God of War 2

Do you think video games have gone too far? Here is a screenshot (courtesy www.gameinformer.com) from God of War 2, a popular PS2 game. The series has always been known for its copious amounts of violence, and the game has been rated 'M' for Mature. Descriptors: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language

There is a sex mini-game that can be uncovered. Here is a description, courtesy www.gamespot.com.

"A little while into the area of Rhodes, the first area of the game, you will drop down into a bath-house/sauna type area. Instead of continuing and diving down, jump out of the water onto the area around it. There should be two screens which are breakable. Behind one of the screens are two topless women. By walking up to them and pressing the circle button, you initiate the sex mini-game in which you complete a series of button presses. When you have won, you will receive a large amount of red orbs and some green orbs. You can only receive the orbs once, however you may play the mini-game as much as you'd like. "

Do you think the voluntary rating system is enough? Do retailers really refuse to sell mature games to minors? Do parents pay attention to the ratings on games they buy their children? Would you let your child play this game?

I see a lot of arguments saying, "I play game X, and I don't . . ." take crack, shootup policemen, etc. Do you really think that exposure to violence in a video game or movie does not affect you in some way? Here is an article in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology written by professors at the Departments of Psychology at Iowa State University and at University of Michigan:

http://www.psychology.iastate.edu/faculty/caa/abstracts/2005-2009/06CAB.pdf

(requires Adobe Acrobat to read)

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