Why are both violent books & manga fine but violent games get censored?

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Cmdr-Graves 12 hours ago

An author can write a novel or a manga artist illustrating scenes containing content similar to Manhunt or Postal in their literary works and gets published uncut with all the gory details or passages in their book describing murder, exploitation or sexual assault, while games tackling those themes get censored. Aren't games also an art form like literature or cinema?

In a book, you are reading the description of blood and gore or sex describing the scene in words (there are no visuals), as it's up to the reader's interpretation on depicting what happened while manga has black and white illustrations depicting violence, blood and gore or sexual content. I mean, panels depicting rape exist in manga too but apparently those are fine to read.

Violent books exist in the form of crime (fiction or non-fiction) or action / thriller, like the works of Lee Child or Mark Greaney, as the Jack Reacher novels do depict violence during action sequences, but you are reading passages about a character being shot, stabbed or assassinated written in words rather than being a player who does either in a virtual world that have visuals.

Violent & gory manga exists: Made in Abyss, Attack on Titan, Parasyte, Akira, Berserk to name a few but they don't get censored in the same manner as violent games (they have panels depicting blood or dismemberment) but in black and white as they are not colored. However, if you develop a game with that content, suddenly it triggers censors or outrage, why?

I hate hearing the argument equivalent to "games make kids violent" but can other forms of media also influence minors like "watching shorts depicting blood / gore on TikTok", "reading a book with passages describing the character being murdered" or "reading manga that has excessive violence", why don't they treat games in the same manner as books & manga?

Games that have received controversy for violence to name a few are: Manhunt, Postal or Mortal Kombat. But can an author write a passage in their book like: "James rips the guard's head off upon breaking out of prison" (it gets published and sold in bookstores or online) while depicting and visualizing that exact kind of scene in a video game is now deemed controversial?

Last edited by Cmdr-Graves; 12 hours ago

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Showing 1-10 of 10 comments

ꉔꏂ꒐꒒ꇙ 12 hours ago

Originally posted by Cmdr-Graves:
Why are both violent books & manga fine but violent games get censored?

Reading something vs seeing something are two completely different things.

Which is why they go after games (a bunch of kids play games, they aren't reading books/manga) and you can see everything happen in your face, whereas with a book, you have to visualize everything (if you can) but I guess with a Manga or Comic Book, you do get images that go along with the story.

What's worse? reading about something graphic or seeing it play out in your face? and they should go after movies, since that also shows a lot of stuff (have you root for a killer/bad guy, follow a killer/bad guy, see limbs get broken/cut off/shot off, grape, sex (sure, they don't really get it on but they are really naked, really kissing/touching etc)

Mature games shouldn't be censored, it's for Mature Audiences, not kids. But kids will still play them so, eh. Kids and people who are so easily influenced ruin everything lol

Last edited by ꉔꏂ꒐꒒ꇙ; 12 hours ago

Mr_Blank 12 hours ago

in comparison to reading, games are still a niche form of entertainment. reading has been a concept for thousands of years, both visualised stories and novelised stories. arguably the earliest video game was created in 1958 by william higinbotham, physicist and former member of the Manhattan project, who created tennis for two on an oscillograph. video games, despite existing for over sixty years, are still learning to walk in comparison to the aged .

all of this is to say that regardless of video game's popularity and relevance in the modern age, it is still a new form of entertainment, and is still considered a niche by so many people. its much easier for people, especially politicians and media, to blame violent video games for supposed violence in today's' children than it would be to blame violent books, or violent comics. there is a compelling argument to be made that because video games are so immersive they could have an effect on your brain that is stronger than a book or a comic, but i digress.

I've read marvel comics more violent than some doom games. theres panels of manga like berserk, chainsawman, and dorohedoro that are more violent and disturbing than any finisher ive seen in a mortal kombat game. hell i have no mouth and i must scream is seen constantly on short-content websites like tiktok and youtube nowadays, and nearly every single time it has to do with the video game from the late 90s rather than the original story that was written in the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ sixties.

to put it plain and simple. people will blame video games because they are far more immersive . people will blame video games because they are a more recent form of entertainment: a modern problem (violence in youth) is likely caused by the modern creation (video games) rather than something as tried and told as novels and comics.

thank you for asking this question i had a fun time turning my brain on for this. cheers

Mannenuanen 8 hours ago

You ask the question in such a way as if people who censor violent games are mentally sane and think rationally.

Last edited by Mannenuanen; 8 hours ago

lailaamell 7 hours ago

Originally posted by Cmdr-Graves:
An author can write a novel or a manga artist illustrating scenes containing content similar to Manhunt or Postal in their literary works and gets published uncut with all the gory details or passages in their book describing murder, exploitation or sexual assault, while games tackling those themes get censored. Aren't games also an art form like literature or cinema?

In a book, you are reading the description of blood and gore or sex describing the scene in words (there are no visuals), as it's up to the reader's interpretation on depicting what happened while manga has black and white illustrations depicting violence, blood and gore or sexual content. I mean, panels depicting rape exist in manga too but apparently those are fine to read.

Violent books exist in the form of crime (fiction or non-fiction) or action / thriller, like the works of Lee Child or Mark Greaney, as the Jack Reacher novels do depict violence during action sequences, but you are reading passages about a character being shot, stabbed or assassinated written in words rather than being a player who does either in a virtual world that have visuals.

Violent & gory manga exists: Made in Abyss, Attack on Titan, Parasyte, Akira, Berserk to name a few but they don't get censored in the same manner as violent games (they have panels depicting blood or dismemberment) but in black and white as they are not colored. However, if you develop a game with that content, suddenly it triggers censors or outrage, why?

I hate hearing the argument equivalent to "games make kids violent" but can other forms of media also influence minors like "watching shorts depicting blood / gore on TikTok", "reading a book with passages describing the character being murdered" or "reading manga that has excessive violence", why don't they treat games in the same manner as books & manga?

Games that have received controversy for violence to name a few are: Manhunt, Postal or Mortal Kombat. But can an author write a passage in their book like: "James rips the guard's head off upon breaking out of prison" (it gets published and sold in bookstores or online) while depicting and visualizing that exact kind of scene in a video game is now deemed controversial?

For children will act out that violence

Gracey Face 7 hours ago

Violent books and violent manga are both less "true to life" for lack of a better word than videogames. There is a history of impressionable youths trying to mimic videogame violence and movie that doesnt exist for book violence and, as far as I am aware, also doesn't exist for manga violence either.

lailaamell 7 hours ago

Originally posted by Gracey Face:
Violent books and violent manga are both less "true to life" for lack of a better word than videogames. There is a history of impressionable youths trying to mimic videogame violence and movie that doesnt exist for book violence and, as far as I am aware, also doesn't exist for manga violence either.

Movies and shows also make kids violent

Maximus10113X 7 hours ago

https://steamhost.cn/app/55150/Warhammer_40000_Space_Marine__Anniversary_Edition/
https://steamhost.cn/app/2183900/Warhammer_40000_Space_Marine_2/
https://steamhost.cn/app/1118200/People_Playground/
https://steamhost.cn/app/1824220/Chivalry_2/

Enough violence for you or do you want more?

Last edited by Maximus10113X; 7 hours ago

lailaamell 7 hours ago

But to be honest if your childs act out what they see in games and movies you failed as a parent to actually raise your child

Gracey Face 7 hours ago

Originally posted by Maximus10113X:
https://steamhost.cn/app/55150/Warhammer_40000_Space_Marine__Anniversary_Edition/
https://steamhost.cn/app/2183900/Warhammer_40000_Space_Marine_2/
https://steamhost.cn/app/1118200/People_Playground/
https://steamhost.cn/app/1824220/Chivalry_2/

Enough violence for you or do you want more?

None of those are violent, they're cartoonish. People fall to peices like lego figurines.

lailaamell 6 hours ago

Originally posted by Gracey Face:
Originally posted by Maximus10113X:
https://steamhost.cn/app/55150/Warhammer_40000_Space_Marine__Anniversary_Edition/
https://steamhost.cn/app/2183900/Warhammer_40000_Space_Marine_2/
https://steamhost.cn/app/1118200/People_Playground/
https://steamhost.cn/app/1824220/Chivalry_2/

Enough violence for you or do you want more?

None of those are violent, they're cartoonish. People fall to peices like lego figurines.

minecraft was banned in turkeye for violence

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Date Posted: 11 Jul @ 10:01pm

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