On April 2, pro-government POSTV published a story from Giorgi Akhvlediani’s program “Anatomy of Liberalism”. The same story was published on the program’s Facebook page on April 3. The story discusses how the “LGBT lobby uses computer games for propaganda” and claims that children who often play video games discover that their favorite characters are either lesbians or gays.
“The whole idea behind the game is the child identifies himself/herself with these heroes. In new episodes of their already popular games, they suddenly learn that their favorite characters turn out to be gay or lesbian. Let’s take a look – The Last of Us was initially a movie that gained great popularity, then a game was created based on it, which also became popular among young people. The following part was also popular, in which already popular characters reveal their non-traditional gender identity, and children find out in the middle of the game that their favorite character turns out to be a lesbian.”
“Tell Me Why is a popular adventure game that was released in 2020 […] and in one of the episodes, the favorite characters of teenagers are revealed to be gay”.
“Mass Effect is a trilogy. Gay romance is nowhere to be found In the first and second parts of the game, and its main character, Commander Shepard, is really a symbol of courage for children. But already in the third part of the game, which many children were probably waiting for, they learn that their favorite hero, Commander Shepard, may also be attracted to men, and it’s not a problem at all, on the contrary, it’s quite normal.”
“We see a similar scenario in the game called “Star Wars: The Old Republic”. In the original versions, traditional gender norms are preserved, however, as a rule, after updating over time, players realize that the male characters they are already familiar with turn out to love each other. – says the author of the story.
The story prepared by “Anatomy of Liberalism” about video games is manipulative. In fact, most of the games discussed in it are intended for people over the age of 17, and a symbol indicating this is shown on the discs, as well as on the sales sites and official pages of the companies.
One of the games that the show talks about and points out that kids find out about their favorite character’s orientation mid-game is The Last of Us. The shot of the characters Dina and Ellie kissing, which is used in the story, is taken from the game The Last of Us II. The same footage can be found in the announcement of the game published by the company PlayStation. Before the start of the video, the viewer sees a note that the material may contain footage that is not suitable for children.
The ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) is an organization that assigns ratings to video games based on age and content in North America. According to their website, the old and new versions of The Last of Us II are rated M, which is defined as 17+. According to the definition, the film was given this category because it contains scenes of blood, sexual content, intense violence, drug use, and nudity.
In addition to the ESRB, other organizations set age restrictions on video games. While the ESRB is used in the US, Canada, and Mexico, PEGI, the Pan-European Game Information System, is used in most European countries. According to the PEGI website, The Last of Us II is rated as a video game for adults only. The description states that the game contains scenes of violence, torture, drug use, nudity, sexual intercourse, etc.
As for the video game Tell me Why, the indication that it is intended for people 17+ and is rated M by the ESRB is also placed at the beginning of the official video released about it. According to the explanation, the game was given this category because of violence, drug use shots, as well as bloody scenes, and text containing swearing.
As for the PEGI system, according to their assessment, the game Tell me Why should be played by persons over the age of 16. In addition to the profanity, the explanation states that when the characters explore their pasts, there are frequent references to gender, including in the context of flashbacks to childhood. The game includes discussions regarding Tyler’s gender transition. These dialogues play a crucial role in the events that follow the death of their family member.
As in previous cases, Mass Effect 3 video game is not designed for people under the age of 17. The M symbol is placed at the beginning of the video published on the official Youtube page, as well as on the ESRB website. According to the PEGI definition, the game is intended for people over 18 years of age. The main reasons why the game is not recommended for minors are the scenes of sex, violence and blood, profanity, and nudity.
The video game “Star Wars: The Old Republic” is rated T (13 years and older) by the ESRB. Bloody and sexual scenes, violence, and the vocabulary of the characters of the game are named as the reasons. As for PEGI, according to the website, the game should be played by persons aged 16 and above. Violence is indicated in the reasons.
“Myth Detector” has verified a number of false and manipulative claims voiced in “Anatomy of Liberalism.” Read more in our articles:
- WHO IS PAUL MCHUGH AND HOW DOES POSTV COVER TRANSGENDER-RELATED RESEARCH?
- DO ALL INTERNATIONAL STUDIES CONFIRM THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF CHILDREN OF SAME-SEX PARENTS ARE HOMOSEXUAL?
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