I'm entirely unsure what you're telling me I'm right about. At no point did I say that we should stop showing things - I'm just suggesting that the manner in which they are displayed can have an impact on people. The presence of a "vice" and how we treat it are two different things.
I think this game can be designed in a way where everyone else is just an obstacle to plow through or a resource to use, or they can make efforts to help build empathy for other people in the world. Probably there will be some balance of the two.
I was being sarcastic. I’ll try to be more clear on my position.
If video games are able to influence people regarding racism then it most certainly can influence people regarding violence, sex, drugs, other vices such as smoking (as you implied with Tolkien). Then all these things should be toned down or removed. You are picking and choosing what’s right and wrong in a video game.
I think people are far more complex than that. I don’t think a video game has all that much influence in a persons world view. I think people come into games with a world view already set depending upon their own personal experiences and environments. They don’t change because a video game told them they are wrong.
Do I like the GTA series? It’s a fun game for what it is. Does that mean I’m a crazy carjacker/criminal/murderer? Should we ban GTA because it’s not empathetic towards people? Absolutely not.
Just tell a good story. Does it have racism, brutal violence? If that’s what the author wants. I just don’t like demanding changes because my world view doesn’t match with what the author wants in their story.
