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Graphic violence is a depiction of explicit or detailed acts ofviolence in mass media.[1] It may be real, simulatedlive action, oranimated.
Intended for viewing bymature audiences,graphic in this context is a synonym forexplicit, referring to the clear and unabashed nature of the violence portrayed.
Below are terms categorized as or related to graphic violence.
The definition ofgore is imagery depictingblood or gruesomeinjury.[2][3] On the internet, the term is used as a catch-all for footage capturing real incidents of extreme body destruction, such asmutilation,work accidents, andzoosadism. The term "medical gore" is sometimes used to refer to particularly graphic real-life medical imagery, such as intensesurgical procedures.
The term is often considered a synonym for "graphic violence", but some people or organizations distinguish between the terms "gore" and "graphic violence". One example isAdobe Inc., which separates the terms "gore" and "graphic violence" for its publication service.[1] Another example is the news siteThe Verge. It separates the term "gore" and "violence" when reporting the closure ofLiveLeak, a website that was often used to host gore videos before its closure.[4]
The distribution of gore content has resulted in legal prosecution and sentencing.[5]
Hurtcore, aportmanteau of the words "hardcore" and "hurt", is a name given to a particularly extreme form ofchild pornography, usually involving degrading violence, bodily harm, and murder relating tochild sexual abuse.[6][7][8][9]
Somedocumentary films orphotos contain graphic violence. Examples of graphic documentaries and footages are war and crime.[10][11] Unlike gore contents, sharing graphic documentary and footage is legal, although the publication of graphic footage and documentary caused debates and complaints.[12][13]
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Graphic violence generally consists of any clear and uncensored depiction of various violent acts. Commonly included depictions includemurder, assault with a deadly weapon,dismemberment, accidents which result indeath or severe injury,suicide, andtorture. In all cases, it is the explicitness of the violence and the injury inflicted which results in it being labeled "graphic". In fictional depictions, appropriately realistic plot elements are usually included to heighten the sense of realism (i.e.blood effects,prop weapons,CGI). In order to qualify for the "graphic" designation, the violence depicted must generally be of a particularly unmitigated and unshielded nature; an example would be a video of a man being shot, bleeding from the wound, and crumpling to the ground.
Graphic violence arouses strong emotions, ranging from titillation and excitement to utter revulsion and eventerror, depending on the mindset of the viewer and the method in which it is presented. A certain degree of graphic violence has becomede rigueur in adult "action" genre, and it is presented in an amount and manner carefully deliberated to excite the emotions of the target demographic without inducingdisgust or revulsion. Even more extreme andgrotesque acts of graphic violence (generally revolving aroundmutilation) are often used in thehorror genre in order to inspire even stronger emotions of fear and shock (which the viewing demographic would presumably be seeking).
It is a highly controversial topic. Many believe that exposure to graphic violence leads todesensitization to committing acts of violence in person. It has led tocensorship in extreme cases, and regulation in others. One notable case was the creation of the USEntertainment Software Rating Board in 1994. Many nations now require varying degrees of approval from television, movie, andsoftware rating boards before a work can be released to the public.
On the other hand, some critics claim that watching violent media content can becathartic, providing "acceptable outlets for anti-social impulses".[14]
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Graphic violence is used frequently inhorror,action, andcrime films. Several of these films have been banned from certain countries for their violent content.
Though violence in films is not an old topic, a recent study presented in an annualAmerican Academy of Pediatrics conference showed that the "good guys" insuperhero movies were on average more violent than thevillains, potentially sending a strongly negative message to young viewers.[15]
Film scholar Diane Shoos argues inDomestic Violence in Hollywood Film (2017) thatdomestic and family violence inHollywood cinema is represented almost ubiquitously as a private matter, a problem of the individual solved by personal agency, rather than an issue of the larger society that must be addressed through collective political action aimed at systemic change.[16]
News media on television and online video frequently cover violent acts. The coverage may be preceded with a warning, stating that the footage may be disturbing to some viewers.
Sometimes graphic images are censored, by blurring or blocking a portion of the image, cutting the violent portions out of an image sequence or by removing certain portions of film footage from viewing.
Graphic and gory violence has started appearing inmusic videos in recent times, an example being the controversial music video for the song "Rock DJ" by Britishrock vocalistRobbie Williams, which featuresself-mutilation. Another example of a music video containing strong violence is the music video for the song "Hurricane" by American rock bandThirty Seconds to Mars and "Happiness in Slavery" by Americanindustrial rock groupNine Inch Nails. The music video for "Forced Gender Reassignment" by Americandeathgrind bandCattle Decapitation displays such intense graphic violence that it is not hosted by many popular video hosting sites likeYouTube andDailymotion and is only hosted byVimeo.
Violent content has been a central part ofvideo game controversies. Because violence in video games is interactive and not passive, critics such asDave Grossman andJack Thompson argue that violence in games hardens children to unethical acts, callingfirst-person shooter games "murder simulators", although no conclusive evidence has supported this belief.
An example is the display of "gibs" (short for giblets[17]), little bits or giant chunks ofinternal organs,flesh, andbone, when a character is killed.[18]
On the internet, several sites dedicated to recordings of real graphic violence, referred to as "gore", exist, such asBestgore.com andGoregrish.com.[19][20] Furthermore, many content-aggregator sites such asReddit orimageboards or4chan and8chan[citation needed] have their own subsites which are dedicated to or allow that kind of content. Some of those sites also require that gore material to be marked as it, often by theinternet slang "NSFL" (shorthand for "not safe for life"). This kind of media might depict reality footage of war, car crashes and other accidents,decapitations, suicide,terrorism, murder, or executions. A flash-animated web series titledHappy Tree Friends, the pioneer show ofMondo Media, is known for its graphic violence.[citation needed]
