BAN THESE EVIL GAMES!

Rhetoric refers to persuasive language. The word derives from the Greek word 'teacher', and is classically known to be the art of persuasion via oral communication (Wikipedia). Rhetoric and what it stands for has, however changed over the past 2500 years. Rhetoric can not only be verbal, but visual, written and behavioural aswell. Rhetoric can also be applied to many different areas, including the arena of digital games.

With the ever increasing popularity of digital gaming over the past ten years, and the ever expanding array of digital games avaliable, there has become increasing interest in the effect that certain games are having on the players minds. One specific game that caused a huge controversy is that of 'Manhunt.' 'Manhunt' was released by Rockstar Games is 2003, and is an extremely violent third person action game, which requires the player to get the the main character, James Earl Cash, through a series of violent attacks. All the while this is being filmed by a movie director for a snuff movie. After having first hand experience of playing Manhunt, I can confirm that the game is extremely violent, and rather scary at times. Rhetoric can be applied to the game Manhunt, as the message that the game is conveying is that it is ok to kill, and there is nothing one should stop at if they are willing to do so. There was such controversy over the game when it was first released, that it was even blamed for fuelling the murder of a teenager by another teenager. The game is even banned in Australia, New Zealand and Germany.

Not all games however have such a negative rhetoric. The game 'Animal Crossing' is represented and advertised as a relaxed, simple, lighthearted game. The player simply guides the character, a rather cute little creature, through the game, and attempts to find bells to decorate the characters house with, or collecting fish and bugs. The rhetoric within the game itself is also possitive, the pace of the game is slow and laid back, and proves that all you need to do is keep the character happy, and complete simple tasks, and everything else tends to follow. The game is not intended to aggitate or stress the player out, like many games do, but to calm the player and offer them some sort of escape from the rat race of everyday life.

Bibliography:
Author Unknown (Date Unknown) Rhetoric, Retrieved from the World Wide Web on 22nd February 2007: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhetoric