14 DAY TRIAL // The video game industry needs to understand that, in order for its creations to be considered art, they need to affect people both with their stories and their nature, whether it’s violent or not, at least according to Spec Ops: The Line writer Walt Williams.
Violence and video games is a touchy subject, as media representatives are quick to highlight the negative influence it can have on children, while actual game makers say they’re not affecting players.
According to Walt Williams, the writer for the upcoming Spec Ops: The Line shooter, the industry needs to embrace the effects its titles have on gamers, thereby cementing its status as an art form.
"For years and years, as an industry, we've all been waving our hands and going, 'we're art! Respect us art!' but the moment the whole violence debate comes up, we go, 'oh, violent games don't affect people'. Now, I'm not saying violent games make people violent, but, at the same time, you can't say in the same breath that we are art and we don't have any affect at all. To be art, you have to be affecting," Williams told CVG.
Spec Ops: The Line will deliver a grittier and bloodier experience than the one seen in other military shooters like Call of Duty or Battlefield.
We’ve already seen some videos and screenshots of the title, which also focused on its violent nature.
Williams says that he and the team at Yager want to highlight the brutality of war, but it doesn’t want to shock people just for a shallow reason.
"The last thing we want to be is exploitive, because then what you're doing just becomes childish. You're just being shocking for shock's sake," he said.
Spec Ops: The Line is going to be released on June 26, in North America, and June 29, in Europe and the rest of the world, for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms.