With increased displays of violence in the United States, and in the wake of the recent mass shootings that happened in El Paso and Dayton, corporations are dialing back any medium that displays violence too.
Big Corporations such as Walmart, ABC, ESPN, have taken special note of the games which reference violence be it on their consoles, displays or are violence-based games, be it combat or shooting. This also includes hunting themed games where killing and shooting is an integral part.
These changes in promotion and displays show an increased awareness of recent events, audience sensitivity, and also an attempt to curb the normalization of violence that these games end up doing.
ESPN has postponed the taped broadcast of an Apex Legends tournament which was planned for this weekend. The coverage of last weeks show will also be postponed across ABC, ESPN2, and ESPNEWS. Esports journalist Rod Breslau was the first to report the postponement and was later confirmed by Ars Technica, who shared that the decision was based out of their respect for victims of the shootings and the immediate impact these acts of violence had on the people. “It seemed the prudent thing to do given the swirl of that moment,” the source revealed.
This is not the first time that video game violence has been under the inspection. Politicians and scholars have previously stated how playing these violent video games endorse violence. And despite the fact that these big conglomerates have not made a permanent change in their product selection or curriculum, these temporary changes testify to the slow shifts taking place in the minds of its leaders and amongst the ordinary people. If things normally go, similar to post-September 11, 2001, with the collective memory and sensitivity to violence decreasing the changes will dissolve back to its old programs.