Ah, the list that builds up only to end with a general "talk amongst yourselves" point. I apologize for the banality, but it's undoubtedly true: free speech is a primary facet of gaming. Most of the issues I described, along with countless others, are mere blips in the herculean dialogue on freedom of speech. It's a discussion as old as democracy itself. It's a right granted by this country, and one which we are obligated to defend. Since we were born predisposed to be attracted to blinking lights and neat sounds, video games represent our post to guard in this battle.
But let us not become narrow-minded in a quest for tolerance. What are the bounds of free speech, if any? Does the old "yelling fire in a crowded theater" scenario count? Does blatant slander? Do I have the right to make a game where the object is to kill a real-life high-ranking politician? What if the politician was replaced by you? Yes, the you who is reading this right now. What if a game developer decided to pick on you and make a series of games where the objective was to kill you? Is there any difference?
As video games continue to ingrain themselves into our culture, they will adapt our perceptions of what free speech is, and vice versa. If this doesn't convince you that our dumb little hobby has become an enormous part of society, then nothing else will. As the late American anthropologist Clifford Geertz once said, "I don't feel that an atmosphere of debate and total disagreement and argument is such a bad thing. It makes for a vital and alive field." Indeed, every muscle tightened by unreasonable censorship, every tooth ground down when encountering frustrating DRM, and every hair grayed by Jack Thompson is not in vain. Like the sculptor crafting a beautiful statue, every response we have to such experiences shapes our definition of free speech. So marshal those feelings: think, discuss, and act.
