons We Should Be Worried About Video Game Violence

3. Independent Games

As video games' popularity increases, so does the financial stake and profit. This leads to blockbuster games such as Call of Duty, FIFA and Battlefield annually dominating the gaming markets. But just as independent filmmakers were able to capitalise on cheaper film production, so too are game designers able to make use of cheaper, advancing software. Independent games have been on the rise recently - with downloadable content a key feature of modern consoles - but its origins date back to machines such as the ZX Spectrum, where users could create and release their own games. Independent games are primarily known for the artistic integrity being the game's driving force, with games feeling unique and handcrafted - as opposed to money making conveyor belt titles such as those mentioned above. This has led to engrossing titles such as Limbo, Papers Please and Minecraft; but it has also lead to deplorable games such as the Japanese stalker game Rapelay. The game involves the molestation and raping of a mother and her two daughters, before turning them into sex slaves. There is no satire, underlying message or wider context to this game - it's simply an interactive rape fantasy. Whilst the game was not meant to be sold outside Japan, it was briefly available in the UK through a third party seller on Amazon. Another example would be the 1986 game, Chiller. This first person shooter was set in various dungeons with characters in several different torture devices. The best way to describe it would be as a water gun game from an amusement park - except instead of filling a clown's mouth with water, you are trying to crush, decapitate, maim and generally execute people. Again there is no real narrative or method to the game - it's just shooting people. Today, the indie nasties are unlikely to make it into the public's gaming diet, and just like in the early days, they will only really exist on the peripherals. But with software allowing independent programmers to cheaply make games, the danger of games being produced where violence is the focus rather than the consequence is genuine. What's more, they damage the reputation of the gaming industry, and leaves it vulnerable to targeting.