“Sure observing a game allows you to see the aesthetics and hear the sounds, even see the reactions of the person playing. But in my opinion these are all secondary to the personal experience of actually playing it yourself. It would be like Jeremy Clarkson analysing a new Ferrari without ever driving it, just watch it go round and round a track. The very last point I would raise which is possibly irrelevant, why would you forgo the chance to game in an academic setting, surely if given the chance to analyse games for a job you would be soo keen to actually play them! (dream job)”

– quoted from James

I’m with you when it comes to the idea of how a player is needed to experience a game when it comes to passing judgment rather than just witnessing content. However I’m going to remain parked up on the fence as to whether New Zealand censorship laws are passed in the right way or not. Sure I see it as a bit of a laugh how a man in a suit watches and determines a games rating passed only through visual and audio content without laying a finger on a controller. However, if a rating was passed through the emotion or ideologies understood while playing through a game then the censorship system could be in for quite a bit of a treat. Lets compare our childhood classic, ‘Crash Bandicoot’ and the highly controversial ‘Grand Theft Auto 4’. Both games are revenge based, crash needing to get his sister and take down the sinister Dr Cortex, and GTA4 protagonist Niko hunting for the man that portrayed his unit (I think). Straight away on just the plot, both games sound as though they should be up on the ratings board… Lets move into game play, in one if the AI ‘enemies’ is ‘terminated’ you have the opportunity to claim reward in the form of money, the other gives you immediate reward, only in the form of apples once laying down the fists/feet of fury (does anyone even know what that whylee bandicoot it doing while it spins?). The only difference is the face value of what’s seen on screen. I’m sure you all can’t deny the fact you as a child yeld out ‘DIE DR CORTEX, DIE!!!’. So, what I’m trying to say is, that if games weren’t primarily ‘rated’ by visual/audio content over what the player really ‘relates or feels’ from the game, then nothing would get passed without an M15+ warning.

Remember, as Kevin said in the lecture NZ censorship rates games no differently that it does film.

Sam G.