Educator Group Calls For B.C. Game Ban

[r_Chance]

There are times when my profession embarrasses me. Fortunately (and I haven't said that in a while) I live in California where the half wits were handed a set back by the Supreme Court. The inability of educated (one hopes) people to do basic research and acquaint themselves with the full range of information before making horses rear ends out of themselves amazes me...

 

[phantasmalWordsmith]

Another group with a problem with a game? *yawns* Boring. I'm going to bed.

My Capcha is: happy retirement. Odd.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Not considering that "professional honorary Society of women educators" sounds about as elitist as can be, but do any of these professional woman actually have kids?
And do they spend any time with them?

Or have they just heard about this via "The Talk" and "Loose Women" and decided they should be appalled?

 

[Racecarlock]

I thought we were done with this after the supreme court, but it occurs to me now that we won't be done until these groups are either ignored out of existence or die of old age. They will never win though. Do you honestly think they're going to pass that ban? It seems like you're already preparing for the worst, and while having backup plans is nice, don't automatically expect the government to side with the anti-game people. Especially since the anti-game people are morons. And if any Australians are reading this, keep fighting! You will win! Trust me. Also if you want uncensored blood right now, try importing.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

"As summer vacation has started, children are particularly at risk for increased exposure to the violence celebrated in many of the video games which are commonly available for sale in local stores, and at video arcades,"

Wait, she thinks arcades still exist?

 

[LostNumber]

"As summer vacation has started, children are particularly at risk for increased exposure to the violence celebrated in many of the video games which are commonly available for sale in local stores, and at video arcades,"

Wait, she thinks arcades still exist?

I've actually seen one or two arcades in Vancouver that are usually packed. They're typically aimed at the Asian demographic, though, so they're more like something you'd see on the streets of Tokyo than a typical '80s arcade.

OT: I'd be worried about this, but after the whole HST fiasco the Liberals are still in damage control to get the public back on their side. They wouldn't try to pass anything that people may disagree with (well, until the next election, that is).

 

[Canadamus Prime]

For fucks sakes, are none of these retards even AWARE of the existence of the ESRB?

 

[aenimau5]

Since i can't think of any arguments or expressions of exasperation that haven't already been said i shall simply say AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGHHFALBIGWAJUMANDFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and leave it at that.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Perhaps BC should ban anyone who wants to ban video games for being harmful to the industry and thus its fans, ie. the children.

We have PEGI [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_European_Game_Information#Where_PEGI_is_used] in Europe and its status varies from country to country. In the UK, it's an industry adopted standard but hasn't been a legally enforced system. It will be from this September apparently. Some games have carried BBFC age ratings in the past (the GTA series probably most famously)...these are the same as used for films and are legally enforceable (but didn't require any different distribution methods).

The main problem is society's attitude to games. While it's very different from some years ago, with many more mainstream and casual games breaking the mystique around them, they are still considered "child's toys" by many. As such, an indulgent parent can and will still by titles for their child without attention to age ratings. CoDBLOPS for example has a BBFC (legally enforceable) age rating of 18, yet is still most likely played in the majority by 12-16 year old boys.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

"As summer vacation has started, children are particularly at risk for increased exposure to the violence celebrated in many of the video games which are commonly available for sale in local stores, and at video arcades,"

Wait, she thinks arcades still exist?

I've actually seen one or two arcades in Vancouver that are usually packed. They're typically aimed at the Asian demographic, though, so they're more like something you'd see on the streets of Tokyo than a typical '80s arcade.

Huh. Well you learn something new every day.

 

[The_Yeti]

It is almost worth becoming a violent serial killer, to get rid of such ignorant people. XP

Hell, if a ban on violent games actually happened in america, there would be a few murders even the police would be afraid to investigate.

 

[Owlslayer]

Wow, my geography skills have failed me again. I thought that British Columbia was some sort of island... Well, now, after Google-ing, i know the truth. Sweet. Go Canada!

But on topic, i don't really have much to say. Don't like what they're trying to do, and don't agree with it. I think they're being stupid. Heh.

 

[Woodsey]

God, they keep popping out of the woodwork. You've got to wonder if these people think everyone who isn't them is a serial killing rapist, really...

Which is funny, because I'm starting to think of all of them as serial killing rapists. These people obviously have no self control or else they wouldn't take it so seriously. When you're telling other people they can't tell the difference between real life and a game - when they can - then perhaps you should start wondering if you are the one with the problem.

OT: I'm pretty sure young crime in the US (and over here too) has gone down steadily alongside the increase in the popularity of gaming. Now, whilst gaming is not necessarily responsible, its difficult to then argue that its having a negative effect.

I mean, we take this seriously because it comes up so frequently, but when you think about it, its ridiculous. Your brain can tell the difference between real life and a game. It might light up in the same areas but that doesn't mean its processing it as real life. If it can't, you have an issue that was there long before you started gaming.

 

[Togusa09]

Sexually explicit? Why does this one always come up... How many sexually explicit games are there anyway? Rapelay, Sexvilla, Lula 3D, all those Jap ones... And how many have ever been sold at a retail store? Probably a couple that I've never heard of.

I could get behind sexually explicit (and maybe R-18+) games being sold in adult shops, but the standard line of 'violent and sexually explicit content' gets annoying.

 

[Roserari]

I think that by now the comments on these kinds of articles are as recycled and pointless as the subject of the article itself.

 

[rutger5000]

I don't know the game, but I've got to go with these folks. I do think that when you make games too violent and too realistic they will inspire violence. I enjoy a good shooter just as much as the next guy, but when guts are flying across the screem count me out. A lot of gamers often claim that games can't inspire violence because it's not real, and we can tell games from reality. I call bullshit on that one, especially if the games are getting more and more realistic.

 

[frehls]

hue

 

[ph0b0s123]

The most worrying part was this:
'benefit from a ban on violent or sexually explicit games wherever children under 16 may be present'

So you maybe refused sale if you have a child in the house you live in? Yeah, whatever. Cuckoo, cuckoo.....

In a roundabout way, this has inspired an interesting question in me. Should* Gamestop (or whomever) have demos of M rated games set up in stores?


*as a matter of conscience, nothing to do with law

Actually, yes I would agree with that. I assume in the same way you would not have an m rated movie clip playing in the foyer of a movie theatre. Not because I am convince it does harm, but still.

 

[Layzor]

Rockstar said it best; "If you buy one of our games for your child, you're a terrible parent."

 

[Macgyvercas]

Andy, tell me what you think this proposal: Anyone found using the "Think of the children" arguement shall be sentenced to a week in solitary confinement and fed on on dry bread and water during that time.

What gets lost in all the noise, in this matter and a lot of others, is that we are thinking of the children. ESRB ratings are more effective than any other entertainment media rating system in North America, and even though there is absolutely no evidence that violent videogames are any more detrimental to children than violent movies, the videogame industry nonetheless continues to work to keep parents educated about the games and the ratings. We are ahead of that curve, and pulling away more and more with each passing year.

I also, as always, find the nonsense about "sexually explicit games" especially infuriating. Anyone with half a brain in her head knows that the sale of sexually explicit content is already legally restricted, and that those laws cover games as much as they do movies and magazines - notwithstanding the fact that such games effectively don't exist in the first place.

Fortunately, it seems that the groups braying about the dangers of games become less and less relevant with each passing year. Someday this will all seem as ridiculous as the decades-old worries about the corrupting influence of comic books; the trick for gamers is to keep our heads above water until then.

Well, you know that and I know that, but nobody in the mainstream media seems to. And while we may be thinking of the children, how many times do you see us use that idiotic phrase?

All I'm saying is that if someone has to outright SAY they're "thinking of the children" rather than doing so by their actions, they've crossed the line into deluded moral guardian as far as I'm concerned.