Guest Post: Artistic Merit... And Manhunt 2
Manhunt 2 has been in the news quite a bit the last few months - which to me smacks suspiciously of very deliberate marketing, and manipulating the ESRB and other ratings bodies as unwitting pawns in their attempt to milk controversy for publicity. And of course, Rockstar (owned by Take Two) - the creators of Manhunt 2, and the equally controversial Grand Theft Auto series - are falling upon a First Amendment / Freedom of Artistic Expression defense. The latest controversy surrounds a player-created hack, vaguely reminiscent of the "Hot Coffee" scandal, which reveals material that had earned it a harsher "Adults Only" rating before it was edited. Today's guest blog comes from JenaRey, a game reviewer, member of the Rampant Games community here, and the author of the Eeps, Meeps, and Ipes gaming blog. She talks about Manhunt 2 specifically, but also more generally about games as art. So here's her lovely rant...

For the past several months there has been a lot of debate and concern over the rating of Manhunt 2, Take Two’s hyper violent horror game. Initial ratings put the game at an AO, which lead to pouting and editing to earn the M rating. The game was released on Halloween, appropriate for a horror flick, and immediately hacks were found that removed filters which had been put in place to create the afore mentioned editing. Now…I could go off on the rating process. Or I could tirade about Take Two’s policies, and the suspicion that they knew gamers were smart enough to hack such a simple edit. But I’m going with the subject of Artistic Merit and sticking to your guns.

Artistic Merit is defined as: an English language term that is used in relation to cultural products when referring to the judgment of their perceived quality or value as works of art. (Definition gleefully yoinked from Wikipedia and online dictionary.) So it’s the value put on something as a work of art. Long has the debate raged over whether video games could be considered works of art or only works of entertainment due to their interactive nature. I personally have no argument that video games are art. Many of them are beautiful in storyline and graphical execution and all represent a creative effort on the part of their creators. I think art can entertain, regardless of form, so it’s not a problem for games to also be entertainment. Argument solved…truth in the middle of the extremes.

From Plato the point of art is what he calls Theios phobos or sacred fear. Art should move something within both the viewer and the artist and it will not always be comfortable. This is why a vast number of artistic works through the centuries have been censored so that they were available to a small audience that was prepared for this sacred fear instead of visiting it on the uninitiated or uninterested. In video games this is done through ratings which provide guidance for consumers and parents as to the nature of the art involved and grounds by which to make informed decisions.

Whether the governing bodies should get involved as far as distribution is a subject that I’m still on the fence about because I understand the intention, but also believe that we should be trusted as people and parents as to the type of art that we bring into out homes and what sacred fear we choose to experience and to allow our children to experience. However, because of distribution restrictions that come with a given rating there is always grumbling in the ranks when a given artistic endeavor is given a rating of AO no matter whether it is an appropriate guideline or not. Well, guess what boys and girls… distribution restrictions aren’t anything new either. The nice thing about the current political climate is that artists that are seen as having gone beyond the ‘safe’ boundaries of social acceptance aren’t beheaded and all copies of their work aren’t put to the fire. They’re just stamped with a restriction and then companies are given the option whether to publish or not.

If you are taking a stance that your work should stand as art then let it stand and suck it up. Stick to your guns. If you’re going to choose to edit, then that is your new stance and the obligation is to create art at that level. It’s juvenile to only half do the job while sticking your tongue out at the establishment - like a child asked to clean his or her room that shoves everything under the bed with full intent of pulling it back out once the adult has left (Particularly when the same child has already done this once before).

So all in all…if Manhunt 2 is about art, then it should be unedited and appropriately rated. Those with interest will find their way through appropriate channels to experience their chosen sacred fear, and the stance of sticking to what you’ve imagined is much more respectable than grudgingly changing, leaving in hacks and whining. If you’re just in it for the cash…well…I hear casual games are doing well. Match three for Take Two?

~J

Labels: Politics

- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 8:56 AM (Permalink)