72% of parents think a video game ban would be good
239 replies, posted
[url]http://games.slashdot.org/story/10/09/15/0247244/72-of-US-Adults-Support-Violent-Game-Ban-For-Minors*[/url]
[b]Personal note[/b]
Look, I've played games like Doom/Duke Nukem/Quake since I was 4 years old. It didn't mess me up; I don't want to go kill thousands of people because I played GTA1. I know people who played it when they were young too, and they aren't messed up. These people have to think of other causes, because playing these games can actually help (with parental assistance) teach kids right from wrong, Real from fake, and many other things. I was only allowed to play if I acknowledged that it was just a game and that it was wrong to do the things in the game; That's the difference, and perhaps why I wasn't messed up- Great parenting. Some people say that the kids that shot up Columbine were inspired by Doom. How the hell? The game's about shooting aliens, not people in a school!
Sidenote: Videogames actually IMPROVE THINKING SKILLS
[url]http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/62202/20100914/rochester-video-games-science-call-of-duty-unreal-tournament-the-sims.htm[/url]
"Bad" games are actually nice stress relief. GTA is a nice way to blow off some steam! Sure it may desensitize you from violence, but in a way, that's good! If something were to happen (say a bank robbed), you'd not lose your cool. I think it's funny, somewhat Violent books are fine for kids, but as soon as it's on a screen: BAD BAD BAD!
Some games are rated higher than I think they should be: Half-Life 2/Counter Strike/Team Fortress 2; There is no gore(TF2 has it, but rest don't), just small blood splatters(no more than a bloody nose) and physically simulated death/bodies. No language, and no sex. It's rated M. Why? I've seen 'worse' games rated T. The rating system is obviously a snafu.
[b]Also, why is it the industry's problem?[/b] They make the games! [b]You never saw painters cover up paintings because it had boobs because kids were coming to the exhibit. The parents just covered the kids eyes or just didn't bring them! It shouldn't be any different![/b]
[b]Parents should be in charge of this crap.[/b] If they don't want their kids to play them, don't let them! If they say it's because "I don't have the time to watch my kids for inappropriate stuff", then you shouldn't have bought the console! I'm not saying that kids should be allowed to play them, just that the government shouldn't force ratings or POS age checks, and especially not BAN GAMES! Governments dont' censor nude art, violent art, or anything like that!
Should be the parent's job, not the government's or the industry's!
If the US becomes an Australia or Germany for this, there is a serious problem. It's censorship of art. ILLEGAL!
All I can say is, I'm glad I'll be 18 next year! Being a kid is soon going to become such a chore. Actually, I think M Rated games are 17+, but the law they want to pass is 18+. So I'm fine! But still. I was fine playing these games. I think it's just bad parenting that causes violence.... Parents just blame games because it's a nice scapegoat.
Take that banhammer and slam it down on real issues, like border protection or deficits. Keep out of the media.
[b]Lazy parents:[/b] Do your job, don't try to make it the government's job! If you don't want to police your kids, guess you shouldn't of had them. Just do your job. If you don't want your kids playing violent games, just don't let your kids play them! Ratings should be guidlines for parents, not a reason to stop a kid from buying it. If the kid's to young to buy the game w/o his parent around, he shouldn't be at the store by himself! JUST WATCH YOUR KIDS! STOP MAKING IT A BIG DEAL AND GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER!
Last note: If you were offended, get over it! But try to realize that it's not the government's job to parent kids. It's the biological parent's duty and responsibilty. If you do not want your kids playing games, make sure they dont' buy them. If they go over to a friend's house that has those games, they'll just play them when they're older anyway. You're only delaying the inevitable!
Oh, and I can't imagine that ESRB ratings are good for companies; Kids'll get them some way or another *cough* pirate *cough* that ends up screwing the company over.
[b]I DO NOT CONDONE VIOLENT/INAPPROPRIATE GAMES FOR CHILDREN! I JUST HAVE A PROBLEM WITH GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION. IT'S UP TO THE PARENTS, NOT THE GOVERNMENT![/b]
In other news "A clockwork orange" is to be introduced into the curriculum.
You are now realizing that your life would be better off if you never touched a video game in your life.
99% of children think a parents-ban would be good.
And parents are still there.
:colbert:
Where was this poll made? It's easy to say "72% of parents something" like they mean ALL PARENTS ON THE WORLD while they only took 100 people to make the vote from vicinity of a Westoboro baptist church.
An all-around ban is an awful idea, but I wouldn't mind having some stricter rules for kids buying M games.
At least one guy thinks that video games are not getting banned.
And what the hell, 72%? That's just bad.
[quote] Conducted by polling firm Zogby International, the survey asked 2,100 adults whether they would support a law that 'prohibits minors from purchasing ultra-violent or sexually violent video games without parental consent.' Of those surveyed, some 72 percent said they would approve such a law.[/quote]
I don't see any sort of problem or anything new at all here
[QUOTE=Elecbullet;24846869]You are now realizing that your life would be better off if you never touched a video game in your life.[/QUOTE]
Like hell it would. My impeded progress is due to severe paranoia and anxiety, not video games. That's just silly.
Since when could minors buy 'ultra-violent or sexually violent video games without parental consent' anyway?
[QUOTE=darius_bielecki;24846932]Since when could minors buy 'ultra-violent or sexually violent video games without parental consent' anyway?[/QUOTE]
Having friends (or acquaintances) >18 years of age
[QUOTE=Mr. Scorpio;24846931]Like hell it would. My impeded progress is due to severe paranoia and anxiety, not video games. That's just silly.[/QUOTE]
Impeded progress at what? I'm not talking about schoolwork. I won't say anything about what it does to schoolwork because hell if I know.
[b]EDIT:[/b] I used to be that faggot telling his mom not to vote for Hilary Clinton for president because she had a part in GTA: San Andreas's Hot Coffee controversy. Now I look at myself, and I say "What good have video games done for me? And what harm?" And you know what? There are few if any benefits. The few are restricted to stuff that some studies talk about like faster reflexes or whatever. Big deal.
[QUOTE=Elecbullet;24846869]You are now realizing that your life would be better off if you never touched a video game in your life.[/QUOTE]
marginally to not at all for me.
I think anybody saying video games improved their lives would be biased.
When I was younger my dad got mad at me for playing video games all the time. Now that I am a few years away from being a doctor, I doubt he would say video games destroyed my life and I would have been better off without playing them.
Also, I am tired of OVER SENSITIVE people FUCKING up the world. Just because YOU don't agree with something doesn't mean you should BAN it from EVERYONE.
You don't like boobs? DON'T FUCKING WATCH SHOWS WITH BOOBS IN THEM. But don't fucking take them away from me.
You don't like video games, DON'T FUCKING PLAY THEM.
You don't like "bad words", grow the fuck up and don't listen to music or radio or television that has "bad language".
Don't fucking ruin life for me, because you are too much of a god damn pansy to to hear or see something.
[QUOTE=Henry Townshend;24847019]I think anybody saying video games improved their lives would be biased.[/QUOTE]
why is that, exactly
would you say the same thing about books or movies? if not, why?
[editline]09:15PM[/editline]
[QUOTE=Squad;24847085]When I was younger my dad got mad at me for playing video games all the time. Now that I am a few years away from being a doctor, I doubt he would say video games destroyed my life and I would have been better off without playing them.
Also, I am tired of OVER SENSITIVE people FUCKING up the world. Just because YOU don't agree with something doesn't mean you should BAN it from EVERYONE.
You don't like boobs? DON'T FUCKING WATCH SHOWS WITH BOOBS IN THEM. But don't fucking take them away from me.
You don't like video games, DON'T FUCKING PLAY THEM.
You don't like "bad words", grow the fuck up and don't listen to music or radio or television that has "bad language".
Don't fucking ruin life for me, because you are too much of a god damn pansy to to hear or see something.[/QUOTE]
You sound like a cool doctor, can you replace the one that forgot to tell me my knee was crushed after I was hit by a car?
[QUOTE=Mr. Scorpio;24847096]why is that, exactly
would you say the same thing about books or movies? if not, why?[/QUOTE]
Most books and movies have much more meaning than video games. With the possible exception of Bioshock.
[QUOTE=Henry Townshend;24847019]I think anybody saying video games improved their lives would be biased.[/QUOTE]
I would have to say I benefited from video games. My problem solving abilities increased, my vocabulary increased, and even coordination and reaction times.
I would go as far to say that, because of video games I am a lot better than average at every sport I have ever attempted. I have the physical body to be a good athlete, but now I have a BRAIN to give me an even greater edge on the field or on the court.
"Another germany"? Excuse me, all the discussion that happened sounded like nazi 2.0 politics, but in the end nothing really happened. We can still just buy games normally. The violence is replaced with less violence in a few games (grey/green blood (portal), toys as gibs (tf2)), but that can easily be patched out, and it's not even illegal to install a "bloodpatch".
:colbert:
[QUOTE=Mr. Scorpio;24847096]why is that, exactly
would you say the same thing about books or movies? if not, why?
[editline]09:15PM[/editline]
You sound like a cool doctor, can you replace the one that forgot to tell me my knee was crushed after I was hit by a car?[/QUOTE]
When I played football, I injured my knee and my dad literally told me I was alright. Walked around on a torn ligament for quite a while.
However, that wasn't the doctor. Did a doctor really tell you that you were fine???
Also they only asked 2100 adults. That's bullshit, because there are a few million people living in the US, and 2100 people don't represent a few million.
[QUOTE=Elecbullet;24846967]Impeded progress at what? I'm not talking about schoolwork. I won't say anything about what it does to schoolwork because hell if I know.
[b]EDIT:[/b] I used to be that faggot telling his mom not to vote for Hilary Clinton for president because she had a part in GTA: San Andreas's Hot Coffee controversy. Now I look at myself, and I say "What good have video games done for me? And what harm?" And you know what? There are few if any benefits. The few are restricted to stuff that some studies talk about like faster reflexes or whatever. Big deal.[/QUOTE]
What the hell in this world that's enjoyable has any tangible benefits.
I could say that games, along with books and movies, helped me to think more creatively, but no one gives a shit about that.
[QUOTE=Henry Townshend;24847019]I think anybody saying video games improved their lives would be biased.[/QUOTE]
thanks to video games i was exposed to more advanced vocabulary at a young age. I learned how to spell as well.
THANKS DIABLO!
[QUOTE=DrLuke;24847186]Also they only asked 2100 adults. That's bullshit, because there are a few million people living in the US, and 2100 people don't represent a few million.[/QUOTE]
statistics is a science
go look it up
My view on this
Is the halo series an M? Yes.
If it isn't an M? no.
[QUOTE=DrLuke;24847186]Also they only asked 2100 adults. That's bullshit, because there are a few million people living in the US, and 2100 people don't represent a few million.[/QUOTE]
How many do you want them to ask?
[QUOTE=mysteryman;24847189]thanks to video games i was exposed to more advanced vocabulary at a young age. I learned how to spell as well.
THANKS DIABLO![/QUOTE]
I totally agree. It helped me learning English, because I played games like Roller Coaster Tycoon and Transport Tycoon in english, because my brother bought the english versions of games for some weird reason.
[QUOTE=implaying8;24846782][b]Parents should be in charge of this crap.[/b] If they don't want their kids to play them, don't let them! If they say it's because "I don't have the time to watch my kids for inappropriate stuff", then you shouldn't have bought the console! I'm not saying that kids should be allowed to play them, just that the government shouldn't force ratings or POS age checks, and especially not BAN GAMES! Governments dont' censor nude art, violent art, or anything like that![/QUOTE]
You've pretty much summed up what I think on the subject right here. There's measures in place to stop children from getting games deemed inappropriate for them, but they haven't been able to keep up with society. When I was growing up, for a long time, I couldn't buy Grand Theft Auto games. Mainly because I was clearly under 18, so the guy in the shop wouldn't let me.
However since then, the online market has emerged. I've bought games which were rated for ages above my own thanks to this. The Internet makes it piss easy, there's no real age checks. Steam just asks you for your date of birth, and even that you can just lie about. I bought FEAR and GTA4 through Amazon before I was 18, and I bought the ID Superpack through steam before I was 18. I don't know whether it's more difficult to tell whether the customer's old enough, or whether they're just too lazy.
The best thing we can do is give parents the ability to choose what they think is appropriate for their own children. After all, those children are their responsibility. So lets give them the means to take that responsibility.
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