Design Response
Argumentitive Essay
Our Fascination With Violence
Additionally, I suggest that, because Death Race existed in a games market already replete with depictions of militarized violence, the game triggered outrage not merely because it was violent, but because it depicted violence which clearly questioned the state's monopoly on legitimized violence and did not exist in other culturally accepted narratives of violence, such as the cinematic western. I outline how the reaction to Death Race did little to squelch the game's distribution, and instead had the contrary effect of driving sales and vaulting Exidy into the national spotlight. Further, I argue that the discourse surrounding Death Race helped forge a strong tie between video gaming and violence in the public imagination, effectively ensuring the development of similarly violent games. This bond has persisted to the present, leading to the development of several similar games, most famously the controversial Grand Theft Auto franchise – the progeny of Death Race in both theme and reception.