Fox News Says Bulletstorm Could Make You a Rapist

[DanDeFool]

Well then here's an idea:

PAY ATTENTION TO THE ESRB RATING AND DON'T BUY THIS FOR YOUR GODDAMN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KIDS!

/FoxNews

Seriously... You wouldn't take your kids to see Saw 8 (or whatever they're up to now), why would you let them play an extremely violent video game?

If their stance on this was to inform parents that they shouldn't buy violent games for their children, and not "OMG VIOLENT GAMZE SHLD BE BAN3D! LOLWTFPWN!!!!1!!1" they might be actually doing some good in the world.

But then again if Fox News started telling people to think for themselves and exercise personal responsibility they would probably lose 99% of their viewership.

Nowhere in the article did it ever mention that violent video games should be banned. The author did seem to lean more on the side of a the uninformed hysteria, however this is most likely to draw attention to the article which succeeded. You obviously do not watch Fox at all, many of their very well known TV personalities (John Stossel, Judge Andrew Napalitano, Glenn Beck to name a few) are very ardent defenders of individual liberties, freedom of commerce and freedom of expression/speech I can't even think of a Fox News spokesperson that would actually call for government regulation of video games even if they disagreed or condemned the subject matter.

I must admit, I do not watch Fox News. I am aware that many of their correspondents are supporters of individual freedoms, and that they are not directly advocating game regulation. I was mistaken to assume this. I mistakenly assumed that just because Fox News was presenting anti-game opinions that they were also advocating censorship, which may not have been their original intention.

However, if Fox News is giving publicity to an (ostensibly) respected scientific authority to say that certain videogames are going to turn your children into rapists, what effect do you think this is going to have on the debate of whether or not games should be censored? The article also presented opinions that the ESRB rating system and parental controls are there for a reason, and that it's the responsibility of the parents to decide what games their children can and cannot play, but (to me, at least) the article seems to be biased in favor of those who believe that stricter legislation is in order.

As much as Fox News and its personalities may support individual liberties, I'm not sure they think video games fall into the 'individual liberties' category. If they did, maybe they would be more careful about whose opinions they choose to present. I mean, they could have chosen to not talk to the psychologist who draws a dubious connection between game sales and rape statistics to say that playing violent games causes people to become sexual deviants.

But they did.

So what do we do? We read between the lines, and conclude that Fox News is either mistakenly contradicting their own stance on individual liberties, or is deliberately helping these assholes make violent video games into a scapegoat for modern social ills.

 

[chalkfail]

You grossly misrepresented the whole of the article and rather than spark conversation about getting news media to examine video games more fairly, you started a bunch of "FOX is evil and dishonest and hates gamers" talk.

No I didn't. The "whole of the article" is Fox spewing bullshit nonsense.

Um...no. Face it, you misrepresented the article so you could demean an organization you disagree with; and you got called on it.

Fox took the typical media approach to this issue, which while undesirable is not even close to "spewing bullshit nonsense." Frankly, your article does more of that. Don't you think it might have been more honest and respectable to write about why Lieberman is wrong? Or how news organizations should bring in better representatives to defend gaming? Or maybe how things like this get blown out of proportion by the media? The fact of the matter is you used the same tactics you claim FOX uses to support your anti-FOX perspective. It's that simple. You should own up to that and then make your points about what was legitimately wrong in that article.

I agree that this is a non-issue, this article was written to create what little controversy could be made to grab people's attention. DID YOU NOT DO THE EXACT SAME THING??? Did you not entitle this article, "Fox News Says Bulletstorm Could Make You a Rapist" firmly blaming Fox News for the idiocy of one yes ONE psychiatrist. (No a news organization does not hold any blame for what a single person says at all, I wouldn't blame you if someone you interviewed said all white men should be cleansed from the world)
Controversy sells and that's why YOU made one about how FOX made one. Yet somehow, you have the moral high ground? Your reporting is somehow honest, even though blatantly not? Fox News is the one filled with LIES and twisting of facts, when the TITLE of your article is an absolute slander? What is your position other than that of a self-righteous blowhard opportunist?

Pretty much THIS ^

While we're on the topic, IGN has a good article about this situation:
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/114/1149027p1.html
(hypocrisy free)

 

[Atomysk]

I must admit, I do not watch Fox News. I am aware that many of their correspondents are supporters of individual freedoms, and that they are not directly advocating game regulation. I was mistaken to assume this. I mistakenly assumed that just because Fox News was presenting anti-game opinions that they were also advocating censorship, which may not have been their original intention.

However, if Fox News is giving publicity to an (ostensibly) respected scientific authority to say that certain videogames are going to turn your children into rapists, what effect do you think this is going to have on the debate of whether or not games should be censored? The article also presented opinions that the ESRB rating system and parental controls are there for a reason, and that it's the responsibility of the parents to decide what games their children can and cannot play, but (to me, at least) the article seems to be biased in favor of those who believe that stricter legislation is in order.

As much as Fox News and its personalities may support individual liberties, I'm not sure they think video games fall into the 'individual liberties' category. If they did, maybe they would be more careful about whose opinions they choose to present. I mean, they could have chosen to not talk to the psychologist who draws a dubious connection between game sales and rape statistics to say that playing violent games causes people to become sexual deviants.

But they did.

So what do we do? We read between the lines, and conclude that Fox News is either mistakenly contradicting their own stance on individual liberties, or is deliberately helping these assholes make violent video games into a scapegoat for modern social ills.

I would think that many people at Fox News would consider video games a freedom of speech issue and thereby fall into THE most important of individual liberties. However you must realize that Fox News has never worn the face of a completely united front, and has many personalities that hold many different views. Fox is accountable for what it prints, but would you rather know that there is a psychiatrist that is out there that thinks that video games lead to increases in RAPE or not? I'm glad it was quoted it's hilariously inane to think that this expert has any hard evidence linking the two actions and is doing anything more than talking out her ass. Is that really publicity, especially given it's on a very small internet article in the tech section of Fox News? Perhaps the author should have made a comment about the absurdity of the statement, but it would most certainly be asserting his opinion about the psychiatrist. It's never good journalism to call your source a kook even if they are one.

I do agree that the article seems skewed towards alarmists, I'm not sure if that's the author's bias, a ploy to grab attention, the mere silence of the developers/producers of the game, or simply someone trying to warn parents that not all video games are made for children and they should pay more attention. I do know that most retailers do their do diligence and train their employees to not sell Mature rated games to minors, I also know that most parents don't know jack about what game they are buying for their children. I was working for a game retailer when GTA 3 came out and had to upset quite a few 12y/os by telling their mothers that you can pick up hookers and then murder them later to get your cash back. Some of them, but very few bought the game once told that. While i do see the lean in the alarmist direction in this article the reporter does fall short of condoning legal restriction and government regulations upon video games, perhaps in his own blog he does where he is free to express opinion, and do more than report.

 

[ikey]

Fox News is both a blessing and a curse. It's one of the best forms of comedy around, yet they make a large number of people actually believe them, forcing us to deal with these kinds of people in all facets of life.
My favorite part is the last sentence, with the paragraph above it a close second. I love how O'Reilly calls all the people with at least middle school education who just answered his idiotic question, pinheads.

 

[Andy Chalk]

Controversy sells and that's why YOU made one about how FOX made one. Yet somehow, you have the moral high ground? Your reporting is somehow honest, even though blatantly not? Fox News is the one filled with LIES and twisting of facts, when the TITLE of your article is an absolute slander? What is your position other than that of a self-righteous blowhard opportunist?

My position is that Fox is full of shit. I think I was pretty clear on that.

Did I suggest the ESRB should be scrapped? No. Fox, however, suggested that it's ineffective because of that silly First Amendment thing.

Did I say small kids should play Bulletstorm? No. Fox, however, implied that they would because, well, see above.

Did I say there was anything wrong with what Hal Halpin said? No. Fox, however, found "experts" to condemn games but could only find someone directly connected to the game industry - ie., self-serving - to support it.

Fox went out and found a shill for hire to say something stupid about videogames, then found one or two others to back it up. Is that the same as Rupert Murdoch personally saying it on national television? No. But it's close enough.

 

[Paulrus_Keaton]

That... doesn't even make sense.

 

[Atomysk]

Controversy sells and that's why YOU made one about how FOX made one. Yet somehow, you have the moral high ground? Your reporting is somehow honest, even though blatantly not? Fox News is the one filled with LIES and twisting of facts, when the TITLE of your article is an absolute slander? What is your position other than that of a self-righteous blowhard opportunist?

My position is that Fox is full of shit. I think I was pretty clear on that.

Did I suggest the ESRB should be scrapped? No. Fox, however, suggested that it's ineffective because of that silly First Amendment thing.

Did I say small kids should play Bulletstorm? No. Fox, however, implied that they would because, well, see above.

Did I say there was anything wrong with what Hal Halpin said? No. Fox, however, found "experts" to condemn games but could only find someone directly connected to the game industry - ie., self-serving - to support it.

Fox went out and found a shill for hire to say something stupid about videogames, then found one or two others to back it up. Is that the same as Rupert Murdoch personally saying it on national television? No. But it's close enough.

Wow this is just so pot calling the kettle black I don't even no where to begin.
Fox News did not imply the ESRB rating system is ineffective nor that small kids would be playing Bulletstorm because of it's ineffectiveness, it reported that other think it is ineffective, others that are on the side of regulation of video game sales, as they were identified in the article as such.

Via Fox News
"One thing that tends to be ignored is that if Bulletstorm consisted solely of beating people up, it wouldn't be fun to play," said Hal Levy with the National Youth Rights Association.

"It's been praised for encouraging innovative thinking. Bulletstorm involves developing new moves and dispatching of enemies creatively. Plenty of emotionally unstable adults will play the game and they'll be fine," he said.
How exactly is Hal Levy part of the gaming industry? I'm not sure I see the link to his self-serving agenda, is there something wrong with defending one's own agenda, or serving one's self? Also how exactly did the other expert back up the claim that video games cause a rise in rape? I didn't see that, are you reading the same article? Here lemme give you the addy for it again.
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/02/08/bulletstorm-worst-game-kids/

The only thing honest about the article you wrote here was your biased against Fox News, and your total ignorance of what it is that Fox News stands for. I bet you think that every person that votes GOP is a racist homophobe, and the tea party is about reforming the KKK. That everyone that disagrees with how you see the world is a complete retard and should just be shot for good measure. You could have been better than what you accuse Fox News of being, but you sunk far lower, this article is CHALK full of blatant falsehoods and misinformation. Demonize Fox News all you want some of us are paying attention to what is REALLY being said, by whom and about what.
The only person here FULL OF SHIT is ANDY CHALK!

 

[SGDeath2]

OMG I JUST PLAYED THE DEMO, i can only hope I can contain the urge to rape

 

[Atomysk]

OMG I JUST PLAYED THE DEMO, i can only hope I can contain the urge to rape

I raped my cousin right after playing the demo... I guess it's true what the psychiatrist said then. Well I guess I probably would have raped him anyways.

 

[Paksenarrion]

Meanwhile, rapists interviewed in prison describe the indecent act itself as "akin to playing Bulletstorm".

 

[Nyce1]

Games don't kill people. Its the people playing the game killing other people that are playing the game fictionally killing peoples in game avatars. That right their is the true crime!
See I can make as much sense as this stupid article is making. PUT ME ON TV!

 

[M4A1Sopmod]

Another Fox News report catering to the technophobe, "them damn kids," pro-censorship crowd. I am not even surprised anymore. Birds fly, Superman stares at sleeping children and Fox News releases bullshit sensationalist reports about how video games our ruining our youth.

And then they put on people like Stossel who says we should legalize recreational drugs. Holy shit they are so pro-censorship. Try actually watching Fox News before opening your mouth and inserting your foot. I do not like the article in question, I think the author is simply trying to make a controversy however small simply for the sake of selling an article.

Wow. Excuse me. I assumed that I could generalize on a TV network after hearing hundreds of reports confirming my beliefs but apparently without citing specific and concrete information I am in the wrong. If you had been polite and actually acted like a semi-decent human being I might feel obligated to explain why I feel that way and to cite some examples. As you have not acted that way I will leave you with this statement: It is difficult to make friends when you leap to the defense of something nobody really completely understands and don't leave any room for the person to explain their actions.

 

[Andy Chalk]

Fox News did not imply the ESRB rating system is ineffective nor that small kids would be playing Bulletstorm because of it's ineffectiveness, it reported that other think it is ineffective, others that are on the side of regulation of video game sales, as they were identified in the article as such.

"And with kids as young as 9 playing such games, the experts FoxNews.com spoke with were nearly universally worried that video game violence may be reaching a fever pitch."

"There might be a simple way to address the problem: penalties for selling violent games to kids."

"Video game publishers traditionally stay glib about the issue of violence."

Those are direct quotes, not from experts but from Fox, which should make it fairly obvious where it stands even without the painfully obvious bias of the report itself.

And now I think you need to calm down a bit and rein in the name-calling.

 

[Red-Link]

theres gotta be a law that forces them to only broadcast the news thats known to be true right? they have lied REPEATEDLY even when things like the FBI are saying the opposite.

there is no doubt that they lie on purpose ... how can they be allowed to be "informers" of the public? honestly why isnt this breaking some laws that will shut them down or force them to clean up their act?.

This may have been noted in one of the 20 pages of this thread (in other words I'm too lazy to read them all and apologize if I'm repeating a point made by another), but Fox News isn't all news. Like 3/4 of the programming schedule (i.e. O'Reilly, Beck, Hannity, Fox and Friends, etc.) are "opinion" shows as opposed to news programs. Whenever people get angry that Fox is spouting worse lies than usual, Fox comes out and makes this distinction, though they do so with as little volume and fanfare as possible. I don't know which program this was reported in, but there's a decent chance it wasn't technically news and therefore needs not be true.

 

[ryo02]

how can they be allowed to be "informers" of the public? honestly why isnt this breaking some laws that will shut them down or force them to clean up their act?.

Fox News isn't all news. Like 3/4 of the programming schedule (i.e. O'Reilly, Beck, Hannity, Fox and Friends, etc.) are "opinion" shows as opposed to news programs. Whenever people get angry that Fox is spouting worse lies than usual, Fox comes out and makes this distinction,

well in that case if they are not "news" isnt it false advertising to call themselves fox "news"?? Im no expert but isnt false advertising ilegal?

 

[im_thelumberjack]

Video games have not nearly neared the disturbing or violence factor of Movies. The fact that the media won't complain about movies such as "The Devils Rejects" (which is a pretty good film I might add), but harp on "Bulletstorm" is just sad.

 

[Miniges]

Well, assuming it's rated M, good parents will probably not buy this game for their kids. Bad parents may very well buy this for their kid, or at least let them play it when they are 9, as fox news seems to think is this games target audience. As always, parents are the last ones expected to do the parenting. Since when has fox been so anti-business?

 

[Jack Macaque]

"Violent videogames like Bulletstorm have the potential to send the message that violence and insults with sexual innuendos are the way to handle disputes and problems."

Piss right off, that makes me sick.

Remember when Jackass first got big and everyone was making tapes for some reason? Yea, me and my friends made some too, why? Not sure, guys on TV do funny thing so we funny thing do yes? how i mine for fish??

There is so many more terrible things in movies and shows for kids to just walk outside and do, we all know this, I mean, I'm not even sure why I'm getting worked up about this, it is Fox after all lol...

Was Fox complaining about Red? I watched a 30 second clip and Bruce Willis tore like 6 guys apart, and there must've been 1000 rounds fired in that 30 seconds.

Was Fox complaining about Machete? Well...that one explains itself.

Or how about Human Centipede? No? Wow Fox...just wow.

Pretty sure this is biased against video games guys, but who would have guessed!

 

[Atomysk]

Another Fox News report catering to the technophobe, "them damn kids," pro-censorship crowd. I am not even surprised anymore. Birds fly, Superman stares at sleeping children and Fox News releases bullshit sensationalist reports about how video games our ruining our youth.

And then they put on people like Stossel who says we should legalize recreational drugs. Holy shit they are so pro-censorship. Try actually watching Fox News before opening your mouth and inserting your foot. I do not like the article in question, I think the author is simply trying to make a controversy however small simply for the sake of selling an article.

Wow. Excuse me. I assumed that I could generalize on a TV network after hearing hundreds of reports confirming my beliefs but apparently without citing specific and concrete information I am in the wrong. If you had been polite and actually acted like a semi-decent human being I might feel obligated to explain why I feel that way and to cite some examples. As you have not acted that way I will leave you with this statement: It is difficult to make friends when you leap to the defense of something nobody really completely understands and don't leave any room for the person to explain their actions.

I'm sorry about jumping down your throat, however Fox News does not cater to a pro-censorship crowd, given all the organizations actually trying to figure out how to take them off the air how could they be? If you listen to the some people you'll hear that FNC is calling for the violent uprising of the conservative right, none of this shit is true. FNC is the most trusted news channel in the United States if they were lying out there asses every 5 seconds I think more than MSNBC. Media matters and these Jr. Highers would be pointing it out. Do your own research, anyone that says Fox News it full of shit is an extremely close minded person.

 

[Andy Chalk]

yadda yadda

I think one of us is working a lot harder to twist what Fox and its "experts" said to fit our points than the other. If you seriously don't think that the presentation and perception has as much or more to do with the story than the raw facts, then we don't have much else to talk about. But I will leave you with this: If, say, CNN did a story on how great the ESRB was working, that the FTC had found it had far and away the highest rate of rating compliance in the industry, about how researchers like Christopher Ferguson were stating as fact that violent videogames had no negative impact on children, and then allowed Jack Thompson two or three lines to rebut, would you call that fair and balanced? Would you be satisfied?