A little over-dramatic I know, but it was typed into their complaints box on the website and I’m starving hungry. I’m not exactly happy with the alliteration..

Ever since the boom in the video games industry, the BBC has sided in a very conservative manor regarding the negativity of age ratings, violence and children playing them. It has continually happened since the launch of ‘Grand Theft Auto’, through to what has, today, been called a violent game, Halo 3.
The problem with such repeatedly wayward reporting, not just from the website, but the news and radio is that it gives an all to bias (and wrong) opinion on the gaming market.
As of 2006 the gaming market is larger than Hollywood and the music industry, it’s reported that almost every home in Britain is privy to one PC, many of whom play video games. As well as PC’s we have 5 major gaming platforms at the moment, Nintendo’s Wii console, Sony’s Playstation 3, Microsoft’s Xbox360, Sony’s PSP (Playstation Portable) and Nintendo’s DS Lite.
It is in regards to continually incorrect and bias opinion on games on these formats that has finally spurred me into writing this formal complaint on the back of what can only be classed as, amateurish and decieving information to the general public who have, for many, many years seen the BBC as the forerunner in world news.

I myself am a 3D environmental artist, which basically equates to being a 3D modeller of gaming environments or level assets (what you see in the game as you play). As well as being in a position related to the gaming industry, I am a massive fan with, what I can only class as extremely intricate knowledge of gaming in the western world where the BBC would have you believe that violence in games is the key to the popularisation of video games and creating not only insociable people, but also violent youths.

The problem is that the vast majority of the time this is wrong. It’s all too easy to class games as violent because it has recieved a rating of 15 of above, which is incorrect, especially in the world of video games where games are issued ratings depending on specific game content, i.e. if blood appears it becomes a 12, swearing it becomes a 15. Video games aren’t judged on the same sliding scale as movies (which oddly enough aren’t commented on in the same negative light by yourselves..)

Today you classed ‘Halo 3′ as a violent video game when in actual fact, it really isn’t. Does it feature guns? Yes. So did Home Alone, but I didn’t see negative press towards that as a ‘violent film’, despite continual bullying, shouting and violence throughout.

Not only did you decieve the general public by saying Halo3 was a violent game, you also proceeded to show in-game footage of Killzone 2, a game nothing like Halo3, nor is it even on the Xbox360 gaming format (KZ2 is a Playstation 3 exclusive title). Halo3 leans on a very science-fiction twist, Killzone2 involves killing humans, however it’s clear to see the latter would back up your incorrect and unresearched comments regarding ‘violent video games’.

In the past (March 2007) on BBC’s Radio 1 broadcast (Chris Moyles) it was also claimed that the Playstation3 was a console of immense power that blew away the Xbox360, which in itself is a very ridiculous comment to make, especially as the slightest bit of research would show that it isn’t, of course I was willing to put this down to the fact that the technology team at BBC don’t know what they are talking about (which is true in most cases I’m afraid).
Now, the reason I bring this up today is that radio1 continually broadcasted a news clip throughout the day in regards to tomorrows release of Halo3 which is set to be one of the biggest launches in gaming history, however it was claimed that:
“Microsoft hopes it’ll revive flagging sales for the Xbox 360.”
This again is misinformation as monthly statistics of console selling volume clearly indicate that not only is Microsoft not struggling to sell the Xbox360,  it’s the biggest selling of the 3 home use consoles and that it also has by far the highest game to console attachment rate at over a staggering 6.

I suggest to you that words should be had in regards to research into video games as it is continually void of accurate information and never backed by easily accessible statistics.

If you would like to contact me further regarding these issues I am more than willing to give a more informative, in-depth look at video games and iron out the misconceptions that are attached to the BBC. You are carrying a heavy, unwarrented stigma towards video games, the market and the home users which need to change.

Thankyou,
Karl Moon

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