Digital filtering algorithm system

Video games have come a long way in providing people convenient recreational
entertainment. Their evolution has brought with it both a silver lining and detrimental
implications. In this context, we will be focusing on the detrimental effects video games, or
rather the violent ones, have on people. Video games are versatile and serve to engage various
age brackets. Violent video games can be dated back in the mid-late 1990s and kept getting
gorier and intense (Copenhaver et al 3). The advent of new technology in the gaming sector, such
as advanced graphics and console units such as the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, have made it
possible for violence in games to assume a somewhat surreal depiction which studies claim to
affect people’s psyche detrimentally (Matthews 2).

These sophisticated gaming units, platforms such as Steam and easy access to the
internet, have enabled production and access to fast-paced games with more vibrant, realistic,
and immersive graphics. These games give players the freedom to engage in violent activities,
virtually using realistic weapons and characters. If this goes unchecked, one can easily blur out
the lines between the real and virtual worlds (Ali 8). Recent studies have affirmed that there
exists a correlation between violent video games exposure and aggression.
Video games have evolved by a high degree, and various measures can be employed to
curb the nature of some video games. In this regard, the proposed solution involves the use of
digital algorithms endorsed by software rating boards and psychological organizations.

The proposed solution of digital video game violence limiting algorithms works by using
the gamer’s or user’s data to filter video game content based on various parameters such as age,
medical history, level of education, and the individual’s psychological analysis among others.
The system will be implemented in all video games by default. The reason being game
development companies and hacker communities such as “CPY” or “CODEX” can reverse
engineer or embed some code (read cheats), which, when activated, can enable the violent
feature in the game. The algorithm will feature both an online and offline system. The system
will automatically detect the gaming unit’s status of internet connectivity, whether it is a hand-
held device, a game console or a personal computer.

This feature will ease the work for developers in making games as they will not have to
go back to the drawing board to devise a way to “hide” the violent features of a game (Ali 6). On
launching a game, while online, the algorithm is activated, and the aforementioned parameters
will be considered in the form of a simple survey, and if successful, the game can launch in full
feature mode or block some of the features such as gore and violence. For the offline bit, a
hardware implementation of the algorithm will be used, which will employ the same process as
the online version.

The video gaming industry is fast-paced and growing by leaps and bounds. This can be
attributed to the rapid development of technology. Other possible solutions are available such as
complete removal of violent features from a video game, tempering the same, and also using the
Entertainment Software and Rating Board (ESRB) system (Copenhaver et al 5). The tempering
and complete removal of violent features in video games have their fair share of limitations. In
that, the advent of downloadable content (DLCs) can bypass these protection modules. Most of
these violent games, such as Mortal Kombat series, have millions of fans hence a thriving hacking community. The ESRB system does not seem to serve its purpose since stores for both
physical and digital copies of the game are not aware of its meaning, and this risk is transferred
to the buyer.

The digital filtering algorithm has some flaws of its own since hacker communities can
reverse engineer the technology or disable it hence rendering it ineffective. Addons and DLCs
from developers and third parties can also render the system unusable, as they can serve to
unlock the violent features of the video game. The provision of false information to bypass the
verification system of the algorithm cannot be disregarded since unfavorable players can provide
misleading information.

 

Works cited

Ali, Rami. "A new solution to the gamer’s dilemma." Ethics and Information Technology 17.4
(2015): 267-274.
Copenhaver, Allen, and Christopher J. Ferguson. "Selling violent video game solutions: A look
inside the APA's internal notes leading to the creation of the APA's 2005 resolution on
violence in video games and interactive media." International journal of law and
psychiatry 57 (2018): 77-84.
Matthews, Nicholas L. "Too good to care: The effect of skill on hostility and aggression
following violent video game play." Computers in human behavior 48 (2015): 219-225.