Rhetoric

The Oxford English Dictionary states that rhetoric is 'language designed to pursuade or impress (usually with an implication of incincerity or exaggeration)'. This is often always true, take the Daily Mail article 'Ban these evil games' as an example, the information presented was exaggerated to imply that the boy's involvment with the game Manhun was more extreme than it actually was.
Rhetoric can be what is said about games such as in the Daily Mail article but also what is said or implied within the games themselves, this is the angle I have chosen to look at further.
The representation of sexuality is a good example to show how certain messages and ideologies are expressed through games. 'Heterosexuality is promoted to "evoke desire and identification"' Leena-Maija Rossi cited in Wolf and Perron (2003). Gives a clear example of sexuality being promoted from a certain view point, is the game The Sims, where 'the goal of the game is to develop a neighbourhood of healthy and happy simulated people' Freidman and Miklaucic, cited in Wolf and Perron (2003). They also suggest that the game provides 'ideological biases' as there are certain 'tasks' and arrangements that are fobidden.
As the aim of the game suggests, you are expected to find your 'sim' a mate, a partner with who they will fall in love and marry and have children. This is what is expected but is also the only option allowed by the game. Same sex couples are allowed but they can only live as roommates with their own bedrooms and are very rarely offered the adoption of a baby. As well as not allowing couples to live together unless married, your 'sim' is also not allowed to have a baby before marriage or adopt a baby on their own. Clear emphasis is put on getting married and having children to make the family complete and there are no options to stray from this set up.
Therefore then, the ideological messages being subconsiously omitted by the Sims is that a person should marry and have children to create a nuclear family that is healthy for a functioning society. Although this is also the concnesus in most 'real' societies' the fact that all other variations of living have been ingored or intentionally disallowed suggests that the creator (Will Wright) wants his players to follow a similar view on life, to promote heterosexuality as the 'norm'.

Word Count: 404
Bibliography:
Perron, B., Wolf, J., (2003). The Video Game Theory Reader. London; Routledge.
The Oxford English Dictionary (1933).