GTA vs. Mario

We had a topic in class about violent video games, video games are the downfall of the human race etc. Cody made a good argument about them and it cracked me up. I thought I'd share it here.

I would have to disagree with you about labeling San Andreas as a horrible game for kids outright. I'm willing to agree that the activities aren't exactly wholesome, but they aren't anything more than a game mechanic. Seriously, the character you play is not a good person. For the whole series the main protaganist has been at the very least a petty criminal that worked his way up. Sort of like Scarface (which incidentally has it's own game that was modeled slightly off the GTA series).

Consider the aforementioned age appropriate Mario games. The same or similar themes are present but are somehow more acceptable because of the cartoonish portrayal.

Mario advocates property damage to both public and private property. Rewards are money or items.

Mario steals items. He "finds them" inside locked containers that he breaks open. Sometimes he finds them inside solid brick walls/ceilings. He breaks them with his fists...which just isn't normal. See the 'shrooms further down.

Mario (and sometimes his brother) have on multiple occasions massacred whole areas. Their actions border on genocide. In Super Mario 3 and Super Mario World, the entire Koopa family was killed in their homes. Most of them were children.

Mario consumes exotic plants that "give him magical powers." 'Shrooms make him big and strong and able to take more damage than usual. Some of them make him think he can come back from the dead. Consuming a star (angel dust?) makes him invulnerable; Mario cannot be hurt and kills things simply by touching them.

Mario celebrates victory by setting off fireworks and demolishing buildings. Despite the destruction, the fact that he sets off various high explosives is somewhat questionable for a plumber.

Mario beats people to death with vegetables (Super Mario 2). The weaponization of veggies is probably not something we want to teach. Either they won't want to eat them based on the fact that everyone who touches them dies, or they will start throwing radishes at everyone.

Mario practices vigilante justice...unless "plumber" is what they call "the police" in the Mushroom Kingdom. I highly doubt that. He's like Dog the Bounty Hunter in overalls...nobody wants Dog as a role model for their children.

Mario doesn't just defeat his foes, he dumps them into lava while still alive.

Mario subjugates animals forcing them to carry him around. He then proceeds to hit them in the head to make them do what he wants (Super Mario World).

All of this is widely accepted because Mario is the "good guy" and Bowser is the "bad guy" so everything he does is okay. At least in GTA you know your guy is not a saint. Also, the fantasy setting of Mario's games generally allows him to get away with things. GTA is set in real places (though the names have been changed to protect the innocent) with real life things.

All of this being said, I agree that 10 year olds shouldn't be playing GTA of any kind. However, if you have attempted to play a game that was devoid of anything that might possibly constitute a bad influence...well they just aren't fun. They are supposed to be an imaginitive sandbox where you can do things that you can't really do. There just aren't enough princesses being kidnapped by giant sentient snapping turtles for everyone.