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What It's Like to Work on Ultra-Violent Games Like Mortal Kombat

kotaku.com.au

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Re: What It's Like to Work on Ultra-Violent Games Like Mortal Kombat

#81

Post by xienze »

o_p wrote: post #50

Seems 90s christian soccer-mom puritanism is making a comeback. I wonder how ultra violent gore action is somewhat passable but showing a bit of female skin is a no-no, US morals are funny.

>I wonder how ultra violent gore action is somewhat passable

Well it’s because that slippery slope that everyone says doesn’t exist actually does. Recall that the original Mortal Kombat caused all sorts of controversy when it was first released (Doom as well). Compare the relatively tame violence in MK1 to what we have now in MK11, it’s what happens when society collectively shrugs their shoulders and says “it’s just a [game|movie]”.

That nudity is still taboo in games and other media is more a reflection of no one bothering to push the envelope like they did with violence.

Re: What It's Like to Work on Ultra-Violent Games Like Mortal Kombat

#82

Post by conanbatt »

daenz wrote: post #25

I've always felt that the Mortal Kombat games were sick. I remember when I played my first violent video game as a kid and saw over-the-top gore, and feeling cold, like not just at what I had seen, but that it was deliberately placed for me to see it. And I remember feeling like I had to hide my disgust from my peers who would think I was weak for not being thrilled by it. Maybe I'm just getting older now, but when y…

Dang, I was 6 when my brother, after beating scorpio tells me "forward, down, forward high punch".

Taking scorpio's head and spine with sub-zero is one of my most cherished childhood memories and bonding with my brother.

Re: What It's Like to Work on Ultra-Violent Games Like Mortal Kombat

#83

Post by malvosenior »

majos wrote: post #57
malvosenior wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One point of view is that it's important for people who have not been in combat to see these things. It makes war less abstract and educates people on what the reality of combat is like.

I have heard this argument before. I think there are some works of art that do "make war real" -- Saving Private Ryan viscerally portrayed how chaotic and horrible fighting is, in a way that made any kind of heroism seem oddly small in comparison. But I think most violent art instead aims for that apparently very popular mixture of disgust and titillation. For example, there are various scenes (for which I've read de…

It can also be just mindless entertainment. Media is going to range the spectrum from quality to schlock. Meaningful to mindless. Not everything has to be appropriate or entertaining to all audiences.

> For example, there are various scenes (for which I've read descriptions, not watched) in Game of Thrones that make me seriously question the state of a culture where this is extremely popular entertainment

> But I strongly dislike violence more realistic than, say, the Avengers, so I'm biased here.

Yes, I would say you have a much stronger than average aversion to violence, and that's ok! Just so long as you recognize that same freedom of choice in others.

Re: What It's Like to Work on Ultra-Violent Games Like Mortal Kombat

#84

Post by malvosenior »

Insanity wrote: post #55
malvosenior wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One point of view is that it's important for people who have not been in combat to see these things. It makes war less abstract and educates people on what the reality of combat is like.

A counter-argument is that it romanticizes / glorifies it. They don't get the reality because that's about impossible (or makes for a depressing movie).

Violent crime statistics are at historic lows. I don't think it's possible to attribute 100% of that to violent video games giving people a chance to vent, but I suspect it plays some role.

Re: What It's Like to Work on Ultra-Violent Games Like Mortal Kombat

#85

Post by DoreenMichele »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #74
dqybh wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thankfully, Google has: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soccer_mom

I knew the term, but holy hell, I didn't realize it was created and used as a positive description. I've always thought of the term and the image it conveyed as being strictly derogatory / insulting.

Given how much hostility homemakers get in the US, it may not have been as positive as you imagine. I didn't find the article as shockingly positive as your remark led me to expect it to be.

I think of soccer mom in relatively neutral terms, but my feeling tends to be that it means "she's merely someone with no life for well-meaning but misguided ideas and not because she's outright depraved." Like it's an attempt to say "full time moms: not as bad as we usually think they are."

Re: What It's Like to Work on Ultra-Violent Games Like Mortal Kombat

#86

Post by teh_infallible »

majos wrote: post #57
malvosenior wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One point of view is that it's important for people who have not been in combat to see these things. It makes war less abstract and educates people on what the reality of combat is like.

I have heard this argument before. I think there are some works of art that do "make war real" -- Saving Private Ryan viscerally portrayed how chaotic and horrible fighting is, in a way that made any kind of heroism seem oddly small in comparison. But I think most violent art instead aims for that apparently very popular mixture of disgust and titillation. For example, there are various scenes (for which I've read de…

I think the phrase you’re looking for is “violence porn”

Re: What It's Like to Work on Ultra-Violent Games Like Mortal Kombat

#87

Post by teh_infallible »

baby wrote: post #48
save_ferris wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same, I've been fascinated by the role of violence as entertainment throughout history, but I struggle to find good reading material about it. Unfortunately, whenever I ask around for recommendations or research on this topic online, people assume that I'm anti-violence.

I'm wondering what would happen long term if art and other mediums banned violent material. I know it is censorship. I'm just wondering if we would become a more peaceful society or if this would not have much effects.

I’m pretty sure we’re inundated with violent entertainment because powerful people want us to kill each other. Ever wonder why this stuff is considered ok, but a glimpse of a woman’s nipple is not?

Re: What It's Like to Work on Ultra-Violent Games Like Mortal Kombat

#89

Post by bullen »

I worked on the completely pacifist MMO Meadow, you can't even write something offensive to each other in that game, instead of chat it has an emote system.

One day when I was logging in to test something a player used the only sound that could be interpreted as hostile (the lynx hissing sound) and was backing away from me repeating it for as long as I stayed, I was hypnotized by the time this poor soul was going through to try and make others feel uncomfortable.

To me that was enlightening, there must be some story about something positive with working with the most violent game ever, I wish Kotaku would try and dig that story out instead.

Re: What It's Like to Work on Ultra-Violent Games Like Mortal Kombat

#90

Post by Insanity »

malvosenior wrote: post #84
Insanity wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A counter-argument is that it romanticizes / glorifies it. They don't get the reality because that's about impossible (or makes for a depressing movie).

Violent crime statistics are at historic lows. I don't think it's possible to attribute 100% of that to violent video games giving people a chance to vent, but I suspect it plays some role.

Yeah not entirely sure how this relates to my comment, but I agree with you :)
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