ABSTRACT
The regulation of games constitutes a form of moral classification and is ineradicably linked to moral panics concerning the influence and impact of games. The empirical research that precedes this discussion has aimed to support classification processes in New Zealand, which operates a legally enforceable age-restriction system. When applied to consideration of game violence in the context of regulation, the problem becomes apparent as game structure is contextualized and its context is 'gamified'. The homogeneousness of violence across different contexts together with 'media blindness' (Hausken 2004) to the distinguishing qualities of games has led to the affordances of the artifact becoming tied to and confused with conventional notions of violence as an interpersonal, physical, and illegitimate act. Arguments citing cultural continuity and familiarity do not completely absolve the object or the player whose character still remains in question due to the partial reliance on the player to make the right choices and possess the right motives.
