Category: Censorship

Art is born when individuals are eager to express themselves and show the audience what concerns them and what is important to them. Occasionally, when people contemplating it do not understand the message or do not relate, they call it controversial. In other words, they promote a dispute about the possibility of calling it a real piece of art. This paper aims to study the work by Tracy Emin and analyze it from its artistic value.

The art project My Bed (1998) by the British artist Tracey Emin represents an installation of an unmade bed with household waste scattered around it. The central object of the work is a wooden bed that belonged to the artist. There is a dirty sheet, pillows, and a blanket in a chaotic mass with tights on top of it. The blue bedside rug stores a pile of different objects: empty bottles, a pillbox, underwear, a toy, and other personal effects. Emin created it the way it looked like during a depressive period of her life.

Emin herself stated that she wanted to demonstrate a desperate woman that needed help. I had a kind of mini nervous breakdown in my very small flat and didnt get out of bed for four days (Schnabel, 2006, para. 38). The work was received ambiguously by the public and often caused people to feel disgusted or shocked. Emin allowed everyone to see the intimate part of her life and presented to the general public everything that was usually safe from prying eyes. In doing so, she questioned the usual boundaries of personal and social, art and life. The work reflects a new modern aesthetics that transforms outwardly ugly objects into a piece of art. For me personally and our generation in general, to witness this means a lot: it reveals to plain people that candidness is not faulty and that it is not beyond normal to be depressed and express it. In a society with feigned beauty as an ideal, the installation of an imperfect bed is a breath of fresh air and a piece of truth.

It is the object itself, which is art at the same time. If Duchamp called the urinal Fountain and, as it were, changed its essence, Emins bed remained a bed, and all the dirt was her dirt and was shown as her dirt and garbage. Crumpled, stained sheets lie on the bed like the defeated banners of Tracy Emin, who lost the battle for happiness. This piece of art can be characterized as complete spontaneity, self-reflection, frank conversation, protest, challenge, the bitterness of depression. The medium of revealing the idea does not bring aesthetic pleasure, and it should not.

Even though the work has never been censored, it accepted negative reviews from conservative British society and numerous critics (Schabel, 2006). When it appeared, nobody would take a messy bed called art as it lacked any skill in creation. The aim of the installation, though, is to demonstrate to the world that everyday life is pure art, and it should not be censored or banned. That is why the government should not ban the arts today when they do not harm anyone physically. Only the audience should decide what they want to contemplate and what they want to call art, not politicians.

My Bed by Tracey Emin is an example of art that is an object of a real-life displayed and then called a piece of art. Anything taken out of reality and bearing a vital message nowadays can be art if it is perceived as art by the audience if it provokes emotions (Padgett, 2019). The Guardian critic Jonathan Jones praised Tracey Emin, saying that her nudes are explosion of sheer life (Jones, 2017, para. 7). The impact this work made is that it encouraged people to overcome social taboos and accept new art. Emin accepts her sexuality and vulnerability and shows us how not to be ashamed. The emergence of works of art of this kind proves that we are moving to creative work, aiming to praise our most authentic selves.

References

Emin, T. (1998). My Bed (box frame, mattress, linens, pillows and various objects). Tate, London, United Kingdom. Web.

Jones, J. (2017). My three days at Tracey Emins mountain hideaway on the Cote dAzur. The Guardian. Web.

Padgett, A. (2019). Art: How to view, understand and criticise modern, contemporary and traditional art works. ADP Publishing.

Schnabel, J. (2006). Interview. Tracey Emin. Lehman Maupin.6(1), 102-106. Web.

The origin of the term censor can be traced to the office of censor, established in Rome in 443 BC. In Rome, as in the ancient Greek communities, the ideal of good governance included shaping the character of the people. Hence censorship was regarded as an honorable task. So why is it that today, 52% of people feel that censorship is unnecessary and oppressive?

The issue of censorship affects everyone. It covers all businesses, governments, personal relationships, and even ourselves. Probably the most common form of censorship is self-censorship, which is the exercising of control over what one says and does, especially to avoid criticism. Whether noticeable or not, we all subconsciously censor ourselves, proving that this issue is relevant to everyone, not just huge organizations or the government. With the rapid rise of social media and the ever-increasing number of internet users, internet censorship has also come to society’s attention.

By definition, censorship is the suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable or a threat to security. For something to be deemed as oppressive it is to be inflicting harsh and authoritarian treatment.

This essay will discuss why censorship is sometimes needed and it is difficult to find a balance that will make all parties satisfied.

Firstly, the censorship of facts, such as news and history, should not occur except when it can potentially harm a person or society. For instance, identities, graphic details and images, and information regarding national security should be concealed in the news. This is so that we are able to protect the privacy of a person or victim, prevent traumatic triggers, and keep the country safe. However, I believe that there should never be censoring of news that is completely true in order to benefit the authorities or corporations. A great example of when censorship becomes oppressive is the case of North Korea. The country is ranked at the bottom of the Press Freedom Index rankings published annually by Reporters Without Borders. From 2002 through 2006, the country was listed as the worst in the world, and from 2007 to 2016, it was listed second to last of 180 countries. In 2017, North Korea was ranked the worst again. To even get the job of a journalist, one must go through an extremely tedious process and a probation period of 4 to 5 years. While in most countries, the job of a journalist is to simply write an account of everything regarding the situation, without alteration to the information. In North Korea, the job of a journalist is to guard, defend and advocate for and defend both the party and its leaders. Already, we can see how the news has already been controlled by the government as they only employ those who are in favor of them. This leads to the people being fed information that only supports the government which causes their opinions to be based on that little bit of information and not much else.

Secondly, censorship in terms of art is often brought up. In this case, people who argue against censorship are often thinking from the point of view of the creator and not the consumer. Children are often brought into the argument of whether certain art is deemed as suitable for them to see or as inappropriate. Larry Magid for Forbes argues that children also have the right to free speech and thus, should be able to view content as they wish. He commits the red-herring fallacy that just because children should be allowed to express what they want as they wish, they should be allowed to choose what they want to view. This argument makes the assumption that children are able to make these sorts of decisions, rendering the role of a parent basically useless. Lastly, we often hear the phrase “not in front of the kids” used by parents. This phrase is used when a parent/guardian wants to hide something from the child. This in itself is a form of self-censorship where the adult chooses to suppress their feelings or situation for the better of the child. Although we do not question why it is important for parents to hide certain things from their children, there seems to be an increasing number of people who are against censoring information from children. A common example for this would be the example of digital content. In my opinion, censorship does help protect the young and impressionable.

In today’s digital age, information has become vastly accessible to everyone through different forms of media which usually include television, newspaper, film, and social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram). The inexorable flow of information leads to the establishment of government censorship. Recently the subject of media censorship has been the source of controversial debate. It has been argued that government censorship deprives people of having the freedom of speech and the right to self-expression, and is therefore unjustified. However, It is the powerful effects of media that make it all the more important for governing bodies to have control in order to protect the interests of the nation, stem dissent, and maintain societal order. Hence, by outlining the different viewpoints this essay will demonstrate that governmental censorship is justifiable to secure political and societal stability.

Critics argue that censorship is not necessary because it is being carried out at the expense of political, intellectual, and artistic freedoms. They argue that censorship undermines the rights of individuals to the freedom of speech and expression, something that is highly valued by many in today’s world (Newth 2010 cited in Irum & Laila 2015, p. 21). Kulkarni (2018) also proposes that censorship compromises the entertainment and artistic intent and value, disallowing people to express themselves. This can be shown in two aspects, freedom of speech and artistic freedom. Firstly, they argue that people do not wholly have the right to speak their thoughts, because the government is afraid that the information may influence their regime and the power of the country. In 2009, Chinese human rights activist Liu Xiaobo advocated democratic reforms and free speech, which saw him imprisoned for eleven years (Xu & Albert 2014, p. 243). This is because the government feared that inflammatory speech may incite people against it. Detractors argue that citizens should be free to criticize governmental authorities and that the right to free expression is a foundation in any liberal democracy (Safayeni, Gonsalves 2017). It is imperative for societies to benefit from a multiplicity of viewpoints that can find fertile sustenance through various media of communication (Safayeni, Gonsalves 2017). Secondly, they contend that classifying one’s own work (blog, book(s), film(s), or other means of expression), out of fear or deference to the sensibilities of others without an authority directly pressures one to do so. People are entitled to the freedom of access to content and creative space for self-expression. The romantic kiss in some films is banned in Iran as Iranian filmmakers follow Islamic codes to avoid political and religious sensitivities (Tofighian 2014). This abuse of censorship to censor valid criticism or stem transmission of ideas to maintain the national status quo is bound to create a close-minded, politically inactive society that enables the government to act with little opposition. In 2017, a group of female Iranian students demanded Iranian actress Leila Hatami to be sentenced to one to ten years imprisonment and flogging as she kissed a non-Muslim man (Markay 2017). Thus, further proving that censorship risks creating a closed society.

However, there are many flaws in this argument. Firstly, it underestimates the complexity of the world. As society becomes more complex, people’s opinions become more diversified and there is a larger extent of institutionalization and integration of various communities. Therefore, censorship is fundamental in ensuring that social discourse does not lead to conflicts. Secondly, it overlooks people’s acceptance of modern art where there are no boundaries. For example, Robert Michael Mapplethorpe, an American photographer, shot celebrity photographs that dealt with racial and sexual issues. His oeuvre which includes a portfolio that documented male homosexual life (Fitzpatrick, Rosenthal & Chapman 2002, p.2), is quite beyond some people’s apprehension for sexuality and remains subversive to those even until now. This suggests that some extent of censorship is important to preserve a more age-friendly environment for modern arts since not everyone has the same extent of receptiveness towards all kinds of modern arts. Thirdly, it overestimates mankind’s capability, as it assumes that everyone has the ability to make informed decisions, especially for teenagers and children. The violent crime scenes and “extreme pornography” in movies or television programs may have harmful effects on children and teenagers (Cowen 2016). They may develop a wrong perception of violence and sexuality due to the misleading information, which is likely to result in forming inappropriate sexual behavior and even sexual crimes. This suggests that media censorship is crucial in protecting people who have yet to develop a mature mindset to b to make informed decisions on their own. Ultimately, it assumes that all religions and cultures are the same and that everyone must have the same extent of censorship. This overlooks some different cultures which are feudalistic and conservative, such as Islamic countries. In these countries, censorship of pornographic materials is necessary to perpetuate the rule of Sharia Law, which characterizes their national and cultural identity (Tofighian 2014). Hence, media censoring reduces the damaging effect on human culture from modern media and protects its cultural concepts. Since people have different levels of acceptance and self-control, social culture and social development are different in each community, proving that media censorship is crucial to society.

Censorship is justifiable in order to prevent dissent that could hinder a nation’s progress and protects the interest of the nation. With the limitless information the media and the internet are home to today, and the great advancements in technology, come boundless opportunities for the misuse of information. Edward Snowden, for example, leaked top-secret documents from the USA’s National Security Agency, compromising the interests of the nation and undermining the power of government (Morrison 2015). Julian Assange, similarly, was the founder of Wikileaks, a site on which people shared hacked or stolen information for all the world to see (Keane 2013). The existence of such a site in itself is proof of the uncontrollable nature of information available in the media today, and its adverse effects, such as the leaking of top-secret government information to rival countries, who could utilize the information, compromising national security and interests in the progress. The unfiltered, liberal nature of the internet has the potential to be destructive and to cause dissent against the ruling bodies of the government. The Arab Spring of 2010, for example, saw a series of revolts against the government of Tunisia, Egypt, and other Arab countries, which was sparked off and exacerbated by the rampant use of online media as a platform to speak out against governing bodies (Radcliffe 2016). Online groups were also formed that advocated the same agenda, culminating in a series of protests that lasted for months and took the lives of thousands involved in the protests. For instance, the anti-Islam Peigida movement called on its supporters to stage chaotic demonstrations in protest of the Chancellor’s pro-refugee policies (Goulard 2016). These destructions lead to social disorder, affecting the transportation, financial, and tourism industries, resulting in a worsened statehood. Thus, it is essential for the government to step in and regulate the free flow of information available online and unlimited potential to be misused. Censorship protects the interest of people and prevents dissent that could culminate in societal unrest and the loss of lives of many in revolution.

Censorship is justifiable to protect the social cohesion of a country. Government regulation of the media prevents controversial pieces of information from being seen by the public audience in the first place, eliminating the possibility of conflicts between people by filtering out the content to retain and which to leave alone. This lowers the chances of conflicts between people of different racial groups, backgrounds, or beliefs, and therefore maintains social cohesion and harmony in the nation. Wright (2006, p.552) has demonstrated that “[f]ree speech without moderate regulation is just noise” and this can be shown in several manners. For instance, the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad (Hammett 2018). Danish Muslim organizations, who objected to the depictions, responded by holding public protests. The controversy deepened when further examples of the cartoons were reprinted in newspapers in more than fifty other countries. This led to protests across the Muslim world, some of which escalated into violence. The above shows that censorship is needed to prevent racial discrimination and possible repercussions. There are other incidents of the use of hate speech by citizens, for example, unmoderated online forums (Shanahan 2016) and racist propaganda (Bliuc, Jakubowicz & Dunn 2019) which causes toxic online behavior. Division and mobilization of support for racism and the far-right movements spread online unaffiliated supporters of racism could derive strength through online communication. It is therefore essential for the government to intervene and step in, filtering out potentially divisive or controversial content in the media before it reaches out to the people and potentially causes dissent. Strengthen media regulations in relation to race-based reporting (Ho 2017). Hence, to maintain social cohesion and harmony, censorship is justifiable.

In conclusion, media can be empowering by giving a voice to all members of society and allowing judgments and creativity to be expressed freely. However, while this is so, the free flow of information, if unchecked could lead to disruptive dissent, a compromise of national security as well as division in society. The issue of censorship presents a double-edged conundrum for governments characterized by a delicate balance between protection and control. As long as the government is free of ill-will and corruption and acts in the best interest of its society rather than to pursue personal interests, government censorship will create a safe space in the media, for people to seek reliable information and derive full enjoyment, enabling them to live in a cohesive environment.

Censorship, as it is defined today, is the suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, harmful, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security. In many countries, the freedom to use the internet as we wish does not exist. Certain searches and even entire parts of the internet may be blocked by a country’s government.

One of the biggest examples of censorship today is the censorship of China’s Internet. The Chinese Internet stands separate from the Western Internet, with a firewall blocking its citizens from accessing it. If a citizen of China wanted to bypass the internet firewall, they would have to use a VPN. A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, creates an encrypted tunnel to a server outside of the country you are using it in. Recently, in 2018, China began to enforce a law created in 1997 that imposes fines for the use of VPNs without government permission.

To expand into the Chinese markets, large companies such as Yahoo, Google, and Microsoft would have to ‘self-censor’. This means that the companies would have to create a separate version of their search engines for the Chinese market. Aside from western media expanding into China, the Chinese internet consists of its own social media websites. Sites such as WeChat, Weibo, and QQ dominate the Chinese market, while sites such as Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat are blocked.

Censorship of the Internet in China has its pros and cons. Many people, such as Kaifu Lee, founder of a Chinese business incubation firm, believes that China’s heavy investment into the Great Firewall may not have completely negative effects. According to Kaifu Lee, “Censorship can provide a mechanism for protecting local technology firms, even though it was not designed for this purpose. Censorship can fend off competition from some powerful international players, and give local firms some breathing room”. This blocking of international firms could encourage local entrepreneurs to establish their companies without competition from large corporations. While this may be a positive effect of Chinese censorship, there are downsides to this.

The first aspect that is negatively affected by censorship in China is entrepreneurs, especially their ability to innovate. Entrepreneurs need access to content blocked by the Great Firewall to foster creativity. In addition, slow Internet traffic—even with tools to bypass the Great Firewall—strains creativity because finding inspiration becomes frustrating. The second major area affected by Chinese censorship is the business environment. With limited access to the Internet resulting in slow technological innovation, local businesses lack the incentive to innovate and invest in research and development at the same pace as foreign ones. And finally, censorship makes China unfavorable to international players and reduces foreign investment, which in turn creates huge cons for its economy.

Thus, China’s heavy Internet censorship is not only harmful to their economy, but also unethical, primarily with regard to human rights to freedom of speech and access to information. Although this policy has certain pros, significant cons still prevail.

College English, Period 8 Censorship is the prohibition of any content that is considered to be threatening or unacceptable by society (Burress 23). It occurs in many different aspects of life. Despite the different forms and amount of censorship, everyone is affected by it. Whether it is withheld information from the news, or avoiding a specific topic at the family dinner table, we have all encountered materials that were censored.

Censorship is predominantly seen in schools (Seiferth 151). It can be seen in the banning of specific texts, but teachers are also suppressed on which topics they can discuss thoroughly in class with their students. Content that is considered objectionable or sensitive is avoided in the classroom, a place that is ironically supposed to prepare developing minds for all phases of life in the future. It’s essential that all students receive all information so they can have the knowledge necessary in their future adult lives. For this and many other reasons, censorship should not be allowed in schools.

Censoring books in schools prevents children from gaining the knowledge which reading provides. Books all across America are censored mainly when they contain modern content, objectionable language, and sexual content (Ericson 79). When the school is in control of the censoring of books, they rule out anything that may appear as even slightly offensive just to avoid trouble. “One superintendent is even quoted as saying, ‘I don’t want a book that’s under fire. It may get me in trouble and I don’t need to look for trouble these days’” (Hartz 264). This unprofessional approach to the situation is putting many young minds at a disadvantage. Education is an enlightening experience, in which the mind should be free to wander to all the different aspects of life. Schools take part in shaping these minds, and censoring them hinders a student’s true potential (Hartz 264). When examining the adolescent mind today, it is important to take into consideration how the times have changed (“Combatting Censorship”). Censorship is a much larger issue today in schools than it was in the past (“Combatting Censorship”). Today, political challenges are increasing which are dividing communities and beginning to hinder the right of students to be exposed to certain novels (Ericson 79). However, in all schools, students will encounter the negatives of censorship. For instance, “The National Coalition against Censorship (NCAC) explained that ‘even books or materials that many find objectionable may have educational value, and the decision about what should be used in the classroom should be based on professional judgments and standards, not individual preferences’” (“Banned Books- Top 3 Pros and Cons”). Students may not read some of the best books of all time because of censorship. Ranging from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, these novels provide a vast amount of knowledge that students can apply to their very own lives. (“Banned Books- Top 3 Pros and Cons”). Reading dramatic fiction ignites the imagination in youth. Students deprived of fiction won’t learn how to express compassion or how to be as creative as those who do read it regularly.

Another reason why books should not be banned in schools is that it is considered a violation of the First Amendment (“Censorship and the First Amendment in Schools: A Resource Guide”). “‘Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers” (“The First Amendment in Schools: Censorship”). Moreover, under the United States law, everyone has the freedom to say and read what they wish, no matter how controversial this knowledge they obtain may be (“Combatting Censorship”). It is the duty of public schools to provide students with everything they have the legal right to be learning (Seiferth 152). The classroom should be a marketplace of ideas, and our nation’s future depends on people who are exposed to a wide variety of ideas (“The First Amendment in Schools: Censorship”). Although Supreme Court cases including Tinker v. Des Moines prove that student’s rights are in fact limited in schools, this doesn’t mean that the information they receive should be as heavily censored as it is now in some schools. All books should be allowed in schools, and the children should then decide how to deal with the information presented to them, as it is indeed their first amendment right.

While children in classrooms across the world are having information withheld from them, this is putting them at a great disadvantage for developing their opinions on current issues in society. Because they are not being exposed to the entire truth, children are not being fully prepared for all real-life scenarios. For instance, when teachers in Texas tried to discuss controversial current events with their students, they were “pressured to present only one side of the controversy” (Hartz 265). Those students were probably taught to read and write but never challenged with information that forces them to think critically about their own beliefs (Ericson 80). In addition, depriving students of multicultural information decreases their tolerance to people who are not like they are (Lee 23). Despite its good intentions, censorship prevents students from understanding differences, problems, and possibilities (Agee). Empathy, debate, and the skill of argumentation are essential skills that these children will need as young adults one day. Limiting conversations about the world in which they are living leads to the lack of perspective, and hurts our future society (“Banned Books- Top 3 Pros and Cons”). Eliminating censorship would result in people who can “function as more than self-obsessed individuals,” and “who respect the family dynamics, religious beliefs and race of others” (“Banned Books- Top 3 Pros and Cons”). These are the types of people who could lead to positive growth in society. Censoring information in schools deliberately infringes on the educational process of preparing students with different needs and beliefs for adulthood (“The First Amendment in Schools: Censorship”). The truth of the matter is that this type of discussion arises frequently in everyday life outside of the classroom, and it is only logical that students are exposed to these real issues before entering into adulthood (“The First Amendment in Schools: Censorship”). Censorship is crippling to freedom, and even founding father Thomas Jefferson expressed that “censorship represents a tyranny over the mind” (“The First Amendment in Schools: Censorship”). Schools diminish the curiosity of innocent minds that want to explore, as they seek truth and reason.

The act of censoring in schools hinders students, while simultaneously silencing the beliefs and opinions of teachers. Innocent teachers are often the victims of angered guardians for exposing “too much” controversial information in the classroom. It is a grueling task for teachers and administrators to remain calm while being pressured by enraged supporters of censorship. It is imperative that teachers remain calm, and keep in mind the best interest of the students in order to handle these difficult situations effectively (Seiferth 152). Even though librarians and teachers also have their first amendment rights, they are compelled to silence their opinions to appease parents “calmly and intelligently” (Hartz 266). Although there are many teachers who take part in the National Education Association fight for the rights of teachers in the classroom, there are also many teachers who are falling subject to censorship (Hartz 266). For instance, reluctant English teachers remove novels from their curriculum and avoid specific topics of discussion in order to appease the complaining community. Topics including the negatives of war, the positives of communism, the positives of protesters, and even race are rarely openly discussed in classrooms (Hartz 266). Because teachers are forced to censor material, they begin to partake in “self-censorship” out of fear, even for topics approved by the school, which further hinders their rights and the student’s rights (Agee). Because of this sad truth, they lose the interest and participation of their students in order to avoid being penalized for making a controversial statement. Furthermore, censorship makes it difficult for these teachers to balance “first amendment obligations and principles against other concerns such as maintaining the integrity of the educational program” (“The First Amendment in Schools: Censorship” ). Although most of society is concerned about the students when discussing censorship, it is important to note how this action takes the creativity and spontaneity out of the art of teaching. Conforming to educating the youth without their own personal flair, teachers are forced into bland and formulaic exercises. A teacher’s creativity and freedom are limited, which can prevent them from really touching specific students in the classroom (Lombardo). The limitations placed on teachers only act as a disadvantage to the children who are being deprived of relevant information.

Despite all the negatives that come along with censorship, many parents still insist that its benefits are essential to the education system. These parents try their very best to censor their children’s activities on the internet at home and are comforted at the idea that censorship in schools will prohibit the access of their children to the same harmful materials while at school (Lombardo). However, keeping controversial information out of the classroom does not prevent kids from researching topics on their own, nor does it stop books from being written. Whether they speak with their friends or visit the public library for use of the internet, there are still a number of ways that children can access this considerably “harmful” information. Parents also are only responsible for censoring information to which their children are exposed. Parents campaigning to remove books from the school’s library and prohibiting discussions from the classroom are unjustly infringing on the rights of the other students in the school (“Censorship and the First Amendment in Schools: A Resource Guide”).

Students realize the problems with censorship. This explains why in a public school in New York, students created an annual book banning project for 11th grade English classes. This activity allowed students to engage in extensive research, inside and outside of the classroom and got some of the books removed from their school’s banned list of novels (“Banned Books- Top 3 Pros and Cons”). This reform group proved that despite the wishes of strongly opinionated parents, censorship is combatable, and many students in the country agree with this group in wanting to put an end to censorship.

Currently, the Internet has become no substitute for people around the world. Some are delighted with the opportunities offered by the Internet, others are neutral to the world wide web, and still, others see a threat to the country. For most state regimes, the unchanged Internet poses a danger – primarily because of the possibility of spreading information of the most different kinds without control and restrictions. That is why some states use such a tool as censorship. The term “Censorship” refers to the restriction of information flows, both prohibitive and corrective, but often censorship becomes so tough that it begins to infringe upon the rights of people. Consider the ten countries with the most severe censorship.

The first place belongs to the country of Eritrea. In Eritrea, only state-owned media is allowed, controlled by Information Minister Ali Abdu. Journalists work on special instruction for news coverage. All Internet providers connect to the worldwide network only through the state-owned company EriTel, and there is no mobile Internet in the country at all.

North Korea is next. About strict censorship in this country is known all over the world. All materials of newspapers and magazines, television and radio companies of the country are prepared by the Korea Central Telegraph Agency. They are dedicated to the statements of the political leadership and its intended activities. Only the ruling elite has access to the world wide web. Broad masses of the population are limited in the use of the Internet, which is tightly regulated and deprived of communication with the outside world. Only a small number of foreign journalists are granted limited entry into the country, but control of movement is being conducted.

The third place in Syria. Since March 2011, authorities have banned independent coverage of events, banned foreign journalists from entering the country and working freely on reports, and also arrested and organized attacks on journalists who tried to cover protests in the media. In an effort to ban coverage of events in the country, the government cut off mobile communications, landlines, electricity, and Internet access. The Syrian e-army regularly hacks websites to publish materials in support of the regime.

In fourth place is Iran. The government of the country is trying to suppress any attempts at critical coverage of events in the country through mass arrests. Since 2009, journalists have been subjected to cruel persecution and imprisonment by the state. The arrested journalists are being held in terrible conditions with the use of physical violence and torture. Iranian authorities maintain one of the world’s most stringent censorship regimes for Internet resources, blocking millions of websites. To do this, using modern technology to detect programs that allow circumventing censorship.

The fifth place belongs to Saudi Arabia. Eight years ago, amendments were made to punish the publication of any material that contradicts Sharia law, encroaches on the interests of the state, supports the interests of foreign countries, violates public order or national security, or condones the activities of criminal elements. There is a special Communication and Information Technology Commission in the country. Any citizen of the country can send a personal request to block a resource that, in his opinion, violates the law. Every day, the commission receives about one thousand two hundred such applications, about half of which are satisfied.

Sixth place in Ethiopia. There are no independent TV and radio stations, the only state-owned Internet provider has full control over public access to the Internet. Unwanted government sites are blocked regularly without any litigation and rulings. International journalists who work in the country are under the close supervision of special services.

Azerbaijan is in seventh place. In one thousand and twelve years of the year, the National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting imposed a ban on the broadcasting of foreign serials on Azerbaijani television channels. Other industries such as the media, print media, and, of course, the Internet, are also censored. And this is despite the fact that the country’s constitution guarantees freedom of speech.

Also in this list got Vietnam. He is in eighth place. Citizens of the country are allowed to have access to world sites like Yahoo and Google, but on the condition that the authorities should be aware of the names of all the bloggers who use these sites. Any information that criticizes the government or communism is immediately blocked. The same thing happens with sites that try to write about civil rights and human freedoms.

China is in ninth place. The main objects of censorship are political topics related to the events on Tiananmen Square in 1989 or with movements for national independence in Tibet. In addition, in China, any erotica and pornography are prohibited. In the field of the Internet, China is one of the main sensors in the world. The country has developed a system called ‘Golden Shield’, this system filters web pages for keywords related to state security.

The last tenth place belongs to Myanmar. Despite the formal abolition of censorship in the two thousand and twentieth year, government control over the media in the country remains. On the Internet, censorship is no less strong. E-mail and any personal correspondence are always filtered and checked by the special services. Internet cafes keep a complete record of visitors, and anonymous services like VPNs are completely prohibited.

In all of these countries, pervasive filtering is in place. This powerful filtering performs state orders. Internet police start to act from the moment you enter text into the search box. Create your own network action logs. Violation of the law entails criminal liability. It is difficult to say whether censorship is worth protecting the public interest or prohibiting civil liberties. Each country, under the pretext of protecting its traditions, creates laws affecting Internet resources. Civil society forms organizations that advocate for freedom of access to information. Confrontation for the independence of the Internet is growing every year more and more.

As many people share personal opinions, thoughts, pictures and other certain content on social media, some people can take offense to what people post because it is inappropriate. Not only may it offend certain people, but also harm companies. Social media is at the peoples use for work and amusement but it is also a job and money being made for companies. The effect of censorship in social media on free speech limits people to what they can say or post because some things may seem dangerous, certain companies have the right to censor what seems wrong, and a person can’t always express their opinions.

Some things on social media can be considered dangerous, it could just be an opinion being posted and it can lead to being censored. A certain group of corporations or just a normal person may find it hurtful through many ways, whether it’s emotionally hurting or just by simply being disrespectful in order to affect something being done. The opinion being stated could always be seen as a damage or even if the opinion being said affects someone in their success could always be considered to be dangerous and the information could be taken down. For example, if veterans were to make a statement on what they do for the government, by saying that they are allowed to choose whether they want to or don’t want to engage in a war over something that isn’t right there will be actions being taken. Something like this will not be allowed to be all over social media because to the government that is a danger, a risk that they could lose certain ongoing projects or cause more problems than what they already have going on. For that reason they have the power to censor certain opinions and hide it from others to be seen or known.

Furthermore, certain companies that are associated with social media “have enough power and influence” (Niam Yaraghi) to either censor or take down what seems wrong to them. Nowadays it seems to be that companies have started to have more control over one’s social media. Although the people are protected under the 1st amendment which is, one has the right to freedom of speech, religion, petition, etc. The amendment protects them from the government stepping in and taking down one’s own things in social media, but the companies do still stand with the right to censor what seems fit to them, which is if there is a threat to be seen the companies will definitely step in and take down what’s necessary. Even though it does make one question whether one really has full control of their social media people should know what the consequences are and how things are to be dealt with.

A person isn’t always able to express themselves, and their opinions. It is to be known that if there is a post say, on Instagram, and it is found disrespectful anyone is able to report it and have the success of having it taken down. Anything that is found offensive is able to be censored. Although expressing an opinion is very common and makes one feel good not all opinions are always allowed to remain on social media.

In conclusion, a person is limited in their free speech due to the censorship in social media because things aren’t always taken well by others whether its by finding it disrespectful, harmful or giving away information that shouldn’t be given out. Companies related to social media are the ones that decide what is to be censored, and what is to be taken down.

Free speech and censorship is a highly debated topic with many aspects to the different views on the topic, including cultural influences, state-sponsored censorship and general public approval/disapproval of ideas. The debate over censorship stems from different philosophical thinking, both sides having their benefits and drawbacks. Censorship can lead to happier people by filtering out hurtful or negative opinions, however, when taken too far censorship can be oppressive and used to stop people from having a voice at all. Free speech is the opposite and allows all views to be expressed and allows everyone a voice that they can use to express any opinion they like. Free speech does also come with drawbacks, in order to have free speech it also means having to listen to views and opinions that you don’t like and views that may be considered offensive or hurtful.

Arguments in favour of censorship

• Philosophers have agreed that there is no such thing as true free speech.
• Speech that incites violence should be censored.
• Some think that speech that causes any emotional distress should be censored.
• Speech that doesn’t directly call for violence may still lead to violence and should be censored.
• People will exploit free speech to spread hate.

How ethical principles can be applied to censorship:

Censorship is primarily based on the Utilitarianism theory, an ethical theory that states that whatever actions that cause the most overall happiness are the ones that should be taken. Utilitarianism ideas are often used to justify censorship in an effort to stop negative or views that have been deemed unproductive.

Example

The Westboro baptist church

In 2007 a supreme court case was made between Albert Snyder, the father of a U.S Marine who was killed in a vehicle accident in Iraq and Fred Phelps of the Westboro baptist church. Snyder sued Phelps for defamation, intrusion upon seclusion, publicity given to private life, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and civil conspiracy. The case arose when the funeral of The initial verdict reached in 2007 was in favour of Snyder granting him $5,000,000 USD. this was later lowered to $2,100,000 USD. In 2011 the Fred Phelps appealed and was deemed not guilty as he was protected under his first amendment rights.

Arguments against censorship:

• Everyone has a right to voice their opinions.
• Restriction on speech can lead to oppression.
• Who chooses what speech is allowed and what isn’t?
• On what grounds is speech restricted?
• How are these restrictions justified?

Ethical principles behind free speech:

Free speech can vary in how it is interpreted but it is mainly based off of John Mill’s theory of harm. This states that unless the speech is causing direct harm to another person or people than there is no reason to restrict or forbid it. This theory is mainly based off of consequentialist thinking which is a philosophical principle that is of a version of utilitarianism that instead of taking into account every single action and asking whether it is ethical depending on the circumstances, it instead just asks what would create the best overall impact of a long period of time. This encourages free speech more than utilitarianism as it is less context-specific and is thus less subjective in its interpretation.

Example

Tiananmen Square massacre

On the 15th of April 1989 Hu Yaobang a former Chinese Communist Party leader died, Hu was critical in introducing democratic reform to China and was loved by many throughout China. Many flocked to Beijing to mourn the death of Hu. As more people came the mourning turned into a protest calling for less corruption and a more democratic government. By mid-may, there were tens of thousands of protestors. The students called for more freedoms including free speech, free press and a more democratic system. The government was divided in their support for the protestors as some saw it as a step forward to a more democratic China other party members saw it as a threat to the communist party’s power. By the 15th of May, students had started hunger strikes and more protests had started to build across the nation. This made the Chinese government increasingly concerned, the government declared martial law on the 20th of May. this declaration was followed by 250,000 soldiers entering Beijing, At this point, the protestors numbered over 1 million. After initial non-violent attempts by the military failed to stop the protests, on the 4th of May in the early hours of the mourning Chinese troops opened fire on the protestors. Most fled but some fought back throwing rocks and firebombs on the armoured vehicles and at the soldiers themselves. It is unknown how many people were killed as the government attempted to cremate as many bodies as they could so that the true number will never be known. The Chinese government has never released an official death toll although it is estimated to be in the thousands. In addition to all the people killed over 10,000 people were arrested with the last known prisoner being released in 2016.

Personal reflection

My personal belief is that all speech with the exception of speech that calls for violence should be allowed as it is important that everyone has a voice even if what they have to say you dislike. I have grown up in a western country that values freedom and personal liberties as well as freedom of the press and information. I have also only been able to see through media sources which always have their own bias. I, for example, view the actions of the Chinese government in Tiananmen square as completely unethical and barbaric but the Chinese government might view the situation differently and claim they prioritised the welfare of the state over the demands of the protestors. These values that I hold as well as the biased filter through which I see things in the form of the media.

Introduction

Censorship means deletion or excision of parts of published materials and also efforts to ban, prohibit, suppress, prosecute, remove, label, or restrict materials, censorship is an effort by a groups to prevent people from reading, seeing, or hearing what may be considered as dangerous to government or harmful to public morality.

Privacy

Definition

In a library, user privacy is the right to open investigation without having the subject of one’s interest examined or scrutinized by others. Confidentiality exists when the library has possession of personally information about the users and keeps that information private. “This responsibility is assumed when library procedures create records including, but not limited to closed-stack call slips, computer sign-up sheets, registration for equipment or facilities, circulation records, what websites were visited, reserve notices, or research notes.” (Privacy and Confidentiality)

Importance of Privacy

A library should limit personally identifiable information is collected, disclosed, or retained while completing the duty to comply with the state’s library confidentiality. Per the ALA Statements and Policies, a lack of privacy and confidentiality suppresses access to ideas. The possibility of surveillance, direct or through access to records of speech, research and exploration, undermines a democratic society. One cannot exercise the right to read if the consequences include damage to one’s reputation, ostracism from the community or workplace, or criminal penalties. For libraries to become successful as centers for uninhibited access to information, librarians must stand behind the users’ right to privacy.

Protecting Patrons

Article VII of the Library Bill of Rights counsels that libraries should ‘advocate for, educate about, and protect people’s privacy, safeguarding all library use data, including personally identifiable information.” (Caldwell-Stone) This requires libraries and all those who work in libraries to uphold an atmosphere that is civil, respectful, and protective of the library user’s privacy. The possibility of observation through access to records of speech, research and exploration undermines the society. For libraries to become successful as centers for access to information, librarians must stand behind their users’ right to privacy and freedom of inquiry.

Patron information to the list above is kept private. Any report that is pulled will not be published publicly. Rockwall Public Library limits the degree to which personally identifiable information is monitored, collected, disclosed, and distributed. The library also ensures that contracts and licenses reflect library policies and legal obligations concerning user privacy and confidentiality; making sure that the agreements addresses appropriate restrictions on the use, aggregation, dissemination, and sale of personally identifiable information, particularly information about minors.

For Rockwall Public Library, all surveys, questionnaires, and needs assessments are completed on a “no-personal” information basis. To improve the collection, the library uses a Likert-type scale for the attendees to privately measure the opinions. The organization uses methods to understand an insight of whether the users are happy with the collections or genres that are currently on the shelves; and if they have additional opinions regarding what they would like to have on the shelves.

Choice means giving users options to how any personal information collected from them may be used. Provision of many library services requires the collection and retention of personally identifiable information. Whether this is required, automatic, or voluntary, the library should retain this information only as long as is necessary to fulfill the function for which it was initially acquired. Two commonly used arrangements are ‘opt-in’ and “opt out”. With opt-in, by default they are not included and affirmative steps are required for inclusion. With opt-out, by default is included and affirmative steps are required for exclusion. If they choose to opt-out there will not be a conflict between privacy and accessing the needs of the user.

Government Investigations

A subpoena is used to compel a person or entity to produce documents for evidence. Normally, a subpoena can be issued by an attorney, as they fill out the appropriate documentation under oath and follow the service of process procedures. The distinction between a subpoena and a search warrant is that a warrant will compel an individual to allow others access to private belongings; the standard required to issue a search warrant is stricter. For example, a judge having jurisdiction or authority in a specific area where the desired search is for may only issue a search warrant.

Neither Rockwall government officials nor police officers are legally authorized to demand library records without first providing some form of judicial process (subpoena, search warrant, or other legally enforceable court order) to the library holding the records. Requiring a court order is neither unusual nor troublesome. Law administration officers have access to judges even after normal business hours. If law enforcement officers believe there is an imminent threat to someone’s life or the safety of the public, if there is inadequate time to obtain a warrant and they have probable cause for seizure of records – the officers may simply take custody of the records over the library’s objection bearing any legal risks associated with the decision to proceed without a warrant. Libraries do not have the liability to accumulate or retain the information about library users on behalf of law enforcement. However, when library personnel believe that a crime has been committed in the library, the library should contact the police and then use reasonable efforts to preserve any direct evidence of that crime. The library should provide the evidence to police in accordance with the law, which may require the police to obtain a court order before viewing or copying relevant library records.

Censorship

Definition

Censorship occurs when materials, like books, magazines, videos, or works of art are removed or reserved from the public. Self-censorship is the act of censoring oneself because of the fear that governments, firms, or institutions will find something that is objectionable, sensitive, or politically incorrect. Censorship pressures institutions, to suppress and remove information considered inappropriate from public access, so that no one else has the chance to read, view the material, and make up their own minds about it.

Examples of Censorship

Libraries have the responsibility of providing free access to resources and content to suffice the intellectual, academic, and social needs of a community. Librarians must ensure that they gage book collections that expose patrons to diverse ideas and perspectives. The goal here is simple: to support the core values of librarianship as it pertains to the “rights of library users to read, seek information, and speak freely as guaranteed by the First Amendment.”

A 2008 survey, conducted by the School Library Journal on self-censorship, revealed that school librarians are most culpable when it comes to this type of censoring. Survey results indicate that some school librarians admitted to self-censoring. Out of 653 schools librarians, many indicated a tendency to avoid books with “sexual content (87%), language (61%), violence (51%), homosexuality (47%), racism (34%), and religion (16%) because they are afraid of parental backlash.” Self-censoring due to “fear” can become a slippery slope with consequences more disastrous than the fear itself. (Jamison)

The American Library Association urges librarians to think of the by maintaining the position that “freedom has given the United States the elasticity to endure strain. Freedom keeps open the path of novel and creative solutions and enables change to come by choice. Every silencing of a heresy, every enforcement of an orthodoxy, diminishes the toughness and resilience of our society and leaves it the less able to deal with controversy and difference.”

How to Handle Censorship

The library’s role is to provide access to as much as possible of that knowledge, both past and present. Libraries don’t have infinite book budgets or endless shelf space; therefore they must select materials to be included in their collections. “A library walks a fine line between the creation of a coherent collection of our world’s knowledge and censorship. Censorship ignores history. When libraries choose to carry materials that may be offensive to some people in the community, they do it with a view to the future. What matters isn’t that an idea is popular or unpopular today, but that it may have an influence that will eventually be significant. Not all determinations of the relative value of ideas and works are correct, and eventually, libraries will discard items that haven’t lived up to their promise.” (Katherine Coyle) But to select or reject works would be offensive; to eradicate enormous amounts of human thought, written words, and art would create lack of access would preclude further study and use of that knowledge and experience.

Government Legislation

Past and Present

The purpose of the USA Patriot Act is to discourage terrorist acts in the United States. “Section 314 of the Patriot Act helps law enforcement identify, disrupt, and prevent terrorist acts and money laundering activities by encouraging further cooperation among law enforcement, regulators, and financial institutions to share information.” (USA National Intelligence)

Network neutrality is the principle that Internet service providers (ISPs) are required to treat any and all Internet interactions, and to not discriminate or charge differently based on user, content, website, platform, application, type of equipment, source addresses, or method of communication. With net neutrality, ISPs may not intentionally block, slow down, or charge money for specific online content. Without net neutrality, ISPs may prioritize certain types of traffic or even potentially block traffic from specific services, while charging consumers for various tiers of similar service.

The Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) is a non-profit legal and educational organization affiliated with the American Library Association. This organizations sole purpose is to protect and defend the right of the First Amendment to the Constitution and supports the rights of libraries to collect – and individuals to access – information.

“The LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund is devoted to the support, maintenance, medical well-being, and welfare of librarians who are being denied employment rights, being discriminated against based on gender, sexual orientation, race, color, creed, religion, age, disability, or place of national origin. Additionally if individuals are denied employment rights because of defense of intellectual freedom; that is, threatened with loss of employment or discharged because of their stand for the cause of intellectual freedom, including promotion of freedom of the press, freedom of speech, the freedom of librarians to select items for their collections from all the world’s written and recorded information, and defense of privacy rights.” (American Library Association)

Library Funding

The Rockwall County Library moved to a modern facility in September 2008, funded by an $11.5 million bond issue passed by the citizens of the county in November 2004.The library is approximately five times the size of the former facility and was designed by library architects from PSA-Dewberry and built by Pogue Construction. Rockwall tax payer monies are also used to provide libraries with grants at the local level, to fund statewide databases, and to provide necessary state infrastructure so that libraries can operate smoothly. These grants come directly from the federal government through the appropriations bill. Grants provide financial support for local libraries critical for training library staff, affording database access and helping to provide users access to information through library networks. While the majority of library funding comes from the local level, especially for public libraries such funding largely covers administrative costs and collection development and maintenance.

Importance of Awareness

The Rockwall Library does have an in-house advisory board created for the sole purpose to encourage development, recommending court policies and programs, and reviewing the annual need of the library prior to the submission to the court. All policies and procedures are made and changed through the advisory board. Librarians can keep up with what is going on at the local, state, and federal levels by attending town hall meetings and viewing the updates on the Rockwall Government website. The newer updated policies are kept at the county hall and digital copies are updated on the county website.

Conclusion

“Public libraries function as limited public forums for access to information. Article V of the Library Bill of Rights states: “A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.” Meaning policies, procedures, or regulations that may result in denying, restricting, or creating physical or economic barriers to access to the library’s public forum must be based on a compelling government interest. (Guidelines for Library Policies) Throughout the research of this paper, there were no surprises; the researcher did not have any concerns about the state of libraries and information centers. Nor should library and information professionals should be concerned about privacy, censorship, and government legislation. The regulations, policies, and procedures recognized by the Rockwall Government improve the established the mission of the library; define its functions, services, and operations; and help ascertain the rights and responsibilities of the individuals served by the library.

This document will discuss, Censorship in video games, how it is regulated and how it affects today’s culture, and whether or not the current rating system is still effective or does it need to be completely reworked.

This will be done by talking about a small number of the rating systems for games across the world some of which are the UK’s and the USA’s rating systems and how they are used.

This essay will also include why we censor our video games, and who is in control of this censorship.

This will then lead to some news stories of where censorship was used and caused an uproar within the gaming community as well as some instances of where games have either failed to censor a game for one reason or another.

Finally, this will be rounded off with where censorship is headed and what should be changed according to what’s happened in the past and where it is headed now.

What is censorship?

Censorship as defined by the English dictionary states “The suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security.”

Censorship on a social level could be discussed as being different as censorship in general can be taken a few ways one of which is banning games from the public an extreme example of this is China.

They are incredibly well known for censoring most of if not all media that is made this would include Google, Facebook, and Youtube as some big web-based products they also ban video games such as ‘Player Unknown Battlegrounds (PUBG,2017) and many more show by this list of recent games banned in China “China’s newly set-up integrity committee targets esports games in the country, banning PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite, with rumors about League of Legends and Overwatch swirling. While the news has been picked by several respected sources, the media is treading carefully still. Here’s what we know.”(Mike Johnson,2018) This is very common in China as they are all under tight watch from the government.

The Governing bodies that decide on what and how to censor a game are different from place to place, In one country a game could be rated and a lower age bracket in another place making it more accessible in the local community and could be deemed more socially acceptable whereas it could be the opposite in another place.

In the UK they have the PEGI (Pan European Game Information) system, which started back in 2003. This is the system that is used within the United Kingdom the rating starts from PEGI3 to PEGI18(adult) This basically covers the age rating from 3-18. (PEGI,2003)

In the UK the PEGI rating system is now legally enforceable and could be prosecuted under the full extent of the law making it harder for younger gamers to play the games they want and giving the parents control over whether or not their child would be allowed to play an over aged game(BBC,2012).

The PEGI rating system has symbols that describe what is included in the game so you don’t have a block of text to know what is in the game this could include such symbols as e.g. gambling, sexual content, bad language, and towards the end of 2018 they added a symbol for in-game purchases also known as microtransactions (PEGI,2003)

Above are some examples of these symbols that you may find in a game this is by no means all of them.

In the USA they have the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) system.

This system is used within the united states and the rating goes from everyone to ‘Adults Only’ this means it goes for a slightly higher rating than the UK. (ESRB,1994)

Unlike with the Pegi rating the ESRB has no federal law over whether a game could be sold to a minor this means it’s much looser and not just down to parents but down to the ethics of the retailer because if there is no law being enforced to stop them selling it though it would mostly give the shop a bad reputation which is the main reason to stop them from selling Adult only games to a 10-year-old. (ESRB,1994)

In the same way that the PEGI rating system has very similar symbols to give an illustration of what is in the game the ESRB doesn’t have pictures but do have written descriptions giving a more throw description of the contents of the game some of there are

• Alcohol Reference – Reference to and/or images of alcoholic beverages.
• Mature Humor – Depictions or dialogue involving ‘adult’ humor, including sexual references
• Simulated Gambling – Player can gamble without betting or wagering real cash or currency (ESRB,1994)

Another point to note is that there are far more descriptors of themes in games than in the PEGI system making this system more true to telling the audience what is in the game but is held back by no federal law.

In Australia, they have the ACB (Australian Classification Board)

This system is used within Australia and the rating goes from general to restricted (x) this is more in line with the USA’s regulatory system. (ACB,1970)

Like the PEGI there is a law behind it and the retailers would get into legal trouble if there were caught selling over-aged games to minors.

Unlike both the other two rating systems talked about there are no content descriptions at all this means that there is no descriptive information on the game’s box giving people less information on what’s in the game. Saying this they are more strict and tight on their rating systems, as they are the only one out of these three to ban a game recently.

Why do we have censorship and what is its aim

There are quite a few reasons that we have censorship in games, This is such a broad topic as there are different reasons for censorship depending on where you go china, for instance, censors all social media as they want to know what information is coming in, and out of there country to places like the UK and USA who just censored for political and social reasons as it could have a bed effect on society if a game glorifies murder or displays sexual content to someone who is not at an age to see it.

Below are some examples of some real stories and how they are dealt with to really show the aim of why we censor our media.

Hidden in the game ‘GTA San Andreas’(rock*,2004) code there was an unused mission where the player would have sex with an NPC (non-playable character) in quite a graphic way causing an uproar in the community and being one of the reasons that games need to be regulated and rated” Jack Thompson and other anti-gaming advocates denounced the Hot Coffee mod in the media as if it were an existing feature of the game that children could easily stumble across. This led to the game being pulled from stores across the USA and re-rated as AO (Adults Only) by the ESRB (already an 18 in the UK). Rockstar was forced to permanently remove this feature and they soon released a non-modifiable 2nd edition of GTA San Andreas, which regained the M rating.”(gtawiki, current).

Because of all these reasons these regulatory systems are to restrict specifically thematic content from particular demographics of society making it so specific games are regulated and games like ‘Hatred’ (hatred,2015)don’t make it into the public as a game where the whole premise is just murder, though it is not classified as banned but it did get an Adult Only rating and banned from consoles (Xbox and PlayStation)” An ‘AO’ rating from the ESRB is usually commercial death for a video game. It means major US retailers won’t stock it and consoles like PlayStation and Xbox won’t allow it”.(Keith Stuart,2015)

Another way we censor our games on a community level is when a school or church banns a game from being played by the community saying they’re talking about it too much or they feel it’s causing ill effects this happened when some bring in religious beliefs saying it will take your immortal soul away “Be warned naive and innocent gamers – Satan wants your soul so very badly, that he is using videogames and the publishers who release them to tighten his grip on your life force.

That’s according to the author of an article in the Philadelphia family paper The Bulletin, which claims video games are aimed at destroying Christian values.” This shows that some communities are so hell-bent on not liking video games or believe there bad they try and get them banned from their community because some communities are so tight nit that if a person’s figurehead statue says they feel it should be banned the community normally follows.

Criticism is the rating system

As with all the positives with the rating systems it has also received lots of backlash and has also been seen in a light where it could be seen as not a very good system as shown by the many stories and issues talked about below.

The first one is downloading games online, This is fairly new in the age of the internet but what it is, is that players can download games from a platform called Steam and play their games. The issue with it is that they are practically no regulations all they ask for is your birthdate each time you want to look at an adult game and they do not check if you are telling the truth or not making it so any kid who knows what a birth date older than 18 can do this and perches the game(steam,2019)

As you can see this is the only blockade that is stopping minors get hold of these games digitally.

This is down to technology advancing faster than the regulatory system can keep up because now as stated above it is so incredibly easy to lie and have full access to the game and with children becoming smarter and smarter parental locks with become obsolete as the child will be able to unlock them at will unannounced to their parents.

One public uproar that was put to light was when the ‘Mortal Kombat’ game was banned and refused classification the video game will be impossible to sell as a media-based product need a rating system on it for it to be shelved and sold this happened back in 2011 with the current ‘Mortal Kombat (2011)’(WB Games,2011 ) for the time that the game was too violent for Australia’s audiences to view as stated by an ign article that the games classification will not be given in Australia “The highly anticipated video game Mortal Kombat, published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE) in Australia, has been refused classification by the Australian Classification Board and will not release in Australia”(IGN,2011).

This stopped an entire nation from playing this game as it was 100% unavailable causing mass censorship from the entire of Australia.

One penultimate point to state on the decline of the rating systems is that parents are buying overrated games for these children this defeats the purpose of having ratings if the parents are buying it for them at a young age.” “Most parents think their child is mature enough so that these games will not influence them,’ Modulum researcher Jurgen Freund told a games conference”(BBC,2018) This shows that the reason is that parents are making a judgment call to decide whether it is appropriate for their children.

Finally, ad revenue on games is not rated what this means is that a game that is rated for children might have advertisements that would contain themes of an adult nature one example being ‘Sims Freeplay’ (EA,2011) there is an ad for a game called episodes witch the ad asked the watcher whether they should sleep with this person giving a very adult choice to a 12+ game defeats the point of having an age rating if there is going to be third party content showing a much higher rating content, this is something witnessed by myself and others.

All of this shows the rating systems in a new light showing that it is not perfect and not everyone follows it, this could be a cultural thing of thinking your child is old enough at a younger age.

It also shows that in the new internet culture people are talking to one another and finding ways to play games that they probably should not.

Conclusion

After all the research done it is very obvious to say that censorship to one extent is a good thing, stopping a young society of children playing games that are unsuitable for them.

Though it is don’t incredibly different across the globe with places like the UK and AU each having laws to back them to stop the wrong kinds of people from obtaining this kind of media(video games) the USA who have no laws attached to their system and just told to follow it or be at risk of getting into industry and social trouble.

Why games are censored, The hidden features of a game that was way too inappropriate caused the game’s rating to change shrinking the pool of people allowed to play their game.

To have games so horrific that they are banned on many platforms and make anyone who owns that platform unable to play and is censored from it as well as communities choosing to ban the games themself.

To the lows of the rating system with today’s teach age it has become almost impossible to regulate because they ask you for your age with no proof making it very easy to combat.

Going onto banned games causes an uprising stopping an entire continent from playing a game showing how wide and harsh the rating system can go as well as how poor the advertisements are on mobile games.

Finally how parents are just buying the game for their children as there feel they should decide what is appropriate for them.

All this discusses where we are with censorship in the games industry and how it is driven mostly by the politics of the community and government and how it will be hard to keep up with the rating systems still being new but with technology changing so fast they will need to keep up for risk affecting the community greatly.