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Games, politics, and you!

Tak

Grizzled Veteran
Jan 10, 2006
1,855
96
East Coast, USA
Ok, this may be a bit of a 'yeah yeah, shut up already Tak' post, but I think it needs bringing to attention. It only really applies to US readers, but some of the foundations below welcome anyone from anywhere. Cheers :)


There is a lot of hoopla flying around about video games and their impact on society. It is undisputed that they have changed our lives. The hot topic right now is if that is for the good or the bad. So far, everything points to what common sense would dictate: in moderation, video gaming isn't any more or less harmful than watching a movie or TV. The stickler is that video games are much newer than TV or movies. They're part of the younger generation, by and large. This leads to the same generational-gap problem that has been seen in the past by everything from hip-hop, to low-riders, to TV, and even the modern novel.

The political world is full of oportunists. That's not at all suprising, I would hope. And while it's all too easy to dismiss their rants and claims as harmless and the ravings of people past their prime, the damage that a concentrated political effort can do to something that is popularly evil can be devastating. While I'm not one who's preaching doom and dispare for the video game industry, I do think that there is very real cause for concern when video gaming is linked to things such as the Columbine High-School massacre, petty thefts, assaults, and school violence.

Common sense says that video games can't possibly be the cause for any of this. There have unfortunately been senseless massacres before. Theft and assaults have always taken place even in areas with draconian laws on such things. And I don't know about you, but my school years were plenty full of bullies and 'tough-guys' even before video games became popular, much less as near-to-life as they can be now.

There are people in power right now that are trying to limit what type of content can be put into games, what type of games can be put out for sale, and to who. They either choose not to or simply do not understand that video games are no longer children's playthings. They are a respected medium of communication and entertainment. Just like movies, TV shows, magazines and books, video games are not one-size-fits-all. The vast majority of games are still made to be enjoyable by most age groups. Some games are made purely for adults, due to violent or otherwise graphic content. Just like all other media, when consumed by the appropriate audience video games are no cause for alarm.

The point of this post simply to bring to light that these politicians and law makers are potentially dangerous to our shared interests. So far, the law is on our side. Eighteen of twenty-nine pieces of anti-video game legislation have been overturned or are expected to be over turned on the grounds of their unconstitutionality. Six of those are in process, and with equally low chances of success as their predecessors. But more and more campaign promises and hushed pseudo-threats are emerging almost daily.

As we roll into this election season, I urge you to pay attention to who you're voting for and what their stance is on video game legislation. Help explain to others who may not know what the ESRB is, and what their ratings mean. If you are a parent with school-aged children, attend your PTA meetings and have the courage to make the stand. People will willingly jump on the anti-video gaming bandwagon out of lack of understanding. Show them the full extent of the beauty and possibilities of video games, and show them the truth about what they're so quickly willing to blacklist. The future of the industry and our hobby could very well be at stake in the next few years. We as gamers have to make a decisive effort to make sure that video games are allowed to flourish to their full extent, and get past this cultural speed-bump on the way to acceptance.

Check out the below sites (for fun and profit!). It would be frighteningly easy for some seemingly inconsequential piece of legislation to set precedence and lead to a tight control on what is and isn't allowed in video gaming. Thank you for your time, you may commence the flaming (after you register to vote, that is :p)


www.gamepolitics.com
www.theeca.com
www.esrb.org
www.getwellgamers.org
www.childsplaycharity.org
 
Good Post. Before video games, movies were blamed, before that, Rock and Roll was to blame, and I'm sure the list goes on. We tend to place blame on those things we don't understand. Take the game "Bully" which was dubbed a "Columbine Simulator" before it was even released. It turned out that no one even dies in the game. Also, these games are rated mature anyway.
 
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I agree, with the above posters. Make it impossible for kids to get games that aren't meant for their age range, so the ONLY way they can get them is if adult (most likely the parents) buys it for them. Then, nobody could say **** because now all responsibility relies on the adult, $5 says they would still try to blame shift even if it could only be their fault.

Though once you fix the problem of brick & mortar stores selling mature games to kids (which by the way is more rare then a kid getting a mature movie), how do you stop online sales like steam? Its too easy, download and install steam, buy the games you want, download them, and your done. As anyone who has played any version of CS that has VOIP support knows, there are kids all over CS. And the thing is it would be a good thing for everyone if we could stop this from happening, first the politicians/population is happy, second mature gamers don't have to deal with immature kids ruining their fun.
 
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I agree, with the above posters. Make it impossible for kids to get games that aren't meant for their age range, so the ONLY way they can get them is if adult (most likely the parents) buys it for them. Then, nobody could say **** because now all responsibility relies on the adult, $5 says they would still try to blame shift even if it could only be their fault.

The scenario you described has already happened:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8728577/

Updated: 2:42 p.m. ET July 27, 2005
NEW YORK - A woman upset that she bought the video game “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas” for her 14-year-old grandson without knowing it contained hidden, sexually explicit scenes sued the manufacturer Wednesday on behalf of consumers nationwide.


Florence Cohen, 85, of New York, said in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan that the game’s manufacturer, Rockstar Games, and its parent company, New York-based Take Two Interactive Software Inc., engaged in false, misleading and deceptive practices.
She sought unspecified damages on behalf of herself and all consumers nationwide, saying the company should give up its profits from the game for what amounted to false advertising, consumer deception and unfair business practices.
 
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The ESRB 'M' rating currently has a higher enforcement rate than similar R and 'Parental Advisory' labels on movies and music. I believe the number is around 80% success. The laws that have been passed have to do with requiring information on the ESRB ratings be published and with handouts available in locations where videogames are sold. The ratings work already without having criminal consequences behind them, the problem is knowledge and awareness.

Monk, I have to respectfully disagree with your position. Can it potentially inspire an already troubled person to do something they shouldn't? Yes. But by that same argument, so can an episode of CSI.

In all honesty, the studies that have been done about video games say nothing more than what we already know about all forms of media. People already pre-disposed to violence react more violently (however slightly) after consumption (reading/watching/playing/hearing). The interactive nature of video games has been praised in some studies and cursed in the next.

The best course of action is to stand up to the clerk at the Wal Mart or Best Buy who doesn't card little Jimmy standing in front of you with his copy of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City or True Crime. It might get you some funny looks, and it might piss someone off, but those ratings exist for a reason. If the clerk can't be arsed to check, find a manager. While the clerk might not care, I promise you that management does. No store wants to be the store that some local media can spin as 'the store that corrupts your children!'

And if little Jimmy is actually buying True Crime, be sure to take him for coffee and help to poor lost soul realize what makes a good video game :p
 
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the causes are many, but in sum, it's an overly violent society where the family unit has been destroyed. this percolates in the soup of a increasingly secular society, steeped in moral relativism, nihilism, and excessive materialsim.

it's a very bad concoction, and getting worse. all of this gestated (and was birthed) with the changes wrought upon our society since the early 1960s. destructive forces were let loose that have been returning in spades.

it will only get worse.
 
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The scenario you described has already happened:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8728577/
Too bad she doesn't have a leg to stand on as she bought a M17+ game for a 14 year old.
MATURE
Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.
I wish people would stop blaming others because they're stupid. Any game bought by a parent that exceeds the age requirements of their kid automatically becomes the PARENTS responsibility. Do I care for these dumb Gang sim games? No I think they're degenerate and stupidly glorifying something that shouldn't be glorified but they wouldn't be a problem if most the people that played them were ACTUALLY 17 or older! That's the problem with these games, masses of people playing them that shouldn't be.
 
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Too bad she doesn't have a leg to stand on as she bought a M17+ game for a 14 year old. I wish people would stop blaming others because they're stupid. Any game bought by a parent that exceeds the age requirements of their kid automatically becomes the PARENTS responsibility. Do I care for these dumb Gang sim games? No I think they're degenerate and stupidly glorifying something that shouldn't be glorified but they wouldn't be a problem if most the people that played them were ACTUALLY 17 or older! That's the problem with these games, masses of people playing them that shouldn't be.

What's really funny is that the grandmother isn't suing because of the violence in the game. She's mad over the sex, which, by the way, can only be unlocked with a mod.
 
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What's really funny is that the grandmother isn't suing because of the violence in the game. She's mad over the sex, which, by the way, can only be unlocked with a mod.
Yeah I guess it's cool for little Billy to murder civilians left & right but sex is just uncalled for in a game like that. It just shows you how stupid she is because M17+ clearly (to anyone with eyes+ a working brain+ ability to read words in the English language) entails the possibility of the game having sexual content. It doesn't even legally HAVE to be hidden! Like I said, stupid people blaming others because they (the Grandma/Parent) are stupid.
 
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This whole hot-coffee thing is stupid, people want to sue the game developers for what a 3'rd party modder did, its retarded..

Ohh deary me, theres also "nude patches" for the Tomb Raider games, lets go sue Core! :rolleyes:
Why not stop it at the source? Sue titties for their mere existence! Also I plan to sue the Earth and creation as an accomplice to proliferating things I don't like. These people have lives that **** and decide they're gonna start filing ridiculous claims to pacify their pain and stupidity.
 
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I agree with you people. When the world is full of real big problems (violence, pollution, famine), simple-minded people can't handle it and replace their fears with something more minor - like video games, movies, rock music etc. It's easy to betray yourself, pick a scapegoat and blindly blame it for everything that's wrong in the world. :rolleyes:
 
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This whole hot-coffee thing is stupid,


I have a very good friend who is a lawyer and I asked him about that lawsuit (the one where someone sued McDonalds for millions for burning their lap when they spilled coffee on it).

After he explained it to me, I completely understood why they ruled in favor of the plaintiff of that case. It wasn't merely a case where some moron spilled coffee in their lap and decided to blame McDonalds. I'm not going to go into the details here because I am not qualified to do so. But it was clearly a case where the employees were doing things they weren't supposed to and had already been warned. The reason why the damages awarded was so high was because of two words: Punitive Damages. In other words, they made the amount so high that McDonalds was FORCED to change their practices. That was the goal.

Personally, I find the media in general to be the most dispicable group of people there are. They will twist the facts of a story, or simply leave out certain things to make their story more interesting. In some cases, I believe their acts border on criminal. For example, Y2K. It was never a major issue, and yet billions were spent by people who were stupid enough to believe that a major catastrophe would occur that day because the media kept screaming at us that Y2K was coming.


Now, that's not to say that I support trivial lawsuits either. Based on the facts told above, the woman suing the game developers because of sexual content is ridiculous. But I also have my doubts that a simple forum post contains all of the necessary facts to pass judgement on the matter. It's all well and good to pretend we know all the facts and pass judgement in an offhand way, but in reality it is difficult to know what is actually happening based on some thirdhand non-sourced statement.
 
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