Despite being well-made and popular, games rated 'M' by the ESRB usually don't get any positive press. They deserve to receive praise for the things that make them fun to play, so I’ve written up an informal analysis of ..
My Top 5 Favorite 'M'-Rated Video Games to Watch Somebody Else Play (and Why I Think They're Great)
5. Grand Theft Auto series
It’s been a while since I watched somebody steal a police helicopter in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, but I still remember the occasion fondly. GTA: Vice City is a little different from the other games in the series because it’s set in 1980s Miami. The clothes are brightly garish, the décor is as tacky as the game’s graphics looks dated, and palm tree fronds sway in the breeze as you go about forging a criminal empire. The setting detracts from the violent content and sends the game into the territory of parody, spoofing mafia movies like Scarface or just doing a send-up of the '80s in general. The side missions are what attract me to this game as a spectator. When not gunning down rival gangs (or, ooh -- using a flamethrower!), players do things like land trick jumps on motorcycles or deliver pizzas during sidequests to garner cash rewards or earn gameplay advantages.
Trailer:
4. Halo series
Halo is pure fantasy violence. Faces are hidden behind helmets, weapons and battlegrounds are often off-worldly futuristic, and there is a strange cleanliness to every environment and even to the violence. There are different maps to play on, often familiar in appearance until you notice the enormous, pink-tinged crescent moon (or is it a planet?) taking up a huge portion of the sky. When Peter Jackson is finally allowed to produce the movie for this game (and despite encountering many difficulties, he says it WILL be made), maybe Hollywood will finally be able to say “Look, we made a video game movie that doesn’t suck" and maybe non-gamers will be introduced to Halo too.
Trailer:
3. Haunting Ground
The protagonist of Haunting Ground is more similar to the terrified, defenseless women in horror movies than the gun-toting protagonists in more prominent survival horror games such as the Silent Hill or Resident Evil series. Fiona wakes up after a car crash to find herself caged in an empty castle. While solving puzzles in an attempt to escape, Fiona meets up with dangerous castle workers: Debilitas, a shambling and monstrous version of Lenny from Of Mice and Men, is bent on grabbing Fiona and playing with her until she breaks. Daniella, the coldly beautiful, non-human cook stalks after Fiona with an unrelenting sense of purpose that makes it clear she wishes to eviscerate Fiona with the enormous shard of glass she carries with her. Unarmed and physically rather weak, Fiona runs and hides from room to room of the castle. Tension builds as you wait quietly for your enemy to leave the area – and if you use the same hiding spot more than once, they start to find you more easily. The following analogy does not fit my impression that Daniella is by far the scariest video game enemy I have ever encountered, but watching Daniella chase Fiona is a bit like watching a deranged Pepé Le Pew chase after a frantically fleeing cat. The whole process is enjoyably scary and the plot that unfolds is suitably disturbing.
It's impossible to experience the subtle, slow-moving creepiness of the game in a low-quality and truncated video clip, but here's gameplay footage with a surprise at 2:15 and an example of Fiona hiding at 4:36 :
2. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Most successful first-person shooters are set either in the past or in a far-off future, but Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is set in a slightly fictionalized near-future. You fight Russian and Middle Eastern rebels, shifting from location to location – such as Azerbaijan, Ukraine, and others. Debris flying in the wind, blasts of smoke and light from explosions, and other effects make for an insanely hectic battlefield as you are challenged on different missions to plant C4 on tanks, snipe enemy leaders, sprint in small teams through crumbling buildings to gain territory, etc. But one of my favorite things is that loading screens are used to display thought-provoking and often anti-war quotes. For example, "In war, truth is the first casualty" attributed to Aeschylus will flash by between battles or perhaps one will briefly see Winston Churchull quoted with “Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result.” A full list of quotes used in the game can be accessed here.
Gameplay footage:
1. Half-Life series
No science fiction fan could possibly resist the perfect dystopia that is the Half-Life universe. Physicist Gordon Freeman leads the resistance against alien invaders and the humans who collude with them, often starting out with only a crowbar. It may be rated M, but it’s also one of the most critically acclaimed video games in history. The beautiful, broken-down, violent world of Half-Life reminds me of the one found in the film Children of Men due to how immersive both their environments and backstories are in their political oppressiveness. Fans have put together an impressively comprehensive backstory along with theories about the universe that you can view here, though it would make the most sense to people who are familiar with the games.
Here is a fanmade commentary about the first ten minutes of Half-Life 2, which includes an explanation of how the environment and gameplay work together to introduce players to the fact that an alien-led totalitarian government has taken over between the events of the first Half-Life game and its sequel:
Why don't I play these games myself? One day I might try, but for now I am content to just sit back and watch. I lack confidence when it comes to learning curves and I'm pretty sure I would play most violent games in a confused manner similar to this avid gamer's girlfriend during her first time playing a team-based, first-person shooter game called Team Fortress 2 :
Being fond of video games, I sometimes wonder what I'll do when I have children who want to play violent video games. Here are some articles written about gaming parents who have already encountered this problem and also offer more general advice on what kinds of video games to give children at different ages:
You Grew Up Playing Shoot'em-Up Games. Why Can't Your Kids?
When will I hand him his first controller? Will I let him play the gory combat games I love so much -- and, if so, when?
The Gaming Generation: Finding Time for Gaming, Even as an Adult
Scalzi says that finding a balance between challenge and fun is key; his 7-year-old daughter can become easily frustrated if a game is too complex, and that can make it far less fun for her, even if the game is rated "E.
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