Manhunt 2, which had been banned in the UK last year, has now been given permission for release in June after an appeal by Rockstar Games. Part of the defence used by Rockstar is that although the game is violent and is about committing murder it is no more violent than a Tarantino film.
I think the comparison is missing the very point of video games. My two young sons will always choose to play on the Wii rather than watch TV, the reason being that they like interacting rather than just passively watching the activity on screen. If I am watching a film and one character tortures another, it is the writer and director who are choosing to do the maiming. If I am controlling the character, then it's my choice to torture or not. I'm no psychologist, but that has to have a much bigger impact.
The latest Splinter Cell used the emotional choice you have in the game rather well. You have to make two opposing groups both trust you. One of the first assignments ends with you being asked to kill an innocent helicopter pilot who begs you not to. The game makes it clear that it's your choice and you don't have to do it to continue the game. I did kill him to gain more trust with the bad guys and, much to my surprise, I genuinely felt bad about it. This isn't something I've ever experienced before in a game, and it raises the question not of what Manhunt 2 involves but of what emotional involvement you have. A much harder thing to quantify.
I was talking to a friend about games recently and he was extolling Bioshock. One of his main selling points was that he got to burn a dead cat and hit it with a wrench while it was floating in water, making it bob pleasingly. To be fair to him, he was using this as an example of the interactivity of the environment. I hope it's safe to say that for him, Bioshock is purely entertainment and not a reflection of his ability to form emotional ties, as it seemed to be for me in Splinter Cell. Still, I wasn't overly convinced about this and have since made sure I always face him and avoid making sudden movements when chatting.
I hope he doesn't read this. I wouldn't want to make him angry.