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For years, people like Jack Thompson have been spewing invective in an attempt to bring the video game industry to its knees. And while he and the rest of his cronies have done all they can to paint the picture that the entire video game industry is rife with sex, drugs and violence, Nintendo has led the way in showing the world that that’s not even close to true.
Last week, AJ Pierzynski of the Chicago White Sox was asked why he spent hours during spring training playing with his Nintendo DS. Instead of telling the reporters that he tried to kill 15 men in 10 seconds, he explained that he was playing a vision-training game on the device to improve his ability to see the baseball.
Of course, Pierzynski’s use of the DS isn’t the only “non-violent” use of video games today and many people have found the DS and Wii to be bastions of fitness, health and fun. And although others are trying to carry the torch with Nintendo, no company in the video game industry has done what the hardware and software manufacturer has been able to do: show the world that there’s more to video games than violence and sex.
Just don’t tell Jack Thompson that.
Too often, Nintendo is taken to task for being too “kiddie.” When a parent tries to decide which console they want to buy for their young children, more often than not, they’ll choose a Wii or DS because the library of games is more suitable to children of that age. Granted, there are some titles that may not, but Nintendo has gone out of its way to make sure its games are fun, innovative and especially, non-violent.
And yet, Nintendo is caught between a rock and hard place. There’s a certain group of people that look at Nintendo and commend the company for doing what it can to turn the tide of violence and sex in video games. On the other hand, a vocal group tries to condemn the firm for not offering the kind of content it believes most people want.

cnet.com


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