episode_0035

The hearing began in a solemn atmosphere.

I thought it would be a bit difficult to free talk in English, but luckily there was an interpreter.

“Let me start my speech. Is it true that Mr. Yoon Lee-seo is developing games such as Doom, which has recently become popular?”

“That’s right.”

It was intense. It was a completely different kind of pressure than the National Assembly personnel hearings I used to watch on TV in the real world.

“Are you aware of the controversy surrounding Doom’s violence and anti-social nature, which is a central issue at this hearing?”

“I am aware.”

“Can you tell me the story of how Doom came to be created?”

“Yes. Recently, we have tried to incorporate 3D graphics, which was the topic of my thesis, for a more realistic production and play experience than the existing 2D. Later, in the storytelling process, a concept such as a warrior fighting demons emerged, and this was reinterpreted in a modern way and became the basis for the current Doom.”

Of course, it’s a joke. Doom’s story is like a porn. There’s no way to know, so you just have to watch it.

“Have you ever thought that the appearance of demons in the game would be controversial?”

“No. I was not yet familiar with American culture, so I did not think about the possibility of conflict with the Christian culture of American society in general. This is still valid.”

The room was abuzz. I guess I used a bit of aggressive wording. But I really didn’t know it would become such a hot potato.

“Then let me ask about the most important issue… violence. Were you aware that Doom’s violence would be a problem?”

“I was aware of it to some extent. However, I think it will only cause a brief controversy and not become a social problem.”

“Can you tell me why you are so sure?”

“The violence in games is not much different from the violence in movies. Just as people don’t watch Westerns and engage in revolver duels, it’s no wonder that people don’t shoot guns in Doom because they think they’re going to turn into demons.”

“I have a suggestion for you regarding the real-life manifestation of Doom’s violence. Did you know that the suspect in the New York City High School shooting had Doom and a modified version of Doom on his hard drive?”

Oh. You even mentioned modding. Now that the demand for modding is going to explode, I should make a workshop on Pipes when I get back.

“I am aware of this. But is there any proof of Doom’s violence and the causal relationship between the incident and this?”

“Isn’t it true that media with violent content has a negative impact on the listeners?”

“That is not proof. Let’s take TV, a famous violent medium, as an example. When TV was first introduced to the British island of St. Helena in 1995, the violence of the islanders did not increase as expected. This shows that violent media has no or minimal adverse effects on the listeners. This is proof.”

“…”

It’s my turn. It’s something I’ve said so many times in every debate in Korea that it’s time to give a speech that sticks in my mouth.

“There is no proof of a causal relationship between the violence in games and the real world. Even if you look at the papers that prove this, they are all full of errors and poorly controlled variables, worse than my thesis, and not even worthy of being called papers. TV was also accused of the same thing and was later proven to have no significant effect, and movies went through the same process.”

The crowd began to stir again.

“I don’t understand why people treat you like Voldemort whenever the word “game” comes up. Why is freedom not applied to games in America, the land of the free? How long are we supposed to watch the older generations suppressing new cultures based on authoritarianism? Look at Prohibition. People don’t give up when something is blocked, they try to do something. Don’t try to go against the flow of the times! This is a country where you can do anything! ”

He ended his speech by adding the word “freedom” that Americans are crazy about. Wouldn’t this change public opinion a little?

“Shut up, you devil’s servant!”

Wow. Someone has appeared who will finally drive the wedge in.

“Here’s some evidence that proves that the devil’s whore sold her body to Satan! According to the report, the bitch’s head is in a hidden space behind the king of the demons at the end of the game! If this isn’t evidence that those evil demons are at work, then what is!”

What the fuck?

Hey guys, what on earth did you put in there? It’s said to be an easter egg in the original, but I don’t think they’d know about it.

“That devil’s game made by that prostitute is overflowing into our schools and workplaces! That blasphemous thing is destroying our country’s future and productivity! That damn Japs is trying to bring America back to Pearl Harbor! People! Don’t fall for that wicked tongue!”

“Senator McCarthy! Watch your words!”

“Because of games, young people have human faces but beast brains! The church must take the lead and exert its power to protect American society from the anti-normative medium called games! Here is a list of those who work with the devil and act in secret like that girl – sob sob!”

“Anyone who interferes with the parliamentary activities will be removed. Mr. Yoon Yi-seo, please continue speaking. ”

“I guess that person has never played the game I made. I guess the devils reviewed and approved the game about beating up devils. I guess the devils have masochistic tendencies like you.”

One dog’s unprecedented trolling made the hearing that followed disappear from everyone’s memory. After that, the dog was remembered as a dark gamer comparable to Renya Mudaguchi or something.

It was not until the very end of the hearing that any mention of an age limit was made.

“The problem is that anyone can do it. The movies you mentioned earlier have age restrictions, but anyone can play games.”

“The game description and in-game text recommend that adults and above play. You could block people under a certain age from playing Doom, but that would be illegal collection of personal information and would also violate the principles of freedom I mentioned. However, I also acknowledge the need for age tags.”

“Do you recognize the need for regulation?”

“I agree with self-regulation through private organizations rather than mandatory regulation through the law. I think it should not become censorship disguised as prior review.”

Because we shouldn’t have another unprecedented censorship agency like the one in Korea. Of course, there’s already a lot of noise in Korea about creating a committee and such.

“Okay, we’ll discuss this later.”

So, the hearing is over.

***

The United States is famous as the birthplace of laissez-faire, but it is also a country where asceticism is more deeply rooted than you might think.

Even just 60 years ago, we can see that Prohibition, the unprecedented law banning all alcohol, was still in place, supported by Christian fundamentalism in the name of rebuilding social morality.

It was like the game regulations were enacted in the wake of the Atari Shock, hoping to gain the support of parents. Since the main target group was students with low purchasing power, just like making bootleg alcohol during Prohibition, making games secretly would have resulted in losses since no one would buy them, so games were not made even illegally.

That is, people who were banned from gaming by the state in the early 1980s continued to be oppressed and deprived of sufficient dopamine until the end of the century.

Thanks to the fact that the newspapers even gave it a big headline that it was a ridiculous hearing, my argument and I were engraved in the minds of the entire nation, and I finally unleashed my pent-up desire for dopamine.

[We have the freedom to play games!]

People took to the streets carrying slogans calling for freedom.

The fire spread like crazy, and our garage, the center of the fire, was surrounded by the extreme fans, extreme haters, and trash, and they started a three-way battle among themselves.

The Workshop, the official mod brokerage platform, was bursting with mods, and sales of Doom were once again skyrocketing.

AdSense was flooded with ads commissioned by individuals, many of which had phrases like “Gamers of the World, Unite!”

Pipe has now transformed from a place to download games to a platform that brokers games created by various groups of programmers, becoming a central hub for gamers.

Digital Inside… what should I say? It was burning down again. If there was a problem, it was only a minor issue where the server was also burned down and the site would go down at any given time? But compared to the original world, this was a fairyland, so it should be okay.

Moreover, thanks to the fact that one dog shot a group of gamer protesters with a rifle, calling them devil worshippers, the flow reached a point where it could no longer be stopped.

It was early winter, and the signals that the world was returning to normal were shining so brightly.