An 18 age rated game or film is the highest rating in shops and cinemas.

The
media suggests that audiences look for specific features in an 18-rated game
when playing it, for example violence, sex and bad language, when in fact
research suggests that these factors arent so dominant as you may think. A
review of the game Grand Theft Auto 5 stated, Im not sure every aspect is an
unqualified success, and its violent bitterness can be a little wearying, but this is
a bold and scintillating full-stop to an explosive generation of video games. This
suggests that the violence featured in this game isnt so much an enjoyable
factor for most audiences. GTA is a free play game Given GTAs sense of
freedom, you can cause wanton carnage on the streets with whomever you
wish. This is a factor which audiences find appealing and why people chose to
play the game.
Students who had played a violent virtual reality game had a higher heart rate,
reported more dizziness and nausea, and exhibited more aggressive thoughts in
a post-test than those who had played a nonviolent game This shows that video
games can have an effect on peoples health. Although this may be due to
consistent game play, the issues are still apparent. Although people playing
these violent games may be considered aggressive, it may also be a way of
releasing anger in a virtual way rather than physically. The media suggest that
violence in video games can lead to people to re-enact elements from video
games, known as The Copycat Theory. An example of this is the James Bulger
murder case. Violent crime, particularly among the young, has decreased
dramatically since the early 1990s, while video games have steadily increased in
popularity and use said researcher Patrick Kierkegaard. This counteracts the
argument that video games make people more violent. Censorship is used in
films and video games in order to keep clips appropriate for a younger audience.
For example, films given an age ratings such as a 12, may feature scenes which
suggest sexual activity, although it has not been shown to the audience, only
hinted towards so that younger viewers wouldnt realise, and older viewers
would understand in more of an appropriate way. Some believe that censorship is
needed within the media to protect children Censorship exposes kids to things
they should not be learning or seeing at their age. There really aren't any reason
why censorship isn't necessary. This means that it is not appropriate to expose
children to sensitive material due to their young age. Others believe that not
everything should be censored in the media Media censorship is a curtain which
tries to cover the issues no one wants to talk about. Media censorship often
times leads to ignorance. This suggests that the media appears to be not
showing, or making the truth less harsh because its inappropriate to be shown
on national television. Some argue that this should be changed.
An audience responses to things such as films can depend on how successful the
film is. A negotiated response is when the reader accepts the preferred reading,
but changes it so it may reflect their own experiences and interests. A preferred
response is when the audience understands the message the film is trying to get
across and agrees with it. An oppositional response is when the reader
understands the preferred response but chooses to reject this with their own
point of view. A participatory response is when the audience interacts and
participates with the media they are consuming. Fan culture is when an audience
takes an active role within the creation of media that is based on an existing
product. They may choose to create their own version of the show, for example
an alternative ending to a movie.
A passive audience is an audience who believe what they have been told. They
dont form their own opinion of affairs and it is considered to be a form of brain
washing. The media controls messages and influences that the audience have.
This dates back to the 1930s with the use of Nazi propaganda. A more recent
example of this is the Brexit vote in the UK in 2016, politicians who were part of
the leave campaign argued that we should leave due to a lack of boarder control
and money that we give to the European Union every month. This would make
the viewer think that us being in the EU is a negative thing, when actually when
you look more into the affair, there is a lot more behind it than these theories. A
passive audience would not look into the issue and would agree with what they
have been told by the media. Someone who is an active audience would form
their own opinion about issues. Examples of passive theories are The
Hypodermic Needle Model and an example of an active consumption theory is
the Uses and Gratifications Theory.
The hypodermic syringe model is a theory which explores the concept where the
media is like a syringe which injects ideas, attitudes and beliefs into the
audience. The audience, represents a powerless mass which have little choice
and easily influenced. The media represents power and what they say influences
the audiences on a mass scale. Furthermore, if an audience member was to
watch something violent, they may go and do something violent. This is an
effective way of getting specific messages across to the audience. This theory
was introduced in the 1940s and 50s, when te media began to have a strong
impact on the public. A key example is Hitlers monopolization of the mass media
during world war two to make the Nazi party appear better than another. The
media may lie about stories in order to brainwash the audience into believing a
certain message. The media blamed the columbine shootings on the influence of
violent video games, such as Call of Duty as the video game gives the viewer the
ability to commit violent actions in a virtual world. This made the public believe
that these types of games were the reason for this mass shooting, as well as
many others. This mass audience theory gives the media control over what
audience believes which is a positive for them, it also helps them to sell things
like newspapers and get higher viewings on news shows, when having
outrageous storys, like how video games are the cause of violence in young
viewers. This is a negative on the general public, it means that they may not be
able to form their own opinion on current events, if they are only told one side of
the story.
The uses and gratification theory explores how unlike the hypodermic needle
model, the audience determines what to do with the media rather than the
media having a direct influence on the them. When an audience views media,
the message of the media is not forced on them, they interpret the message in
their own way. The main concept being the media does not fully control an
audience, they give across an idea which the audience can then interpret in their
own way, forming their own opinion and essentially, giving them the power to be
able to go against what they have been told. There are many types of
gratification; Personal identity is a form where we find models for out behaviour
through forms of media such as the television. The characters help the audience
to decide what we would like to be like a person, as well as what actions we
decide to take due to their influence. Their success can lead us to feel better
about ourselves as they are like a role model. This can be a positive thing if the
viewer picks a positive role model, but if someone who is viewed in a negative
light is seen as a role model to an audience, it can lead them to perform negative
acts. Entertainment is a form of media, which we use for our own enjoyment and
relaxation. This has very little negative impacts on the viewer, but mainly used
to just fill up time and have little influence on the outcome of their lives and
actions. Integration and social interaction is used In the media to find out more
about the circumstances of other people. Television may help us to get on with
our real friends, as we are able to talk about the media with them even
substituting character from films or TV programmes for our own families.
Reception theory challenges the way we prefer to read a text. A preferred
reading is the reading, which the media producers want the audience to receive.
This means that the reader does not interpret something in a way that it isnt
supposed to be portrayed. A negotiated reading is one where the audience
accepts the meaning the media producers intend for the text but it changes
some of the intentions of the text to suit its own position. This is when a message
that the producer is trying to get across is accepted, but the viewer can interpret
their own meaning from it, although understanding what they were trying to get
across. An oppositional reading is one where the audience reject the preferred
reading of the text and interprets it in a different way, objecting the intended
meaning. An example of an oppositional reading is Stanley Kubricks, A
Clockwork Orange contains a lot of violence, although Kubrick was trying to
create this in a bad light, discouraging people from copying the crimes within the
movie. People who watched the movie mirrored these actions and Kubrick
banned the movie from sales in the UK, as he didnt want the crimes within the
movie to be portrayed in real life as this was the opposite of the message he was
trying to get across.

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http://www.debate.org/opinions/media-censorship-a-necessary-change [Accessed 23 Mar. 2017].

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