VGVN

[demon-fayt]

So, apparently, freedom of speech is all fine and dandy until you allow it to be expressed in a way that children will be attracted to it. That's kind of the basic principle behind Congress' new found crusade against Video games and such

I know that there's got to be a limit somewhere, but steadily lowering the bar on what is and is not acceptable seems to be taking a step backwards, in my opinion. I wholeheartedly understand why officials would be against allowing certain age groups to play certain games (this is also a concern in the gaming community, but for very different reasoning. But I Digress) At what point are we, as gamers, going to put our collective foot down and say enough is enough?

[Xira]

Sounds like a good idea they've got going here. I'm not sure how much help it will do though. Once those bloody congressmen are in I can't speak for how much they actually represent the people.
This has been going on for a while. You'd think they'd be more worried about the larger problem of internet porn or underage drinking. But no.

[Duama449]

yes it's the video games that are the root of all evil! God forbid parents actually do some...y'know parenting?? When I walked into gamestop to by my copy of halo: reach (which I love!) and I saw him talk his mom into gettiing it for him. Now much as I loved how much he reminded me of myself there was one key difference. He was saying with excitement how he gets to stab other players in the back, punch them, bow them up, and all the cussing that goes on live.The store clerk even says "maam this game is really made for kids twice his age for the most part." the mom just nodded and GOT it. Had that been my mom and I was that age I wouldnt have gotten past stabbed in the back before she said "boy no way in hell" and yanked me away from it. Ugh, these parents will take any reason not to look at themselves for the problems in their children. 

ok. </rant> 

[demon-fayt]

yes it's the video games that are the root of all evil! God forbid parents actually do some...y'know parenting?? When I walked into gamestop to by my copy of halo: reach (which I love!) and I saw him talk his mom into gettiing it for him. Now much as I loved how much he reminded me of myself there was one key difference. He was saying with excitement how he gets to stab other players in the back, punch them, bow them up, and all the cussing that goes on live.The store clerk even says "maam this game is really made for kids twice his age for the most part." the mom just nodded and GOT it. Had that been my mom and I was that age I wouldnt have gotten past stabbed in the back before she said "boy no way in hell" and yanked me away from it. Ugh, these parents will take any reason not to look at themselves for the problems in their children. 

ok. </rant> 

Along with that, there's the inevitable denouncement of that whole 'Hot Coffee' Fiasco, nevermind you that that was actually a hidden article in the game that you, i believe, had to hijack into the game in order to actually experience. But the children! THE CHILDREN!!

[Kadaj]

Also, "How dare they let my children willingly stray from what I consider appropriate material!," in the first place.

[Duama449]

That's what I'm saying! Im all for censorship (to a point) but when does self-acountability come into play here? If that's the case they should then ban candy, soda, sporting events, and toy commercials too, since all those are "made to appeal to small children" and can "Teach them bad habits and ruin their health"

[demon-fayt]

Well, I take it that the main argument here is focusing on the exposure of violent content to children. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but last time I checked, a child is considerably more likely to don a cape and go around smacking fools upside the head masquerading around as Superman or Batman than they are to, say, take up dual wielding chained knives to their arms in an attempt to decapitate the neighbors Rottweiler. At some point you have to realize that certain content just isn't designed for certain age groups for a reason. That being said, the same attention to content should be applied to other mediums as well, in that case, to protect children against exposure to such, such as comics and cartoons and...well, pretty much anything that would actually INTRIGUE a person of youth.

[Kadri]

Unfortunately, I see this whole debacle as just one more sad excuse for lazy parents to stay lazy. They don't want to have to "parent" their children, or take responsibility for how their actions (or inactions) may be directly and negatively affecting their childrens' lives.

It should not be the government's job to keep the more "mature" video games (with inappropriate content and themes) out of the hands of children. The ESRB is out there doing its job and putting ratings on these games for a reason. The ratings are there to tell the consumer what kind of content they can expect to be in the games they're looking at. At that point, it's the consumer's job (IE: these whiny, self-involved parents that keep complaining about how violence in video games is affecting their kids) to decide whether or not the video game is suitable for themselves or whoever they are buying it for.

For that matter, most major retailers won't sell MA-rated games to anyone under 17 without an adult present (and approving the transaction). And from what I understand, retailers can't sell the games with an AO rating to anyone under 18. So, who is buying all of these age-inappropriate games for the youth of America, again? Two words: Irresponsible adults.

It's not the fault of the ESRB.

It's not the fault of the games' creators.

It's not the fault of the games themselves.

It's not the fault of the government.

No. It's the adults that are directly involved in these childrens' lives that are at fault here... whether it's the parents, the grandparents, the godparents, the cousins, the freaking irresponsible deadbeat uncle that lives in the apartment over the garage...

The people that are crying about it are the ones causing the damn problem in the first place.

Dear parents,

Go online (or pick up a gaming magazine) and look up these video games that your kids keep begging for.

Pay attention to the ESRB ratings--they're there to help you make well-informed choices when you're buying a game.

If you're still not sure, ask the salesperson about the game(s) you're about to buy. A lot of people working in video game sales actually know something about the products they're trying to sell you, and they're happy to share their knowledge with you.

And if there is something objectionable about the game in question? Just. Say. NO.

You're the parent. You are responsible for your children. The government is not here to be Mommy and Daddy--you are. Quit whining about the "harmful" content in video games. If you object to them, then don't buy them for your kids... and don't let anyone else buy them for your kids, either. You're supposed to be the adults here: Act like it. Pay attention, set some boundaries, and start setting good examples for your kids.

Thank you. That is all.

</end rant>

[demon-fayt]

I know I've posted this somewhere else, but my favorite (I.E. the one that gets the point through) example is of Fox News blasting Mass Effect as basically being Virtual Porn and touting that it was being targeted towards children. I'll never forget this event because in the coverage, they had a debate between some self-righteous bitch and Geoff Knighlty. In such, the woman basically views Mass Effect as essentially a gateway for children to itemize women as (and I quote) 'Hot Bodies' because of a purported sex scene in the game, which obviously means that the whole of the game is a simulation of what would happen if Hugh Heffner expanded into space, correct? I mean, you cannot argue with this train of logic, no? Sir Knightly, however, brings about the greatest counter-argument ever documented on camera with a simple phrase: 'Have you played the game?' And then proceeds to fully pwn the network on national television. (And it has been documented, graciously, for us peons in the lower quarters to revel in and share with the later generations of a brighter time in American history when sanity was still a virtue)

But I digress. The main problem is that people, as Mr. Knightly had brought to light, are uneducated on such things. However, it is not at though the information isn't there for them to glaze over. As Kadri had mentioned, the ESRB has made brazen attempts to help educate the public on their purchases of Video Game products. But even that has bee thwarted by the sheer lack of Common Sense that these people obviously hold. For instance: A child asks a parent for a game called God of War. Aside from the exposure the child would be given to awesome Greek mythology (which they could also get from -gasp- a book!? Say it isn't so!! I'll not have such filth defiling the eyes of my children!) it should be apparent that the game is quite un-suitable for children just from the cover art, which features an obscurely masculine figure staring off into the distance, blades in hand OOZING with blood (not to mention that big ole' M starin' you down right below that)

-sigh- The stupidity of people really drains me to be angry at. 

[th31r1shguy]

yes it's the video games that are the root of all evil! God forbid parents actually do some...y'know parenting?? When I walked into gamestop to by my copy of halo: reach (which I love!) and I saw him talk his mom into gettiing it for him. Now much as I loved how much he reminded me of myself there was one key difference. He was saying with excitement how he gets to stab other players in the back, punch them, bow them up, and all the cussing that goes on live.The store clerk even says "maam this game is really made for kids twice his age for the most part." the mom just nodded and GOT it. Had that been my mom and I was that age I wouldnt have gotten past stabbed in the back before she said "boy no way in hell" and yanked me away from it. Ugh, these parents will take any reason not to look at themselves for the problems in their children. 

ok. </rant> 

I think if a parent is this oblivious to the effect of a violent video game on their, they deserve to be kicked in the teeth.  I mean seriously, is your kid SOOOOO annoying that the only way to shut him up for a few hours is a war based video game?  I remember a comedian (I wish I remembered who) talking about how tv sensors foul language in shows, but still airs stuff like Rambo and UFC for kids to stumble upon.  God forbid a kid learns a curse word, but its ok if he is exposed to shooting, killing, and fighting as a socialy-priased norm.  As if the columbine or v-tech people discovered guns because televison stations said the f-bomb too many times.  (I'm not saying that television stations should stop sensoring profanity, but their priorities might be a little off.)

Off topic? Prehaps.  You could blame the advertising companies for making their products appealing to children, but they're not the primary source.  Parents have to realize the effects of what their child is exposed to.