So how does this fit into video games? Well, “advertising” sex in video games is a growing problem in today’s society. Most gamers are well-known with the sex related content in Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. There have been other cases where retailed games (games rated E-M) are put on shelves with very extreme amounts of sexual content and aren’t taken off until it is found.

I feel that sexual content is going to become increasingly popular in video games until it is completely accepted. To be honest, there probably isn’t much we can do. The phrase “sex sells” is entirely true. As an example, I’ll use YouTube: If you were to make a video and post it on YouTube, you may get a few people to view your video. If you were to upload a video and make your thumbnail a picture of a half-naked girl, you would definitely see a rise in your views dramatically.

The biggest concern in reveal sexual content to a younger crowd is a noticable increase in teen pregnancies. Not just through video games, but through the television, movies, and all other forms of media, sexual content and nudity promotes the ideas of younger kids and teens to experiment with each other and one screw up like that can completely change their lives. That is a huge reason why I believe parents should regulate their children better than they do and that stores should better enforce the selling of M rated games to children not of age.

In my opinion, there’s one huge word that completely blows this out of porportion: Competition. Consoles compete with one another to get developers to make games on their console. Bungie, the makers of Halo, only manufacture their games on Microsoft’s XBox360. Because of that, Microsoft is feeding Bungie money. Rockstar Games, makers of Grand Theft Auto, had the same deal but with Sony. As soon as Sony wouldn’t give them the money they wanted, Rockstar games began formatting their games for the XBox360, rather than just the Playstation.

In theory, this would be a great deal for the consumer. Most households can only afford one console, so many developers will make their video games only for a specific console. If 60% of people buy the XBox360, then the majority of developers would create games only for the XBox360, attracting as many consumers as possible. For video game developers on a budget, this is the best marketing strategy. Not only does this help the developers, it also encourages the console creaters (such as Microsoft, Sony, and Nintento) to make their systems better and faster than what they are now.

 The Interactive Digital Software Association (now known as the Entertainment Software Association) decided to make a rating system. They put games into categories depending on what age group the game is suitable for, very similar to the movie rating system. They look at 4 different areas of a game: violence, language, drug use, and nudity. A video game does not have to include all 4 of these to get a high rating. For example, Halo games have no nudity, not drug use, and very little language. The reason all of the Halo games recieved a “M” rating is because of it’s high amount of violence.

Even though the ESRB has tried very hard t rate game appropriately, some still feel like they are being to leanient on unsuitable games. Many believe that the entire Grand Theft Auto series is too low of a rating and should be considered as an “AO” raiting (Adults Only). Also, some of the early Zelda games were rated as an “E”, but most parents think it should have been rated a “T” because of its high amount of viloence.

The rating system is not required, but is used by the majority of video game companies today. The video game companies also choose how the rating appears on their box.

Why was pong such a popular game and how did it grow to plant the imagination of our current video game developers? Although, this wasn’t the first ever video game, it did have more popularity than any before it. Within a few years, people were making many varieties of the game. Not too long after that, companies were popping up all over trying to get a foot in this ever-growing industry.

Over the past 20 years, the market for video games has skyrocketed, making it one of the world’s fastest growing industries. Of course, you’re not able to retail the same games over and over again with the same old features. This demanded that games become more creative and graphical, causing development budgets to increase with newer technology and the amount of staff to create the game.

Now that we have games that simulate realistic physics and mind-blowing detail, it makes the industry harder and harder to advance technologically. Video game developers are looking at their consumers to see what people want. What developers noticed is that, consumers want a game that sticks them in to the shoes of a hero or a fantasy character. Popular games such as Halo, World of Warcraft, and Grand Theft Auto have become billion dollar projects because they meet the desires of the consumer. In each one of those video games, you play a role as an unrealistic character becoming something that a human could never accomplish. As games advance, you will see more and more character-based games.

Throughout the rest of my blog, I will be going over the different aspects of video games. I will explain the different ESRB ratings of video games, types of video games, and controversy in video games. All of these meeting up to the final topic “Are video games unhealthy and do they cause negative behavior?”