Nielson Chap 6

Chap 6 Deals with Video Games and how they have been perceived through time and by different cultures. The Chapter Explores Early Controversial Games Such as Mortal Combat and Also newer games such as Grand theft Auto the chapter looks into how these games were accepted and the controversial issues that surrounded them, which ultimately lead to the ERSB rating. The Chapter then discusses brand marketing within console companies, and later looks at different culturual forms of games.

Neilson makes the point that in some cultures video gaming is not seen as dignified or sophisticated, and how video games can be perceived as causing health problems.Personally i believe that it all depends on who you ask. people who are not interested in video games or have never played them will of course have a negative perception.

I Found the point in the chapter that dealt with video game ratings to be interesting because i had always wondered where this system had come about from. Personally for me a video games rating never really effected me. In ways i think that people would actually be more interested playing a game that had a worse rating. Its like the movies, no one wants to go see a high action movie that is rated G. We want the whole package, and the same applies to video games.

In all i feel that perceptions of games within any cultures depends on whose lens we are looking through. Everyone will have a biased opinion of what they feel, like neilson points out the real question is in within the battle for legitimacy within video games, and whether video games can measure up with other artforms.