Mr. Wright goes to Washington - sort of. TwitchGuru\'s managing editor was interested to find out just what U.S. lawmakers talk about when they discuss video game legislation. So he tuned into a Webcast of a recent Congressional hearing. And what did the Congressmen talk about besides Grand Theft Auto?
it truely amazes me how some of the people that gain office do... it really does. the system works if the stores enforce it and what i mean by this is if you are under 17 then you cannot but a m rated game so you must have your parents buy it... so when a parent buys it for their kid they should do some research about the game and they have no right to complain if they buy the game for thier kid!
Reading that article makes me angry. I wish I was there so I could debate them. It's good to see, though, that a couple Rep.'s realize that they shouldn't be the judges of what the public should be allowed to play and it's also good to see some representation from the other side of the court, although I'm sure they didn't get the stage time they probably wanted.
You know I'm 23 and seemed to do just fine growing up in the world despite being exposed to violent games, getting my ass beat with a belt when I misbehaved as a kid, and listening to rock. I don't go around shooting people or having the urge to run cops over with my car.
Now hitting some of the people who are allowed to drive out there......thats another story........
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Our own red light district! Just picture a giant LAN party downtown with wine, women and GTA...
Might be a sole opportunity for some of the people on this forum to even be in the same room as a woman outside of school or work.
Like the aboce poster said. I am also a 23 yr old gamer that grew up with tons of violent video games (have played san andreas also but didn't like it, just like GTA 3 or GTA:VC same thing... those i liked this was just too much of the same thing ) anyway i now don't get the urge to just go out and kill police or random ppl anyway, and i've played games like Doom and duke nukem when they fisrt came out! ( no it's not as realistic, but goin around killing ppl with a chainsaw is presst damn violent) I say that i do support the ESRB, i think they do a good job in doing what they are supposed to do, same as the movie ppl (forgot what acronym they use). but it all comes down to the retialers (do they sell "M" rated games to underaged kids) and the box office clerks (do they let underaged kids into "R" rated movies !?), hell i know i got away with both many times back in the day... The bottom line is: If you don't want your child playing a certain game just DON'T LET THEM PLAY IT!. It's allways going to be this way, if an allready screwed up kid goes and does something violent they're allways going to find someone (or something) to blame, be it death metal, violent movies or whatever...
PS: why do they no talk about the porn industry at the same time, it's got a rating and it's up to the retailors to enforce it... And it shure as hell will screw some kid up... DS
PS2: English is not my native language so bare with me... =)
I have not had any problems playing video games as well. I'm only 19, and I grew up playing games like Doom and Grand Theft Auto. When I first got my license I didn't go around attempting to run people over. I've never had a desire to shoot at law enforcement, and I certainly respect them. If anything I would go as far as to say that GTA has shown me things about driving, such as the fact that speeding and reckless driving will inevitably end in an accident. I get irritated when people go about saying that these games shouldn't be around, like Stearns did. Seriously, if you don't like the game or what it involves, don't buy it. I don't have much regard for the rating of games, but if I was a parent who did not know about the games, I would want a reliable rating system to give me information as to what is involved in the game my child wants.
I'd like to see a more informed debate, if anything else. If we're going to have a debate on violent video games then having both sides - because it isn't just a one sided affair, remember - having an informed discussion would be a lot more productive than what we have now: Both sides taking a position first, and then finding (or bending, or ignoring) facts to suit their predetermined position.
Every time I read a transcript or hear our politicians debating some topic it just drives me nuts!
They are obviously underinformed or completely uninformed and frequently clearly misinformed. They do not debate so much as state their ignorant position and try to force everyone else to accept it. There is no real give and take, no discussion of the topic, just preaching their own views and attacking anything that appears to belong to the other side.
How did these clowns get nominated in the first place? Some of them strike me as barely intelligent enough to handle a management job at a fast food restaurant. They should NOT be our legislating body!
I'd like to see a more informed debate, if anything else. If we're going to have a debate on violent video games then having both sides - because it isn't just a one sided affair, remember - having an informed discussion would be a lot more productive than what we have now: Both sides taking a position first, and then finding (or bending, or ignoring) facts to suit their predetermined position.
Totaly agree with you on that. However, I dont think we will find too many people on toms that will be on the side of gov. regulating games.
It really amazes me that people read something like this, twisted content and all, and then attempt to criticise it as if they know what effect such hard core content has on society. Most of the posters here have barely been out on their own, and yet write as if they know what they are talking about. Maybe when they get older they'll look back and realize this. Maybe it is cliche, but true.
Not intending any offense, just think before you write.
I think that certain people can be adversely affect by violent games. Those columbine kids might have been pushed over the edge by Doom but it definetely didn't make them that way. Some people have a very loose grip on reality, its not the games that make them do it, its just one of the places they get ideas.
I think that the parents of the guys from columbine should have realized how their kids were and got them help. Parents need to be more involved with their kids and know what games they play. My parents had no clue what kind of games I played but if the rating system was a little better they might have figured it out.
It should be understood that this "investigation" was before the Democrats took power in Congress. It never fails that when repression of civil liberties is at stake, you will find most Republicans in the forefront of the charge to limit them. Well, what do you expect from a majority electorate that evidently sees Liberalism as that dirty "L-Word", as spoken by that bastion of republicanism, Ronald Reagan? Don`t believe me? Better take another look at the article and count those with R`s and D`s after their names. San Andreas is a "make-believe" game! Most of these bozos are children wearing adult flesh, looking to dummy down the rest of us to the level of a 12 yearold. Ironic considering the cavalier attitudes of those in the Republican party who continue to support an unjust "war" against Iraq. I guess stopping the violence in "make-believe" games is more important to these ilk than holding an objective view on real-life carnage abroad that has killed 10`s of thousands. Hypocrisy goes where it will, it`s just my opinion that the vast majority of it resides with those who call themselves Republican Legislators.
And this thread has just gone down the tubes with blatant party politics, even including the Iraq war. Those big bad republicans, oh my! The democratic party is just as snake tongued as the republican's.
Can't blame it on either party, Hillary was very quick to jump on GTA and she's brought it back up repeatedly.
If Halo 3 gets ported to the PC someone should release a texture mod adding nipples. The game'd be banned by Congress without even considering where the nipples came from.
What you guys need to realise is that politicians after after VOTES and the VOTERS. The media has turned video game violence into such a big issue, you'd think that 10 year-old kids are regularly getting behind the wheels of SUVs and mowing down church-lovin' folks on Sunday. IT DOESN'T F_CKING HAPPEN.
Now, the politicians have to make one of two choices:
1. Ignore the issue because its ridiculous when they should be fighting to shut down things like the Patriot Act and domestic spying that are hurting the US.
2. Go in and support legislation that limits children/teens to violent video game exposure.
If the politicians decide to go the route of #1, in other words not doing #2, then this is what happens at political debates: "Mr. X neglected to vote on the violent video game bill. Do you know what that means? It means Mr. X doesn't care about your children, the future generation of America. And that, my easily-manipulated voters, is why you should vote for me, Mr. Z, and not Mr. X.
It's all complete bullsh_t, as you can see. But it's what happens today in modern politics. The same can be said about legalising marijuana. There is so much hype, misinformation, and covering-up of real facts that politicians have to take a hard stance against its legalising. Look at so many other progressive countries that have legalised it. Has sh_t hit the fan? No. Are millions of people flocking to start smoking marijuana, just because it's legal? No.
I've always thought that we should have more sex in video games, but America really flips out about seeing a tit. We are subjected to decapitations, gun shot wounds, dismemberment, eye-gouging, evisceration.... super-violence to use one word. But seeing a tit is taboo? I would say that the opposite is true in Europe. Pick up any magazine and you'll often see breasts like it wasn't a big deal. Visit a nude beach, they're all over the place.
The problem here is that the politicians and the media in the US run the country. They tell you what's okay and what's not to the point that one begins after a while not to be able to think for oneself. My advice? Go abroad. Take a trip and see what the rest of the world is like. Then reflect on it and you'll be free again.
Zombie thread.
Anyway, this issue has supporters in both parties. Probably more on the republican side, but there are also opponents on the republican side. Just research your candidates before you vote. This is actually a big part of why I don't like Hillary.
This is a battle that must be fought and won in the hearts and minds of the voters first. As the baby boomers are slowly replaced by the Gen Xers we will see more and more openness to video games since were were practically raised on the things so have a better perspective on the matter. Though I am sure the GenXers will find some media scapegoat to demonize in our old age. ;-)
