Games like Sim City Societies and Flower could be exposing kids to a “liberal agenda,” says the news network.
When Fox News takes shots at violent games, or games that feature sexual content, you can almost see where it’s coming from, but now – somewhat bafflingly – it’s going after games with an environmental message, and questioning whether or not they’re as harmless as they appear.
In the Fox & Friends show on Sunday, presenter Clayton Morris and online radio host TJ McCormack discussed environmental games, with Morris raising the question of whether environmentally themed games were really as admirable as they seemed, or if they just promoted a “liberal agenda.” Morris and McCormack talked specifically about three games, Sim City Societies, Fate of the World, and McDonald’s: The Game – an online game meant as a parody of the actual McDonald’s. While neither man mentioned it directly, footage from Flower was also displayed on screen. McCormack’s argument was simple: The credibility of the games was dubious because people were making money from them, and that the fear and guilt tactics used in such games were wholly inappropriate for young players.
McCormack singled out Fate of the World, saying that its apocalyptic premise was a heavy burden to place on the shoulders of a five year old, a comment that seemingly ignored the fact that the game isn’t intended for children. McCormack suggested that some of the lessons – such as saying that solar and wind energy were cleaner that nuclear power – were actually wrong. Morris added that parents didn’t really know what was in the games, and so could be putting material that they didn’t agree with in front of their kids without realizing it.
As usual, Fox News made a token effort to appear objective by obtaining a quote from Fate of the World’s lead designer Ian Roberts, who argued that games that dealt with real world issues were important. But with the bulk of the segment given over to McCormack’s uninformed rhetoric, Fox News might as well not have bothered.
Debating environmental issues really isn’t in my remit, but I’m actually stunned at Fox News right now. Whatever your political point of view, teaching kids to be aware of the impact their actions have on the environment is a good idea. It’s also depressing, and more than a little frustrating, that McCormack is twisting the ignorance of parents and making it out to be the developers fault.
If you want to watch the segment for yourself, you can do so here.
Source: Gamertag Radio
Published: Sep 7, 2011 01:00 pm