Oh Jesus... look, I love Conservative bashing as much as the next (left-leaning) chap, I really do. But there's a difference between justified Tory bashing, and completely misrepresenting what someone has said just so you can e-slap them around a bit. The title of this piece completely misrepresents what this woman says, and encourages people to dismiss her without actually looking at [i[what it is she's saying[/i].
She is
not calling for the
banning of violent videogames. She is calling for violent games to be kept out of the hands of children. You know, just like we do with porn, Die Hard movies and alcohol. Nowhere does she call for any videogame to be outright banned, nowhere does she say any violent videogame should have inappropriate material removed. There is a difference between advocating censorship, and advocating responsible selling of goods not suitable for children.
As far as I can tell, most of the comments here getting up in arms over this fall into a few distinct categories:
1)
Why should the government step in, when it's the parents' responsibility to monitor what their kids are playing?
Translation: My parents are going to buy me Red Dead for my birthday, and I don't want the government stepping in and saying I can't play it.
Seriously though, while it is indeed the parent's responsibility, ultimately there are too many shit parents out there for the government
not to step in. This is why things like
Social Services exist. Because if those shit parents are left to their own ways without the occasional reminder to do their fucking job, we'd be left with entire generations of kids with fucked up upbringings, and even worse outlooks on society.
Parents should monitor what games their kids are playing. Millions, however, don't. We're happy to ***** about parents who let their kids play Gears Of War, but as soon as the authorities do anything to try and step in and help sort out the mess (by making it illegal for parents to buy war simulators for their kids), we then ***** about "Oh no! That government is stepping on our freedoms! ANGER!!!1!!" and paint them as evil Communist overlords.
2)
Well, there's actually little-to-no evidence to suggest violent games have any kind of effect on the development of children, so there shouldn't be any problem in letting parents buy games like God Of War 3 for their children.
Translation: I'm halfway through the final level of God Of War 3, and if you tell me that I'm too young to finish this game, I will rip your eyes out through your arsehole.
Again on a serious note now: there is little to no evidence to suggest that
adults are affected by violent videogames. That is because by the time we reach 18, most of us have gone through puberty (and all that hormonal mess), learned to morals and laws of society, and learned that throwing a tantrum whenever you are faced with a problem doesn't get you far in life.
Children, however, are different. They have yet to fully realize how society, the law and morality all fit together, and are still learning much of this. Hence why, in the UK, films such as Saw and Sin City are rated 18, and it is illegal to sell copies of them to children. Oh my, much like this woman is suggesting with games...
Would you let your child sit down and watch Pulp Fiction? If yes, then what the fuck are you smoking? And if now, then why is it ok to let them play Grand Theft Auto?
