Critical Investigation Draft

“Which means I'm gonna kill you, chop off your heads, and piss down your necks!”  – Tony Alpert

To what extent do contemporary video game texts such as "Battlefield Hardline" represent violence in a more explicit manner and should we be concerned?

Battlefield Hardline is the Cops v Robbers theme first person shooter that was developed by Visceral and published by EA. This would be Visceral’s first attempt in creating a Battlefield game as they are generally known for the Dead Space series and this would be considered a theme shift considering that Dead Space is known as a third person horror shooter. Although it wasn’t as well received as its predecessor Battlefield 4 which was developed by DICE, EA were still happy with the sales that Battlefield Hardline had. This could be due to the fact that it was "leading the sales for video games in March 2015"[1]. The essay will cover the violence that an audience is exposed to when playing violent video games such as the Battlefield franchise and depict whether or not the violence is being presented in a more explicit manner and whether the audience should be concerned. The main topic that will be explored is the moral panics that these games would offer. To enforce this idea “children said 17 years ago “war is shit”[2]. This could highlight the desensitisation that an audience would have towards their exposure to violent content. However, this opinion with children has changed over time as “children enjoying killing”[3] in the modern day.

To begin looking into changes of view, the first topic that will be covered is the first moral panic that was centred on violence which had made video games appears in negative light with many news outlets reporting this moral panic. Death ace was the video game adaptation of the film Death Race 2000 starring Sylvester Stallone. This arcade variation of the film sees the player use their vehicle to road kill what was supposed to be gremlins. During this time it was considered very controversial for games to make the player kill human like targets. So therefore during this time it would be games like Doom that would put the player in hell and making them take on hellish creatures which would justify why the player is killing them. However in Death Race, the game was controversial because the enemy targets that were meant to be gremlins end up looking very familiar to humans. As well as Death Race, another video game that had ended up stirring controversy in the news was Mortal Kombat. Although in the present day it is known for its brutality with the gory graphics of fighters finishing their opponents in very unusual ways such as ripping their spine out, this content at the time was considered very mature. And it is mainly because of this title being a home console version of game that video games would introduce an age rating with the ESRB being their main use for rating games. As said with “"Age classification originating from the home console distribution of Mortal Kombat"[4] On the contrary the ESRB didn’t prevent the video game controversy as another title that was banned in certain areas of the world due to its explicit manor was Manhunt back in 2003.

However, the current day of video games would present violence but not as violent as Manhunt. The text that will be analysed would be Battlefield Hardline. This is the video game that would have gun violence as its centre stage for showcasing its sense of entertainment to the audience. The first section of the game that would be discussed is the campaign or story mode. This would follow the narrative of Nick Mendoza that the players take the first person perspective view of controlling him.  The game and its genre show that the gun is the most prominent choice of entertainment throughout the whole game. The first time that the players get to control their characters they are already wielding and pointing guns at suspects which can suggest that the game’s intent way of playing the game shows that firearms are acceptable. However could this mean that the audience would already be influenced to go and purchase a gun from a store? This point can already be disagreed with the fact that “Violent juvenile crime in the US reached a peak in 1993 and has declined ever since”[5]. This decline in crime could suggest that this can be seen as a new form of escapism in modern day. The camera shots that are present in the game would also take inspiration from other crime dramas[6] which would explain the criticism that would come from the lack of creativity or uniqueness in the way that shots are composed and how each mission would be called Episodes which can present how there would be some form of familiarity. This would factor into the sense of nostalgia for games that would try and deliver the message that the story of the campaign wouldn’t be one of the main aspects of the game. This would mainly be because 9f the promotional material that would mainly highlight the multiplayer aspect that which is the main game mode that the audience of this game would play. As well as what the game would connote, the ideologies that are present in this game would show off redemption with the character of Nick Mendoza and highlights that violence can be used as a mean to end the problem. Violence wouldn’t be considered a problem solver towards real life as it would think to cause more problems. However the campaign highlights the rewarding aspects of gunning your way down to the end of the problem highlighting that violence would be a means of both entertainment and journey for the protagonist. This would mainly be because the conclusion of the story presents the protagonist with a questionable ending as to whether he takes the gold vault or not. This would play with the morality of the game as it would show an ex-police officer as he goes out his way to try and gain vengeance for putting him down to imprisonment. This would appear to present the Marxist view of the upper class taking in the role of a supreme or high status. However this is contradicted as the protagonist would be willing to break into the house of a rich criminal. This would be set after he broke out of the Prison Bus and is labelled a fugitive who has to go hiding. The fact that the game embraces this sense of excitement with the characters as they would go through action set pieces of shooting galleries can show that the audience are exposed to violence. However the first person shooter genre is known for its audience of young players this quote would say that “The fact is that media violence primes children to see killing as acceptable”[7]. This would therefore be applied to Battlefield Hardline since it would present how people would be desensitised to the violence that it presented in video games. Battlefield Hardline belongs to the First Person Shooter genre. This would be emphasised with the sense iconography of the handgun being presented with the front cover character holding it. In this case it would highlight the action that players would be going into. As well as that it will also include the gameplay trailers that had highlighted the genre further with the players seen as killing each other in close quarters combat. Especially considering that there would also be another known attribute towards the fact that “Violent video games increase aggressive thoughts and behaviour”[8]. This quote could highlight how this genre may have a negative impact on an audience. The representation of violence in this game would present in in a partially glorified manner. This wouldn’t glorify the violence to the extent that both Manhunt and Mortal Kombat since these two games had stirred controversy. However that isn’t to say that this game would also have controversy with representation. Battlefield Hardline has also had some controversy with its theme of Cops v Robbers. Portraying the game on a theme like that would present to the audience that they would’ve had to make sure that it would still sell and be successful.  However since the time of promoting Hardline and the Ferguson Shooting[9] was very close, this would mean that there would be some complication with the sales of the game. This would present how the genre can gain some sense of controversy. However this didn’t entirely stop the success as a report from GameSpot had said that EA is "Very Happy" With Battlefield Hardline Sales[10]. This could present that the audience are in fact desensitised to the violence that is present in the real world. The audience of this game would mainly consist of a male dominated population of players that would mainly play the game for action that is within the game. This would be because of the fact that “The top 5 selling games in the UK in 2013 are further proof that this trend is global, with 4 of the top 5 being from the action and/or shooter genre”[11]. In this case it would also highlight how there is a potential for violent content to be desensitised for a mass majority of others that could highlight the interest in the market being dominated by sales of the action genre. Although this list was constructed back at 2013, it can still be argued that the violent games that have been featured above that can suggest how the audience would much prefer to engage in violent content by controlling their character to do it which can introduce a form of escapism for the audience that would let them do violent acts without the consequences. This can heighten how these games change over time creating a zeitgeist for the modern age of violent video games. In this contrary to the controversy of roadkill in Death Race in which the action was considered very gruesome with human like people being run over by the player, Hardline rewards the player for killing enemies. There is a bonus 20 points for killing the enemy by running them over. This can present the change in the judgement of videogames further as it would highlight the potential for the games to become more gruesome but not to the extent that Manhunt has done Since "2003 game Manhunt presented controversy for the due to its level of graphic violence"[12].

Other games that have been considered alongside Battlefield Hardline would be games such as the Call of Duty franchise. This would be Battlefield’s main competitor and even they have had controversial backlash surrounding their games. In this case it would be in Call of Duty’s No Russian Mission from Modern Warfare 2. This had put the player into the perspective of an undercover agent performing a terror attack. The controversial part would be that it put the player in the perspective of killing innocent lives[13]. This would present the negative setbacks of what the game would have resulting in the big controversies around the media and gaming. Media outlets such as the Daily Mail had seen this as an outrage even though gamers are aware that this mission can be skipped presenting the fact that Infinity Ward, the developers of Modern Warfare 2, understood the negative backlash that would come for this game. The negativity in the video game industry has still got that sense of negative criticism the games even if they would have an association to violence. In this case outlets such as the guardian have given a concerning view of the recent Battlefield game Battlefield 1[14].  In this it has said that the game wouldn’t show the ugly side of war but rather present the action that has always been in there. However since this was set prior to the release of the game they have later changed their mind and over time accepted what Battlefield 1 has become[15]. In this case it has praised Battlefield 1 for what it was.

In conclusion I would think that audiences shouldn’t be very worried with what a gamer would play. This would mainly be because these games would serve as a way for people to live out their violent fantasies. Since there is no link between violent video games and violent behaviour, although he acknowledged it is difficult to prove a link in an experimental setting"[16]. This could suggest that there isn’t truly a way to prove that games would turn people into killers. In that sense there would be millions of players[17] committing crimes to this day if the statement is true. This however isn’t the case. This would further reinforce that video games are just another platform of entertainment and not a gateway towards a more violent lifestyle. Video games get a lot of controversy over the same accusations that films may get but games would be it worse only because a player controls the action of the character that they play as. As an ending statement the only thing that would need to be said is that video games are for entertainment. An audience shouldn’t be concerned because games get more violent but rather concerned about themselves considering they purchased the copy of the recent violent video game. It is the responsibility of the player to not behave in a violent matter. Although it can be argued that it has made players desensitised, it still shouldn’t be something to be concerned about but rather embraced. I people don’t see the harm of violent content on TV and Film, then why can’t games be excused of the same thing.

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[1] Battlefield Hardline takes arresting lead in UK sales charts  

[2] Goldstein, J. (2004). p.13.

[3] Ibid p. 28.

[4] Ibid p. 129.

[5]   Cantor, J. (2009).  p.8.

[6] Battlefield Hardline Angry Review

[7] Ibid p. 13.

[8] Griffiths, M (1999) p. 14.

[9] Battlefield Hardline Trailer/Box Art Causes Controversy in Wake of Ferguson Shooting

[10] @GameSpot - http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-very-happy-with-battlefield-hardline-sales/1100-6427131/

[11] http://metro.co.uk/2014/01/16/100-best-selling-video-games-of-2013-revealed-4265929/

[12] Goldstein, J. (2005) p. 133.

[13] Storm over Call of Duty game that allows players to massacre civilians.

[14] Battlefield 1: is it wrong to set a war game in the trenches of the first world war?

[15] Battlefield 1 review – savage and exciting, a landmark shooter

[16]  Do video games lead to criminal behaviour

[17] BATTLEFIELD 1 BETA HAD 13.2 MILLION PLAYERS

Word Count (Excluding Quotes) - 2202

Word Count (With Quotes) - 2368

Works Cited

Internet Links

• Battlefield Hardline takes arresting lead in UK sales charts -http://metro.co.uk/2015/03/23/battlefield-hardline-takes-arresting-lead-in-uk-sales-charts-5116403/

• Battlefield Hardline Trailer/Box Art Causes Controversy in Wake of Ferguson Shooting- http://www.craveonline.com/entertainment/797623-battlefield-hardline-trailerbox-art-causes-controversy-wake-ferguson-shooting 

• EA "Very Happy" With Battlefield Hardline Sales - http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-very-happy-with-battlefield-hardline-sales/1100-6427131/

• Storm over Call of Duty game that allows players to massacre civilians-http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1226588/Call-Duty-Political-storm-brutal-video-game-allows-killing-civilians-airport-massacre.html

• Battlefield 1: is it wrong to set a war game in the trenches of the first world war? -https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/may/12/battlefield-war-game-first-world-war 

• Battlefield 1 review – savage and exciting, a landmark shooter- https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/oct/25/battlefield-1-review-ea-dice-shooter 

• Do video games lead to criminal behaviour - http://www.cbsnews.com/news/do-violent-video-games-lead-to-criminal-behavior/

• BATTLEFIELD 1 BETA HAD 13.2 MILLION PLAYERS- http://uk.ign.com/articles/2016/09/15/battlefield-1-beta-had-132-million-players

Books Cited

• Goldstein, J. H., Buckingham, D., & Brougère, G. (2004). Toys, games, and media. Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum Associates.

• Cantor, J. (2009). Grand theft childhood: The surprising truth about violent video games and what parents can do - by Lawrence Kutner & Cheryl Olson. Journal of Communication, 59(1), 199-200. doi:10.1111/j.1460-2466.2008.01411_8.x

Works Consulted

Internet Links

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  http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Battlefield-Hardline-Bad-Idea-DICE-Said-2011-64729.html

• Battlefield Hardline: How Real-World Police Controversies Affected Development

  @GameSpot - http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardline-how-real-world-police-controv/1100-6425198/

• Battlefield Hardline Trailer/Box Art Causes Controversy in Wake of Ferguson Shooting - CraveOnline

  @paultamburro - http://www.craveonline.com/entertainment/797623-battlefield-hardline-trailerbox-art-causes-controversy-wake-ferguson-shooting/

• Soldier Cops Aren't So Fun Now, Video Games

  Luke Plunkett - http://kotaku.com/soldier-cops-are-giving-games-like-battlefield-an-image-1620511782

• Battlefield Hardline Review - IGN

  Brian Albert - http://uk.ign.com/articles/2015/03/17/battlefield-hardline-review

• Battlefield: Hardline review | TrustedReviews
• Stuart Andrews - http://www.trustedreviews.com/battlefield-hardline-review

• Battlefield: Hardline – is it a problem to play war as a cop?

  https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/feb/24/battlefield-hardline-problem-play-war-cop

• Connecticut school massacre: Adam Lanza 'spent hours playing Call Of Duty’

  Barney Henderson - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9752141/Connecticut-school-massacre-Adam-Lanza-spent-hours-playing-Call-Of-Duty.html

• Report links violent media, mental health and guns to mass shootings

  By Truman Lewis A former reporter and bureau chief for broadcast outlets and magazines, Truman Lewis has covered presidential campaigns, state politics and stories ranging from organized crime to environmental protection.  Read Full Bio→Email Truman Lewis  Phone: 866-773-0221Google+ - https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/report-links-violent-media-mental-health-and-guns-to-mass-shootings-021413.html
• http://www.thefreeradical.ca/research/Effect_of_video_game_violence.pdf

• So what DO violent video games do to a child's brain? Psychologist explains how gun-filled games make kids think it is ok to be aggressive

  Brad Conversation - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3709666/So-violent-video-games-child-s-brain-Psychologist-explains-gun-filled-games-make-kids-think-ok-aggressive.html
• https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bruce_Bartholow/publication/222302681_Chronic_violent_video_game_exposure_and_desensitization_to_violence_Behavioral_and_event-related_brain_potential_data/links/0fcfd512398acc2a17000000.pdf
• http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/11/21/are-video-games-actually-desensitizing-us-to-violence/
• http://www.public.iastate.edu/~nscentral/news/06/jul/desensitized.shtml
• Are Video Games Actually Desensitizing Us To Violence?
• http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/11/21/are-video-games-actually-desensitizing-us-to-violence/

• Keith Vaz urges tighter controls on violent video games
• Keith Stuart - https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2012/may/03/keith-vaz-controls-violent-video-games

• Video games are not making us more violent, study shows
• Keith Stuart - https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/nov/10/video-games-violent-study-finds

• Violent video games research: consensus or confusion? | Pete Etchells & Chris Chambers

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• What is the link between violent video games and aggression? | Pete Etchells

  Pete Etchells - https://www.theguardian.com/science/head-quarters/2013/sep/19/neuroscience-psychology
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• Media Psychology. (n.d.).
• http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/S1532785XMEP0801_4

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Moving Texts

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztZDVr3mZzg

Books 

• Carlsen, R., & Willis, D. A. (2007). Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference annual: March 26-30, San Antonio, Texas, USA. Chesapeake, Va: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education.

• Ferguson, C. J. (2007). The Good, The Bad and the Ugly: A Meta-analytic Review of Positive and Negative Effects of Violent Video Games. Psychiatric Quarterly, 78(4), 309-316. doi:10.1007/s11126-007-9056-9

• Grossman, D., & DeGaetano, G. (2014). Stop teaching our kids to kill: A call to action against TV, movie, and video game violence. New York: Harmony Books.

• Happ, C., & Melzer, A. (2014). Empathy and violent video games: Aggression and prosocial behavior. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

• Nakaya, A. C. (2014). Thinking Critically: Video games and violence. San Diego: ReferencePoint Press.

• Netzley, P. D. (2015). Video games, violence, and crime. San Diego, CA: ReferencePoint Press.

• Rogers, R. (2016). How video games impact players: The pitfalls and benefits of a gaming society. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.

• Taller, T. (2002). Research on the effects of media violence. Vancouver, B.C.: British Columbia Film Classification.

Media Magazine

• MM40 Page 16 Play, Pleasure, Panics