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At eleven o’clock every Sunday morning, for over a decade, an eclectic group meets for brunch. I joined them the week Trump became President-Elect. We meet at a truck stop where the owners replace the restroom’s broken tiles with cardboard. It’s easy to overlook because I’m drawn to the collective memory at the table which is photographic, encyclopedic, and experiential. I feel like I’m sitting in a reference library where the books talk to you.
Most past encounters start with genial and general conversation. “How did your week go?” “Did you ever see this movie?” I order. Fifteen minutes later the waitress serves my coffee, two poached eggs, and hash browns, burned. In that time, the discussion turns political, infused with comments by former activists-turned-cynics.
“If you think you can change anything, you’re wasting your time.” “Many have tried before this with little to no success.” “We’re in a cycle. It’s happened before. It’ll happen again. We just have to ride it out.”
I fight back. “You’re just going to sit here and let Trump and his cronies happen?”
“Cheer up. There won’t be enough food by 2050 and we’ll all be dead.”
Their hopelessness seeps into, and depresses, me. Some weeks, I skip the torture.
This day will be different. I am determined to parry every discouraging discourse with the cry of the resistance, “Power of the People,” and remind them of the battle for seats in all levels of government in two years and four. I believe challenging the Trump agenda matters. I not be brought down by skepticism.
I order breakfast. We talk about plays and the cultural life in Czechoslovakia. All good and non-threatening. My food arrives as the topic shifts to racism in Hollywood.
Dan says, “Racism is one of the reasons many of the old films have been shelved. It’s part of Birth of A Nation and The Sheik right up through the Star Wars Trilogy.” My companions cite screenplay, lines, and screen images.
Aware of this troubling issue, I’ve not much to add. I’m listening—stomach calm, head clear.
Bob says, “Speaking of racism, that’s the big issue with the new Star Wars film.”
I take a sip of coffee. Having neither seen the movie nor thought about it, I say, “Why, what’s different?”
He says, “Female lead and multi-ethnic cast.”
Being the only female at the table, I don’t see the problem. I say, “Isn’t it time for people get over themselves and shelve their misogyny and racism, even if our government-elect thinks it’s the way to go.”
“That’s not how the fans see it. They don’t want to see anything change from their beloved trilogy — male, white, token female.”
I only saw the first movie in the series and didn’t notice.
Jim says, “Trump didn’t happen by accident, you know. This country and its greedy corporations, especially media and its insatiable need for capital, have been priming the pump for years.”
My ears perk up.
Bob says, “Think about all the sex and violence in the gaming industry. Kids sit in front of consoles all day and night playing war games—blowing up people, buildings, animals with abandon because it’s fun.”
“I’m not a fan of graphic violence,” I say. “It’s always a crapshoot if the unformed mind can distinguish between fantasy and reality.”
Bob says, “And, when I say sex, I mean rape. Yup. Violence and rape. That’s why nothing Trump said to his minions ever fazed them.”
Rape.
My stomach tightens. “Wait a minute,” I say. “Are you telling me that a gamer can simulate raping a ‘person’ by manipulating controllers?”
Dan says, “Grand Theft Auto. Most popular game of all time. Offers the entire manly experience.”
I am so appalled I can’t even ask if the rape simulation limits itself to females or, in fact, includes males and perhaps animals. “Are you kidding me?”
Heads nod in unison. Jim says, “It’s not the only one either.”
A cloud permeates the walls and drifts my way.
“Corporate greed,” Bob says. “These programs make a ton of money.”
The cloud picks up speed.
Dan says, “Not only can you get games of violence and sex, you can find racially charged games. If the kid programmers can think it, they can design it.”
The cloud stops above my head and darkens.
I push my coffee away and say, “Isn’t there some kind of oversight to stop putting out content that rewards absolute power at any cost regardless of the consequences?”
Shrugs around the table. Bob chuckles. “If the big guys don’t do it, the new kid on the block will. No way they’re going to let that happen. Too much money involved.”
Thunder shakes the cloud and lightning pierces it. I say, “That means millions of Americans spend a good part of their lives filling their brains with wanton murder, torture, and rape.”
Heads nod. Jim says, “We just inform. It’s the way of the world. Nothing to be done.”
Their truth makes my heart sink. Corporate America has been conditioning the population to accept a Trump presidency. He is the embodiment of the “power” player — larger than life, impervious to attack, abusive to females, rule breaker, unaccountable, irresponsible, and high scorer on the game console of life.
Damn the video games — not about fun at all.
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Photo: Getty Images
Not only can you not rape anyone in a Grand Theft Auto game, you cannot rape anyone in any commercially released videogame. This whole article reeks of fear mongering, and the elderly weakly shaking their wrinkled fists at the sky as they complain about “those darn violent kids.” Don’t write articles about something you clearly don’t understand, and i don’t mean videogames. I mean the magic of opinion and personal taste. Video games, like any form of media (or as some would put it, art) is that the creators can make things that challenge people’s sensibilities, regardless of how moral… Read more »
With all due respect, you really should take this article down or at least add a note that none of it is backed by research. It is essentially just telling the story of how you got together for breakfast and were misinformed about a subject that you admittedly don’t know much about. From the story, it sounds like you are willing to take what the men told you at face value without researching it, and as someone who has played the games in question, I can say it sounds like the men got the information in the same way. This… Read more »
Tipper Gore nods vigorously! By the way, ever listen to an Ozzy Osbourne album in reverse?
No. Not even forwards. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever heard any of his songs/performances either. But I have seen him and I’m not surprised.
Some pretty amazing responses here. I concur with many of them. One of the worst errors with the DNC and their followers is to look at their loss and blame everyone other then themselves and the campaign they ran.
What’s worse is that they trying to sway others in their camp that the DNC is beyond fault.
Bob says, “And, when I say sex, I mean rape. Yup. Violence and rape. That’s why nothing Trump said to his minions ever fazed them.” Rape. My stomach tightens. “Wait a minute,” I say. “Are you telling me that a gamer can simulate raping a ‘person’ by manipulating controllers?” Dan says, “Grand Theft Auto. Most popular game of all time. Offers the entire manly experience.” I am so appalled I can’t even ask if the rape simulation limits itself to females or, in fact, includes males and perhaps animals. “Are you kidding me?” Exactly which Grand Theft Auto game has… Read more »
For example:
https://rewire.news/article/2014/12/11/sexual-violence-present-games-grand-theft-auto-v/
“Last week, Target pulled the popular game Grand Theft Auto V from its Australian stores after pressure to do so from a Change.org petition highlighting the game’s depictions of sexual violence against women. The petition invoked gameplay mechanics that encourage the abuse and murder of women ‘for entertainment’… “
But that link doesn’t explain where the rape is in GTA5. It doesn’t because there isn’t any. In fact rape has never been in any GTA game. What that petition is about is the ability to kill prostitutes for money. The problem here is that you can kill anyone for money but the people behind this petition only have a problem with the ability to kill women for money. Its gendering a game mechanic that is actually gender neutral (you can kill just about anyone in those games) and turning it into a issue that only affects women. Id be… Read more »
Problem is, the change.org petition was based on a massive lie. Even the article you cite cannot provide a single example of actual rape in the aforementioned game. Only that it is possible to kill prostitutes in a game where it is also possible to kill pretty much anyone. That is not rape, don’t move the goalposts.
“Bob says, ….. “It’s not the only one either.””
Either you’re outright lying here, or your friends enjoy just how gullible you are. GTA does not allow for simulated rape, nor do any mainstream games.
More men/boys are bad/evil/cruel etc…. Let’s take away their toys till they behave like proper women. And then we will issue them our new, improved and maiden aunt approved hobbies.
Not at all. I, for one, do not think it is manly or boyish or strong or heroic or powerful to consider it FUN to murder, violate, demean, imprison, abuse another human or even an animal. This is not the person I’d want to have in my life. I’d much prefer someone with humor, compassion, empathy, humanity, wisdom, positivism, and a general enthusiasm for life and the life around them.
I’m liberal, and the furthest thing from a Trump supporter, but I can’t believe how wholly ignorant your piece is. First of all, I came to this article by way of Google News. It thinks I’m interested in video games, which I am, so I was compelled to read your article. Secondly, there is oversight for video games. Steam, for example, has decenct standards. There is the ESRB that rates video games (similar to movies). And you don’t “rape” I’m Grand Theft Auto. I don’t even know ow where that’s coming from. Maybe before you publish an article, you should… Read more »
Note this example: https://rewire.news/article/2014/12/11/sexual-violence-present-games-grand-theft-auto-v/
The ESRB is the oversight, you’re right. They, however don’t play the games. They give the developers a questionnaire that the developers fill out, If the game is harsh, the developers submit a toned down graphic and an inoffensive section of the actual game. The ESRB let’s the developer decide the rating.
Ugh these kids and their rock and roll music
Jack Thompson’s Schtick was stupid 20 years ago and it’s still stupid when leftists do it. Grow up.
I’ve never played a video game. And I am a lefty. But holy cow, what an irresponsible screed this is. You wrote, “Corporate America has been conditioning the population to accept a Trump presidency.” Corporate America has nothing to do with the vast majority of Americans accepting a Trump presidency. Americans are accepting a Trump presidency because he won the election, according to the rules of our constitution. Now, we can ask why he won, when he was so obviously a flawed candidate. Too many lefties are saying he won because of Vladimir Putin, or James Comey, or the Bernie… Read more »
I agree with you. My point is only that during the campaign, the behavior of Trump in his personal life as well as his agenda for dealing with minorities was accepted/overlooked by those who voted for him. How is that possible? My premise is that we have been programmed to overlook his misogynistic and inciting remarks because we have heard and seen it via media and, in this case, video games. If one sees it as FUN to destroy another being, then it crosses over to mitigate the seriousness of such behavior in real life.
Thing is though video games have only existed for about the last 50 years. My premise is that we have been programmed to overlook his misogynistic and inciting remarks because we have heard and seen it via media and, in this case, video games. So how much of that programming was done by video games? Also how have his remarks been overlooked when they have literally been front page news for the last year? Perhaps people have been burned out by the constant flood of posts and articles about what he has said and done. Its also possible that those… Read more »
Seriously? Czech Republic.
Seriously.
Nah they’re fun. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your brunch story.
That’s my point. It’s not FUN, it is perpetuating a philosophy of violence and abuse.
Wow. Did we just publish something without fact checking any of it? How Trumpian of you. Yet even if the GTA allegations were true, how do you explain the 90% of Trump voters who have probably never heard of GTA or who grew up no video games, no violent movies, no confounding rap music? Find your scapegoats all you want. America is and always has been one of the most inherently racist and violent nations in the world. Why? Because your constitution and nation building has been completely obsessed with the elevation of the ego. America’s destiny is not fascism:… Read more »
Unfortunately, the facts presented here are false. There is no rape in any of the Grand Theft Auto games. They may be confusing the controversial Hot Coffee mod, where the game was hacked and what was supposed to be a deleted mini-game was uncovered, which involved consensual sex, but there is absolutely no rape in the Grand Theft Auto series. In fact, upon doing the most rudimentary of research, the only games which I could find that contained rape were strictly pornographic games. While it is absolutely important to continue a conversation of how media impacts people, it is also… Read more »
Truthiness in not the exclusive property of those on the right. The author should issue an apology and a retraction.
THAT would be truth.
Yes I’m a lefty, and no I’ve never played a video game in my life.
Thank you for your comment. It is an experiential piece and there are a number video games that are horrific in content. I, for one, am glad you choose not to consider extreme violence and abuse as FUN.
It is an experiential piece describing the experience of believing a flat out lie. That is absurd. This behavior is the reason why Trump won the presidency and why white nationalism and other aspects of the extreme right are on the rise. Because people on the left say things that are completely illogical and counterfactual, and then make excuses when caught rather than admitting their mistake and attempting to improve. If you really want to write a story about this experience, then add a disclaimer explaining that the person talking to you got their facts wrong, so that it doesn’t… Read more »
QQ
I’m sorry. As somebody who is not a gamer, you’ve no business making the logical leap you have in this article. Many many people before you have tried to link videogames to violence in the real world and soundly failed, not because there is no link (there is, but it actually works in the other direction) but simply because you climb that ladder of inference far too early and far to readily. I get it, as an outsider looking in, it’s easy to be appalled at the behaviour of videogame avatars, but the truth is, as a player, there IS… Read more »
You’re not wrong. However, I did not say “video games gave us Donald Trump.” I said corporate America has, for a long, long time prepared the electorate to accept a man like Donald Trump, and one way is through video-games that promote the very things that made his behavior acceptable to his supporters.