...let's talk about video games.

Specifically, how video games and society seem to be clashing at the moment. We're starting to see more and more pressure put on game developers. Speaking from the perspective of a gamer in the USA, we're seeing games that used to get a rating of M get the kiss-of-death AO rating. I'm speaking specifically of Manhunt 2 here. Disregarding how much the actual gameplay blows for a moment, the second one doesn't seem appreciably worse than the prequel (to me, at least, and having only watched videos of the two games rather than actually playing them, I may be completely wrong here). Since no retailers will carry AO rated games, the makers of Manhunt 2 added a filter to some of the violent kills, and basically you can't tell what's happening anymore. Here is evidence that gamers cannot simply let society keep complaining about it; there is enough pressure on developers that they will change the game in order to get a lower rating, and the pressure is only getting higher. So, what do you think should be the gamer's course of action here? Or if you're not a major video game player, what's your opinion on the situation?

Personally, I think the answer is to get people to understand that gaming is a legitimate medium for conveying meaning and, most importantly of all, that video games are NOT just for kids. Basically, I think the next step for video games is becoming an art form, like movies and books. The reason the latter two mediums don't face the harsh scrutiny gaming does is because the are accepted as art. I think we have games that could be considered art--Shadow of the Colossus and Okami come to mind for me. They also give a medium for plots and situations that don't translate well to film or paper--Any of the Shin Megami Tensei games could be cited here, as well as many other plot based games. When the medium is accepted as an art form, I think pressures on the developers will lessen.

I agree, but I'm not sure that that's something that can be sped up, to be honest.