I'm sorry to all of you who live in Illinois...Video games

[Hitokiri Takasugi]

Video games under fire again
Source: Time Magazine
please don't quote this post

Ok heres the deal. Governor Rod Blagojevich is trying to pick up where the other folks left off. He's trying to, once again, restrict the sales of videogames of questionable content (ie: sex and violence) to minors. He is trying to push forwards a bill which provides punishments of either a hefty fine (up to $5000) or up to a year in jail for any who sell or rent an M rated videogame to a child under 18. This is in response to a video game released overseas in which the object of the game is to assassinate JFK. Now I believe that some games are over the top, such as the one just mentioned and sometimes the GTA series. But the National Institute on Media and the Family has also targeted games like Half Life 2 (Which they attack for having "nonstop, grisly battles" but no other reasons) and Halo 2 (for which they provided "Winning requires killing all your alien enemies, who ooze fake-looking, blue blood when they die" wink . In my opinion, there is absolutely nothing wrong with these two games except for the fact that they contain society's greatest taboo, Guns. And quite frankly, if they're worried about violence and sex, why don't they look at basic cable TV sometime? So much sex and violence go on on TV. Once again, I'm not condemning TV, but quite frankly, there is plenty of sex and violence there. (just think of any daytime show and you'll have more sex than in probably 90% of mainstream games).

Another thing, movies are becoming even more sexually oriented. And quite frankly, they always have been. James bond being the perfect example. And even the movie Triple X. What is stopping kids from entering these movies and watching these shows? Parental guidance and friggin RATINGS! And hey guess what? Games have em too. So in my opinion, if you're worried about games affecting children, then parents should be more involved. If they don't care what their kids watch or play, then fine. If they don't want their 13 year old to be playing GTA: San Andreas, then read the ratings, visit the ESRB website, do something to stop them.

And all that stuff about video games affecting kid's behaviors. I believe that movies do the same. So if you really think that violent video games=violent behavior, then by that logic, Racing video games=Reckless driving?
I don't think so...

Well thats my rant. I'd like to hear you opinions please.


PLEASE NOTE!!!
I would like posts to be somewhat clean. If you have a point to make, by all means make it...but please refrain from posting garbage like this...

"eh,you crazy kidses can complain ALL you want, me I don't give a s**t. OH BOO HOO, I CAN'T PLAY M RATED GAMES. p***y. You don't DESERVE to play M rated games if you complain like that. Be thankful your parents shelled out the money for your game system. You know what, instead of playing video games, you could be doing work. All children should be kept in a cramped metal box untill they're 20, with imformation being pumped into thier brains. then, kick 'em outta the house and tell them to get a job. Moochers. i'm never going to have kids. So shut the ******** up. You don't deserve games, and if I had a choice, you don't deserve life. "

These kinds of posts neither add anything to the discussion, nor do they reflect well on the poster's intellect...so please don't...
This goes for all people, pro restricion and anti restriction.

[LLEd]

I tried to buy Half Life 2 in Texas and they didn't let me. I just shrugged and got my mom to do it.

Yeah, it's stupid, but the question is, how do we stop overprotecting from happening?

Or, ask yourself this, is it not true that there are some kids out there who DO need overprotecting?

[Radical Lulu]

The higher ups just attack one aspect of an item in question, but leave everything else with the same aspects alone. Joe Lieberman, for instance, the videogamer communities' public enemy.

Wher EI live, buying rated M games is no problem for me, since I'm underaged...

[Yhoshua]

I'm so glad that down here I can just walk into EB games and grab whatever game I want off the shelf pay for it and walk out, but for my gaming bretheren up in Illinois I feel your pain...

[Hitokiri Takasugi]

LLEd

I tried to buy Half Life 2 in Texas and they didn't let me. I just shrugged and got my mom to do it.

Yeah, it's stupid, but the question is, how do we stop overprotecting from happening?

Or, ask yourself this, is it not true that there are some kids out there who DO need overprotecting?

I personally believe that if we are to stop this kind of overprotection, parents need to be involved. And parents should know well enough if their children need overprotection.

But the average parent is not well informed enough to judge games.

[Torvo]

Violent games actually cooled me down. I was a demented child who drew violent pictures and giggled at the sight of blood. Then one day, the light of the N-64 rained down upon me, and suddenly, my violent nature was reversed. People have a limit of violent acts they will perform, and if your lucky, your kid can take them out on animated charaters, not the real deal. That senator or whatever doesn't give a hoot about violent games, he just thinks it will win him the election.

[Hitokiri Takasugi]

Yhoshua

I'm so glad that down here I can just walk into EB games and grab whatever game I want off the shelf pay for it and walk out, but for my gaming bretheren up in Illinois I feel your pian...

well the bill hasn't passed yet....but the mere fact that they're pushing it compelled me to write this....

[LLEd]

Hitokiri Takasugi

LLEd

I tried to buy Half Life 2 in Texas and they didn't let me. I just shrugged and got my mom to do it.

Yeah, it's stupid, but the question is, how do we stop overprotecting from happening?

Or, ask yourself this, is it not true that there are some kids out there who DO need overprotecting?

I personally believe that if we are to stop this kind of overprotection, parents need to be involved. And parents should know well enough if their children need overprotection.

But the average parent is not well informed enough to judge games.

Sometimes parents are the problem too. My mom is overprotective. She's better now, but she used to be very protective, and she still is somewhat. If she saw half of the anime I've seen, she wouldn't let me watch it. Then I probably wouldn't be here, would I? wink

[Yhoshua]

Hitokiri Takasugi

Yhoshua

I'm so glad that down here I can just walk into EB games and grab whatever game I want off the shelf pay for it and walk out, but for my gaming bretheren up in Illinois I feel your pian...

well the bill hasn't passed yet....but the mere fact that they're pushing it compelled me to write this....

Well g-d help you is all I'm gonna say

[Chibi Ron]

Pfft I think before they even go back to video games they should take a good long hard look their precious Reality TV shows that stuff is very graphic at times yet no does anything about it.

[Torvo]

My friends mom would only let him play E rated games till he was 14, same with pg-13 movies. I guess that's not the worst, but I still found it hard to beleave.

[Soul of Kyr]

I personally think that laws like this are very bad.
It is the Parent's responsibility to control what their kids see and play. That is why there are ratings on this stuff. You don't want your 15 year old playing GTA:Vice City or Halo 2,then don't buy it for them and inform your friends and family to not buy it for them. But stop blaming everyone else,because you are acting stupidly and let them buy it or buy it for them.

No kid becomes a psychotic killer because of a movie or video game. They CAN become psychotic killers due to home/schol/etc. enviroment(which means mental,sexual,physical abuse,bullying,Etc.),due to something wrong in their brains(chemical imbalances,etc.) or due to that is they way they are(some studies have shown that some kids are genetically predisposed to it(though I don't believe that myself)) though none of this is conclusively proven. It has nothing to do with the games,movies,etc. they watch or play. This is just an excuse for parents who don't care to blame something besides themselves for how their kids turned out. These type of people/parents need some serious help(and maybe a swift kick in the butt),but laws hurting everyone else will not help. Laws blaming everyone else but the parent's of the kids,will definately not help anything.

[Hitokiri Takasugi]

another interesting point they made in the article that I forgot to type. One parent equated the control of video games to the control of cigarettes or alcohol. Quite frankly, cigs and beer have scientifically proven and medically examined harmful effects on the human body. Whereas the effect of videogames is purely theoretical....

[Torvo]

Yes... has anyone actually hosted a study for video games and their causeing violence.

[Sir Fondor]

I thought Half-Life 2 was pretty tame, blood wise.

Heck, half the enemies don't even BLEED, period! and the ones that do are zombies and the combine.