“Moral Kombat” places the entire game industry in its viewfinder, training its sights upon the pioneers who conceived it, the politicians who want to regulate it, the publishers and retailers who are reaping the proceeds and the pundits eager to pronounce on topics from copycat violence to First Amendment freedom.

Throughout, Halpin strives for a balanced stance. “We want people to understand why these games are being made and what are the ramifications,” he says. “We pulled in every opinion, to run the gamut of ideologies.”

To help make sense of the issues, Halpin selected forceful and articulate participants. “They’re so in-your-face you get their points right away,” he says. “I imagine that people watching this film will change their opinions as many times as I changed mine.”

“I’m very protective of the film and the issue of what financial gain people will make from it. If the greed factor takes over, it will devalue the entire project, and everything in this conversation is for nothing.”

Rationalizing Consequences

Ultimately, Halpin wants to help people set their own course. “My view is that consumers need access to information about the content of games so they can make their own decisions about what to buy,” he says. “We need a universal rating system. The industry must take this seriously and provide the information so parents can find out what their child will be taking in.”

A significant share of the documentary is devoted to showing how video games affect children. “Interactive games give people a whole new way to rationalize consequences,” he says. “Children in particular are very good at figuring out where choices will lead — they do that naturally as they play any game. Now, with this new media, children have the ability — in an afternoon — to rationalize what it would be like to be a good or bad person. If it’s used in a proper way, this can be the ultimate development tool.”

Many games conceive a benign world and positive interactions; Halpin even cites one, Fable, that lets kids become the good guy or the bad guy based on how they interact with other characters during the adventure. But clearly, many games lead down darker paths.

Both Sides Now

Halpin puts both sides in front of his camera. He interviews Henry Jenkins of the MIT Media Lab, who, he says, “is often labeled an apologist for the video games business.” Jenkins talks about how his students once saw their destiny in film and wanted to be the next Spielberg or Lucas. Now, they’ve set their sights on becoming famous game developers like William Wright and Warren Spector.

Halpin also gives time to those who feel that children can use games to rationalize guns and violence — and backs their polemics with current science. For instance, he interviews Harvard pediatrician Michael Rich, whose studies show that children rationalize violent content in different parts of their brains from those adults use. “Dr. Rich is considered a kind of silent advocate for people who want to regulate the industry,” notes Halpin.

In addition, “Moral Kombat” includes interviews with a lawyer representing the parents of school shooting victims, a senator involved in Congressional hearings on regulating the game industry and a professor of psychology and military science who studies human aggression. The film also features game designers, publishers, retailers and journalists.

Greed vs. Social Good

Halpin makes no secret of his own views. “I don’t have children yet,” says the soon-to-be-married 30-year-old. “But I talked to the doctors in the film, and I saw the brain scans they did. And it’s obvious that children process violent information differently. Parents should understand that we are embracing new technologies that can affect children in a negative way. And someday, when I’m a parent, I’m not going to allow my children to play many of these games. At the very least, I want to be sitting right next to them.”

Halpin wants people to see his film, but not because each audience member represents a ringing cash register. “I’m very protective of the film and the issue of what financial gain people will make from it,” he states. “If the greed factor takes over, it will devalue the entire project, and everything in this conversation is for nothing.” To make his own non-profit position clear, Halpin has arranged to donate any money he earns to the kidney research foundation established by his mother.

“I have an autoimmune disease and that makes you think in different terms,” Halpin says. “I have my own issues and my own timeframe in my life. So I want some social good to come out of this project. I believe that violent games should not be marketed toward youth. But I also want to show the beauty and artistry games offer. We shouldn’t just be scared of the interactive games industry — it is an important medium, and it needs space to grow.”