Video Games: Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation Typeit

Since the 1980s, debate has raged as to whether video games are too violent, sexual and graphic. For example, is one of the most financially successful video game franchises of all time. The fifth instalment of the game has made approximately £6 since its release. However, the games have received heavy criticism for their representation of physical torture, drug use, racial stereotyping, reckless behaviour and violence (particularly inflicted against women). Dozens of psychological studies have been conducted, aiming to measure the empathy and aggression of avid gamers in comparison to non-gamers but these studies have produced wildly differing results.

One of the major media theories related to this topic is the media effects theory put forward by . He wanted to explore the extent to which a media text could implant ideas into the minds of its audience. He suggested through his experiment that an audience (especially the demographic of ) may imitate behaviour towards a person or object when viewing a media text. Many argue that the repetition and excess of violence in video game franchises like Assassin’s Creed may result in to extreme violence for certain viewers. The risks of this happening could be perceived as particularly high for Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation as it was originally played on a handheld console, which requires more interactive involvement from the audience and offers them a more immersive form of entertainment.

For these reasons, regulation is taken very seriously in the video game industry. Age ratings are applied to video games to ensure audiences can make an informed decision about the content they are purchasing. This process of assigning ratings is known as . Prior to July 2012, video games were regulated by the BBFC (British Board of ) in the UK, but they are now regulated by the VSC, which stands for . The VSC uses the PEGI (Pan ) system in order to rate video games. PEGI aims to protect children from offensive or inappropriate content, so the process of regulation is based upon age suitability and content. In America, a similar system is in place but video games are rated by the .

The adjustment in regulation can allow for the exploration of the ideas of and Seaton relating to power and media industries. They suggested the development of new media required more regulation and that consumers now have access to harmful or offensive content. The distribution of Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation demonstrates the new methods that are a direct result of new media.