Ben-DutkaPoliticians have been targeting video games ever since the Newtown shooting catastrophe. They want studies, they want taxes, they want new laws.
All of this without ever acknowledging that violent games or any games with mature content aren't designed for children but you know, whatever. Anyway, the ECA (Entertainment Consumers Association) says they're "headed to Capitol Hill" to meet with legislative peeps in order to discuss the aforementioned issues.
And in the email they sent over, they wanted us to be aware of the facts, which they will attempt to prove in front of those in charge:
— While video game sales have more than doubled in the last decade, violent crime has decreased.
— Countries who consume more video games than the United States don’t see the same level of gun violence.
— The FTC has recognized the current video game labeling system as the best enforced out of all those in entertainment.
— The Supreme Court has defended video games as First Amendment protected media.
So they'll be fighting the good fight from their end, but they want you to do your part, too. If you haven't already, write to Obama and the legislators and tell them why you disagree with their plans. And then write to your state representative and tell them that violent video games don't cause real-world violence.
To be perfectly honest, I'm somewhat uncomfortable about doing that. I am not convinced that violent media experienced by children (not adults) doesn't at least contribute to aggression, and I also have no problem making the ESRB ratings legally binding. They should've been in the first place. Such a move might not make a huge difference but I don't see how it could hurt. Just my two cents on the matter.
The labelling system and the fact that M rated games are not made for children should be their main points. As has been discussed ad nauseam here already, parents need to make better choices for their children. Why is there no mention at all regarding a parents responsibility in this matter?
I say keep the system in place, but yeah. Enforce it better. Obviously it won't solve everything. Just like kids can still get a hold of cigarettes. But it would make more of a difference than having nothing in place. I'm convinced many parents just plain don't realize what they're buying.
You are right parents dont understant or they do whatever to please their children but are in the end looking for something to blame.
I for one am all for them enforcing the esrb ratings further. I mean where I live all the retailers follow and enforce the ratings anyways. That includes bestbuy, gamestop, wal-mart and all the other retail stores. It wouldnt change much, so go for it I say.
I too have witnessed retailers refusing to sell M rated games to underage "kids". Sadly I've also seen parents easily convinced by their kids who convince them that the game "isn't that bad" as "Billy's Mom bought it for him". Also, back in October, I was in an EB Games store and saw a group of about five or six teens all inline to buy Assassins Creed 3. Once the first teen was ask to provide proof of age by the sales associate, they all turned over their cash to their 18 year-old friend who then proceeded to by six copies of Assassins Creed 3.
Anyone who thinks this legislation won't change anything, hasn't read any of the introduced bills. They are discussing both consumer and business taxes on "violent" video games (the cost of both taxes will be passed onto the consumer). The chance of retailers opting out of violent games and only carrying Dora the Explorer games is a possibility. I'm sick of people supporting laws that they know nothing about… this country is so apathetic to REAL knowledge. Everyone knows what the effing Kardashians are doing, but have no idea the laws in place that are making us all slaves. It's good to know that a gaming website is sparking so much political discussion though (props Ben), it shows this country is trying to wake up.
That is because those armed with scientific knowledge, facts if you will, are constantly fighting people who believe in some kind of voodoo politics where ideology will create the correct society if it can only defeat science and reason.
I already did so. It isn't that I'm not in favor of adding a legal provision to the ratings enforcement but as is stated it isn't something that is actually a problem, retailers do a fine job already and we don't need to begin skating a slippery slope the begins with a false narrative, namely that gaming is for children only.
This is all so ridiculous. What a complete waste of time and money when there are real issues that need to be addressed. But I guess they need to point the finger at something… Not at the parents, obviously. Mommy and Daddy had nothing to do with little Jimmy's development into a psychotic mass murderer… it was the video games.
But what am I saying? I'm a gamer, and according to California Senator Leland Lee I have "no credibility in this argument". More of his crap here –> kotaku.com/leland-yee/
ratings really do need to be allot stricter, which is kinda whats happening now with our FINALLY entering 18+ category.
games were getting shoehorned into the MA category which has such flimsy restrictions it isent funny.
you had to be 15 or have a adult purchase it for you, which is not exactly hard just find a brother, sister, uncle, whatever.
and half the time retailers did not even care, if i had a nickel for every time ive seen 15+ restricted content being sold to kids by themselves, well you get the point by now.
exactly why we needed the 18+ rating, that way from now on most games that would of been 15+, and thus placed into most of kids hands will now be far harder for them to achieve.
dunno why but retailers have always been FAR stricter on 18+ movies than they have videos.
i remember when i tried to get a movie cant remember what it was called but it was R, zero stores would sell it to me because i was under age.
than i went to same store said f*ck it and bought a 15+ movie instead, even though i was only 13.
its funny how you cant budge them with a freaking nuke on 18+ content, but 15+ eh who cares.
Waste of money. Every other study has failed. Why should this succeed? If fictional violence actually affected people (by that I mean tunring perfectly normal kids into violent beasts) why doesn't it happen more foten? Why are all of us unaffected? Why do so many people play violent games, watch violent cartoons, etc and come out of the experience unchanged?