Violence in Video Games

Violence has not really evolved in the video games industry, violence has been present almost from the beginning. The title "Death Race 2000" released in 1978 was widly controversial for its violence ie running over people in a racing car for points. As a concept, this is very violent and things have not really changed since in the industry. What has changed is the manner in which these violent acts are portrayed. Vastly improved graphics have allowed an ever increasingly real depiction of these violent acts. Added to this is the fact that video games have been becoming more and more widely distributed and so have gathered further scrutiny.

So the question is, is there any difference between running over a couple of pixels that are vaguely reminiscent of a person in Death Race 2000, or running over a more complex collection of pixels that more accuratly represent a person in Grand Theft Auto 3?

I can only speak for myself, but the answer is: not really. Despite the realism of modern graphics, it is still apparent that what you are doing or seeing is not real. Even as graphics improve to the point of photo realism, that distinction is still present. For example, in the movie industry, special effects allow movie makers to depict violent scenes that are indistinguishable from the real event but at the same time the viewer can recognise that it is still fiction (depending on thier suspension of disbelief). If the viewer cannot distinguish between fantasy as presented in games and reality, then the problem must be with the viewer rather than the game itself.

Where this breaks down is in the case of young children who cannot make such easy distinctions. As with movies, violent games in the modern age (and indeed older games such as Death Race 2000 for thier concepts if not their graphics) should not be available to children.

Live Action Scenes and Actors:
I dont think there is any issue here with things becoming more realistic. In fact I believe the reverse is true. In a game that depicts only computer generated models it is possible to suspend disbelief as the visual elements of the games can be internally consistant. By contrast, real footage of a person imposed on computer generated landscape can be quite a jarring contrast. This can ruin the suspension of disbelief and make it more apparent that what you are seeing is not reality. I think this is the reason that most games stopped using such elements in the late 90's.