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Video Games, the First Amendment, and Obscenity
An anonymous reader writes with an excerpt from an article about how obscenity laws and the first amendment relate to modern games:
"This question is a tough one, for the very good reason that no video game developer or publisher has ever been prosecuted for obscenity related to video games. As we have seen, if the medium of video games are held to the same standard as literature and film then, presumably, they can also be held to be obscene. One of the reasons for the lack of obscenity prosecution against video game developers and publishers is that the courts have limited obscenity to sexual content only. In fact, the courts have gone so far as to specifically reject calls to alter the definition of 'obscenity' to include violent content in video games. The other major reason is the vast majority of video games sold in the United States have only small amounts of sexual content thanks to the Electronic Software Rating Board."
Has anyone of those bible thumpers ever thought about what that word means?
It is the implication of nudity, sex, and talking about these things, being related to something bad and forbidden.
Now if you think about it, we all are born nude, and by nature, this is our intended default state. Also our very existence is based on sex, and it is probably the best feeling that anything can give you. (Especially when based on love and fun). Which of course is for the same reason of our existence depending on it.
So if this are the best and most natural and important things in our existence, then why in the world would anyone come up with the concept of them bing somehow bad and forbidden? It just boggles the mind, doesn't it?
Yet somehow we are so used to it, that it appears to be a totally normal thing, to look in a disgusted manner upon "obscenity".
I once found an article that was the first to actually shed some light on how this was possible.
It explained, that in the dark ages, and even before that, some people came up with this scheme:
You make the very things that they love the most, and can't help but wanting to do, because it is you basic nature, a bad and forbidden thing. Forbidden by "god".
You then tell the people, that this "nice" god, would literally raise hell upon you, if you so much as thought about doing these things.
Because nobody can hold back his basic nature forever, this would make everyone a sinner.
And this would give you absolute power and absolute control over those people, commanding them to do how you please, to pay for their sins.
So apparently, this whole concept is just straight out of the rule book for oppression from the dark ages. And in reality, there is no such thing as obscenity.
Which would make it a power play. A fight for power and control.
Well, if this really is the case, which I believe it is, (but ask you to think and decide for yourselves), then, well, this is easy to fight:
Just ignore those who scream against "obscenity". Because all they scream for, is to stay in power, or for their master to stay in power (while being mostly unaware of it).
So question such (seemingly) basic matters of course, and look at things yourself. Then you will exactly know what is OK and what is not OK to do, and your art and ideas will not be limited by false beliefs or controlled by others. Which in my experience usually results in the most outstanding art and concepts, and even make people follow your strong reality. But not because you oppress them, but because they respect you.
Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.