Tyferra, i also agree with you, you cant shield your child forever, if you spend the first 18 years telling them the world is how you think it should be without letting them know, that how you THINK IT SHOULD BE, they will have a false sense of reality, not everyone gets to be an astronaut just because they want to, if you dont meet the requirements physically/mentally, you dont meet the requirements, end of story, sure, some people keep trying and maybe they will make it, almost anything is possible. my point is, bones DO break, ( lower right leg, 3 places, skateboarding accident, 7 months no walking, 5 more re-learning, it hurt a lot) people do die, and not everyone gets a pony, clear away the bull**$#, and TEACH kids whats right and wrong, dont leave it up to everyone else, because sometimes, its too late.
rofl, no its actually a real M82, converted to airsoft, ive never shot it at anything but trees and stuff (OH NOES, HIPPIE FLAMES COMING OUR WAY) gutshots hurt from what ive heard, and yes, reality, it helps if you find out unicorns are fake before age 5-6. like for instance, a kid is constantly babied, they turn 18, move out, call someone a *#@! for not giving them something that they want, they get thier a$$ kicked, and they think, hey, thats not supposed to happen. but now, i must go play resident evil 4, hehe, tis fun.
Special interest groups, fundamentalist Christian organizations, right-wing think tanks and censorship advocates would all have you believe that violence in mass media, whether it's conveyed through TV shows, movies, or video games, is single-handedly responsible for every other problem in modern society.
On the other hand, common sense tells us that these traditional, prudish attitudes towards violence (or drug abuse, sexuality, and criminality in general, for that matter) are at the very least true on some level. While we may not agree that nobody should play a game like RE 4 or GTA San Andreas before turning 17, logically we know it's not appropriate for elementary-age kids.
Even if we take the Moral Majority's arguments at face value, though, their arguments are far from compelling. Say what you will about Michael Moore, but at least understand why he called one of his documentaries "Bowling for Columbine". The press milked the fact that Dylan Klebold was an avid Doom player for all it was worth, but nowhere in the mainstream press was it disclosed what the Trench Coat Mafia did immediately before the Columbine shooting: The fact is, they went bowling.
Yup. The most violent thing they did before killing their classmates that day was knock down some pins at a bowling alley. Why did this fact fail to make the news? Far be it from me to suggest a conservative bias in the newsmedia, but it's because the portrait of an angst-ridden, insecure, introverted teen being homicidally influenced by "hyper-violent" FPSs like Doom will sell more papers.
If we are to believe the tripe, we will irrationally mimic whatever we see on TV, whatever we do in video games, whatever we hear in our rap music. Regardless of our innate common sense, we will slap some ho's, drink a fifth of vodka, snort up lines of coke, and drive through the hood with blazing gats.
Obviously this isn't unheard of, but have any of us gone on killing sprees? Of the people you know who have tried drugs, how many of them were influenced by rap lyrics or "glorification" in movies or TV (probably very few), and how many did so because of peer pressure (probably most of them)? And please don't tell me that sex in video games or the media causes sex in the living room. Biology "causes" sex. Things called "puberty" and "hormones" cause sex--to put it bluntly, being horny is encoded in our genes a thousand times more than it's encoded in MPEGs. *Rimshot*
For all their sanctimoniousness, the conservative right isn't without hypocrisy and flat-out hyperbole. Remember the pedophiliac priests who made three-inch-headlines (in more ways than one) a little while ago? Oh no, wait, it all makes sense now, they were influenced to molest altar boys from all those porno movies and video games!* Or going a bit further back, those "born-again Christian" scandals where purportedly uber-religious people would misappropriate millions of dollars (and even gamble it away)? No, wait, don't tell me...televangelist Jim Bakker didn't mean to have affairs with four different women while married, and he really only accidentally embezzled $158 million from his faithful--he was influenced by video games.* Right? And Jimmy Swaggart wouldn't have hired prostitutes twice (also while married) if it weren't for those darn video games!*
Anyone who blames their criminal impulses on video games is simply trying to exploit the ignorance of the brainwashed masses in hopes of getting off easy. We're allowing the myth of the "murderous gamer" to perpetuate itself by actually lending it credibility. The next time someone mentions it, think about what I've said here. Peer pressure, parenting, and neighborhood make way more of an impression than a video game, at least for people who've reached the double-digit mark in age. Let they who are without sins cast the first stone...it isn't the Moral Majority.
edit: * denotes a sarcastic comment, in case you missed it.
On the other hand, common sense tells us that these traditional, prudish attitudes towards violence (or drug abuse, sexuality, and criminality in general, for that matter) are at the very least true on some level. While we may not agree that nobody should play a game like RE 4 or GTA San Andreas before turning 17, logically we know it's not appropriate for elementary-age kids.
Even if we take the Moral Majority's arguments at face value, though, their arguments are far from compelling. Say what you will about Michael Moore, but at least understand why he called one of his documentaries "Bowling for Columbine". The press milked the fact that Dylan Klebold was an avid Doom player for all it was worth, but nowhere in the mainstream press was it disclosed what the Trench Coat Mafia did immediately before the Columbine shooting: The fact is, they went bowling.
Yup. The most violent thing they did before killing their classmates that day was knock down some pins at a bowling alley. Why did this fact fail to make the news? Far be it from me to suggest a conservative bias in the newsmedia, but it's because the portrait of an angst-ridden, insecure, introverted teen being homicidally influenced by "hyper-violent" FPSs like Doom will sell more papers.
If we are to believe the tripe, we will irrationally mimic whatever we see on TV, whatever we do in video games, whatever we hear in our rap music. Regardless of our innate common sense, we will slap some ho's, drink a fifth of vodka, snort up lines of coke, and drive through the hood with blazing gats.
Obviously this isn't unheard of, but have any of us gone on killing sprees? Of the people you know who have tried drugs, how many of them were influenced by rap lyrics or "glorification" in movies or TV (probably very few), and how many did so because of peer pressure (probably most of them)? And please don't tell me that sex in video games or the media causes sex in the living room. Biology "causes" sex. Things called "puberty" and "hormones" cause sex--to put it bluntly, being horny is encoded in our genes a thousand times more than it's encoded in MPEGs. *Rimshot*
For all their sanctimoniousness, the conservative right isn't without hypocrisy and flat-out hyperbole. Remember the pedophiliac priests who made three-inch-headlines (in more ways than one) a little while ago? Oh no, wait, it all makes sense now, they were influenced to molest altar boys from all those porno movies and video games!* Or going a bit further back, those "born-again Christian" scandals where purportedly uber-religious people would misappropriate millions of dollars (and even gamble it away)? No, wait, don't tell me...televangelist Jim Bakker didn't mean to have affairs with four different women while married, and he really only accidentally embezzled $158 million from his faithful--he was influenced by video games.* Right? And Jimmy Swaggart wouldn't have hired prostitutes twice (also while married) if it weren't for those darn video games!*
Anyone who blames their criminal impulses on video games is simply trying to exploit the ignorance of the brainwashed masses in hopes of getting off easy. We're allowing the myth of the "murderous gamer" to perpetuate itself by actually lending it credibility. The next time someone mentions it, think about what I've said here. Peer pressure, parenting, and neighborhood make way more of an impression than a video game, at least for people who've reached the double-digit mark in age. Let they who are without sins cast the first stone...it isn't the Moral Majority.
edit: * denotes a sarcastic comment, in case you missed it.
Last edited by [QXJZ]Capt_Kefra (2006-05-02 02:41:34)
Damn right But I blame all the computer games for my nuttahnessNo 1 Gooner wrote:
nutters are nutters i spose!
Here's one of the comments from the original blog article which makes this point and cracks me up:No 1 Gooner wrote:
just the other day i was in a game store and i heard a kid(mustve been about 12ish) ask his dad for grand theft and his dad bought it for him,they were ahead of me in the line! it did make me think,anyway as my grandad always said"you cant educate a haddock"!
"It's not our job to tell parents how to raise their children any more than it's the government's job. If a parent feels that their children can handle Halo or even God of War, that's really their business."
To me that may as well read:
"I feel like maybe it's the right time in my kids life for me to share the joys of smoking crack and injecting heroin, what right does anyone have to stop me? I think they can handle it, and that's all there is to it! Fuck parental respo... res..ponsib.. re.. spon.. seee... billy..... fuck it, they can handle it, i'm not raising a pussy in my house!"
There definately should be some legal responsibilty on games just like films. Yes, parents can choose to break the law and give children access, but they need to be confident enough that the kids won't grass them up. And also what about when they have other people's kids around... In the UK it's an offence to show an film with an age certificate to anyone under that age, same should go for computer games... actually, didn't notice that, but as I sit here I can see four BBFC 18 rated games on my shelf, so in the UK I guess it already is. (edit: Quake 4, Hooligans, F.E.A.R., San Andreas)
Anyway, I can't talk... once I hit about 13 or 14 I knew enough about computers and dialup BBS's to get any game I wanted, parental permission or not. And it's even easier these days, what with fast internet and filesharing programs. Still, my parents were always opposed to violent games and even confiscated half of my coverdisk demos for being inappropriate. Ahh, such mild violence, yet how much I wanted to play:
Last edited by UnOriginalNuttah (2006-05-02 07:58:08)
No matter what conceivable way you look at it, it's not the sole responsibility of the game that turns people violent. Anyone who is impressionable in such a way that they could kill someone after seeing it in a video game, would end up down that path whether they played or not.
And you're right UnOriginalNuttah, it is illegal to let anyone under the age rating to play any game, let alone buy it in the UK. The 'problem', if there is one, is that these laws are mostly ignored.
There you have it, in the UK at least, no it is NOT the parental responsibility whether their kids play games with age ratings higher than their age, it is ILLEGAL full stop. That simplifies things, no more bullshit anti-game family groups, pay attention to the age ratings. I've never seen an age restricted game anywhere that doesn't have its age rating in clear view, at least as, if not more visible than if it were a video/dvd.
And you're right UnOriginalNuttah, it is illegal to let anyone under the age rating to play any game, let alone buy it in the UK. The 'problem', if there is one, is that these laws are mostly ignored.
There you have it, in the UK at least, no it is NOT the parental responsibility whether their kids play games with age ratings higher than their age, it is ILLEGAL full stop. That simplifies things, no more bullshit anti-game family groups, pay attention to the age ratings. I've never seen an age restricted game anywhere that doesn't have its age rating in clear view, at least as, if not more visible than if it were a video/dvd.
HA, three of those games are on the gamecube, I'd like to see someone say that all 'cube games are aimed at 6 year old girls.
Now for something constructive:
The first videogames I ever played were the Mortal Kombat games, they are still probably the most over-the-top games when it comes to gore. At least with RE4 people bleed realisticly, but in MK3 you could turn into a polar bear and maul your enemy. Did I care about that? No, in fact, I was more interested in how blood can soak through solid concrete in 3 seconds. I was always told by my parents that what I saw on the screen was not real and if I atempted any of it I would end up dead or in serious legal trouble. I guess my point is that children can play all the cop-killing, baby-burning games they want, as long as they know that all of that fake and to not do it in real life.
Now for something constructive:
The first videogames I ever played were the Mortal Kombat games, they are still probably the most over-the-top games when it comes to gore. At least with RE4 people bleed realisticly, but in MK3 you could turn into a polar bear and maul your enemy. Did I care about that? No, in fact, I was more interested in how blood can soak through solid concrete in 3 seconds. I was always told by my parents that what I saw on the screen was not real and if I atempted any of it I would end up dead or in serious legal trouble. I guess my point is that children can play all the cop-killing, baby-burning games they want, as long as they know that all of that fake and to not do it in real life.
rofl, i noticed that as well, people always say gamecube is aimed at 8 and under, maybe its true, maybe not, my point is we all grew up with nintendo, and we will always buy the new system even if we say we wont.
anyway, if a child thinks he can turn into a bear and maul someone that can rip the skull/spinal collum out of a human with one arm, i think they need to have a discussion beyond "now johnny, that isnt real"
and now, for something completely different, 1+2=3!!!!
anyway, if a child thinks he can turn into a bear and maul someone that can rip the skull/spinal collum out of a human with one arm, i think they need to have a discussion beyond "now johnny, that isnt real"
and now, for something completely different, 1+2=3!!!!
I've played all those games and other violent ones too.
Sure I get angry sometimes and want to kill someone but I never actually do it.
life imprisonment and a life of being rammed in the pooper by "bubba" isnt really my slice of cake.
I know where to draw the line with stupidy.
"you can look but cant touch" same applies here - you can think it but not do it.
Sure I get angry sometimes and want to kill someone but I never actually do it.
life imprisonment and a life of being rammed in the pooper by "bubba" isnt really my slice of cake.
I know where to draw the line with stupidy.
"you can look but cant touch" same applies here - you can think it but not do it.