I came

across a brief mention of this new GamePolitics

Web site in an article on Gamespot

today and I found it very interesting. The politics of games, especially with

reference to the age-old vices of violence and sex, has often been a contentious

place. This Jack Thompson clown who has been in the news lately is just the

latest charlatan huckster to inflict himself onto the scene.

 

Perhaps a place,

even if it is virtual, where intelligent conversation about games and their

social and political impact can possibly take place is a positive step. I’ve

been playing video games since the late 70s, and there has always been a

certain amount of controversy surrounding my favorite hobby, but the small size

of the gaming population in those early days meant that the debates went

largely unnoticed by the general public. Gaming was still a “geek”

activity.

 

But now

gaming is big business with billions of dollars being exchanged—politicians can’t

help but get involved. I have always thought that all the hype over violence corrupting

the youth, whether it was the Three Stooges, Bugs Bunny, Rock and Roll, or

Grand Theft Auto, was really just a red herring for what is essentially the

normal generational conflicts. Some things never change.