Games make people violent.

[jasoncyrus]

Its a simple case of this:

We all grew up with access to these games. We are not violent. Thus its a load of ballocks.

 

[jasoncyrus]

Its a simple case of this:

We all grew up with access to these games. We are not violent. Thus its a load of ballocks.

See, that's not really true.

We didn't grow up with these games, we grew up with games twenty years ago.

It's probably a false premise that games cause violence but that's no refutation.

Wel if we take the level of violence from 20 years ago, DOOM, duke nukem, etc, then it was at least the same if nt more violent than current games. Current games are simply more realism based.

 

[DefunctTheory]

I'm not saying that there are people out there who aren't doing their part to help stop kids from getting games outside of their age range, but I've also seen many kids walk into a store (usually a place like Target or Kmart), take a MA15+ game off the shelves, pay for it, and walk out. Not a word said about age appropriateness, and certainly not a parent.

Hello, Australian.

For your knowledge expansion:

American retailers put all games, with the exception of bargain bin games which are rated TEEN or under, are either put in glass cases with keys, so that underage gamers can't even really look at Mature games, or the games are mere cases with no CDs. Obtaining these games requires the buyer to actually consult a store rep that works in that specific department, and who has been informed they will be fired if they break ESRB suggestions. In short, almost all American retailers are self regulated, with no reason for government interference.

I only mention this because you're example is of Californian law. As for your Australian example... shit if I know. In any case, a 15+ game sounds similar to a TEEN (+13) game (I checked, it is), so the overall question is, who cares?

EDIT: As for your complaint that the community responds a bit immaturely to the subject matter, well... its the internet. It happens in every discussion had here. Not sure what you can do other than get over it.

 

[jasoncyrus]

Wel if we take the level of violence from 20 years ago, DOOM, duke nukem, etc, then it was at least the same if nt more violent than current games. Current games are simply more realism based.

Well to be fair that's the difference between Bugs Bunny and Saving private Ryan. They both have explosions and gunshots, two sides fighting.

It's not the level of violence, it's the realism and sadism of that violence.

True, but then again we had prety realistic slasher flicks to make up for that.

In all honesty it doesn't really add up, after all you see far more realistic violence from watching dramas on tv. Heck cops can be *excessively* violent at times.

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

Rather media dose not create violence it creates energy, from either excitement or frustration both which can seem like violent behavior but its not. Its more bad behavior that some show.

People need to grow up and teach their kids how to get rid of excess energy in more constructive ways

 

[KaiRai]

Well, if Golf was suddenly bashed on by all forms of media, claiming biased and loosely based arguments were fact to all and sundry, would Golf be making people violent?

There's a difference between psychological shift and passion for a certain past time. Hell, when people bash cars I react in the same way.

Essentially, we're angry at the lack of understanding they're showing to the medium. Simple as.

 

[The Procrastinated End]

It seems that the consensus of the first 16 (I didn't count them) was that parents need to take responsibility and the government shouldn't try to put restrictions on forms of media. Maybe you shouldn't paraphrase if you don't understand how to properly do it.

And we preform our amazing knee-jerk reactions because of the sheer stupidity and ignorance of those arguing against us.

 

[Dexiro]

My opinion is this;

- Games don't make people violent
- It's only fair that games aren't sold to minors

I don't see why people have such a bitchfit over that second one. In England games rated "18+" aren't sold to kids under 18, the same with all the other ratings, and it all works perfectly fine.

If you're under 18 and want an 18+ game you ask your parents or an older friend to buy it for you. Or just buy the thing online like i do.

 

[Geekosaurus]

Games make people fat and unhealthy. I'm not sure about violent though. Anyway, it's always going to be something argued against by people that don't play video games, and for by people that do play video games.

That has given me a thought though; why don't we suggest to the people that are making these accusations to go play video games and see if they get violent?

 

[stiborge]

Dude, the issue is that they want to make a federal law to prohibit the sale of M video games to minors. There is no federal law that prohibits the sale of R -rated movies to minor but it's games that they want to make an exception for and say that they are not protected under freedom of speech. It is (and should be) currently up to companies to decide if they sell games to minors like it is for movies. Most companies do.

 

[BreakfastMan]

I quite agree with you on your point. We often times resort to name-calling whenever someone insults our favorite medium. Remember the stuff that came about when Roger Ebert claimed that games were not a form of art (at least not yet)? I personally think it stems from the fact the gamers feel their favorite medium is treated differently than other entertainment/artistic mediums. Gamers seem to feel insulted when people treat their medium of choice differently than other mediums. It is like if someone insulted you parents, or called you ugly, or some such thing. The natural response is to insult them right back. It does not make insulting the other person right, but it is the natural response. And since many people don't think before they comment, this type of thing often comes out.

 

[DocBalance]

I'd like to point out that if games actually do make people violent, as the media says, then how come our super-violent culture hasn't risen up to crush them all yet?

 

[Ertol]

I was under the impression that it was illegal for someone underage to buy a rated M game unless a parent is with them. If the parents can't be bothered or are too stupid to look on the back of the box and check out whats in the game it's their fault. It is clearly labeled and shown.

Seriously, they paid for the games (most likely) and legally had to be there at the time of purchase. Even if minors could buy rated M games without parental consent (I'm not all that sure on the laws), are you telling me the parents literally don't pay enough attention to their kids that they don't notice them sitting around playing a new game all day. To me it seems like the parents didn't bother paying enough attention to their kids and they just want to be able to blame someone else because their kid has a rated M game.

Personally I don't think games make people violent, nor do they make them fat and unhealth. People make themselves fat and unhealthy. Really, it's your choice whether or not you want to exercise, eat healthy, or do whatever else keeps you fit and healthy.

I think that minors shouldn't be able to buy games by themselves that are Rated M. If they have a parent come along then it's fine by me. If I can go see a violent and bloody movie in the theaters with my parents, they should be able to buy me a rated M game.

 

[the Dept of Science]

Although I can't talk from experience, I've been told that raising kids isn't easy. While it would be great to live in a world where parents had the time to investigate each game before they bought it, often its just not possible.

I remember when I was young and I went shopping with my mum, if we went into a Game store, then it would go something like this

"Hey mum, can I have MGS 2?"
"I don't know, whats it about?"
"well, its a stealth game, you have to sneak around and not get caught by the guards"
"hmm"
"Matthew and Peter both have it"

Now, my mum wasn't neither negligent nor stupid. In fact, in many ways I could call my childhood fairly sheltered. The thing is, she doesn't even have a basic knowledge of videogames. While standing there in the shop, I can't imagine her getting a good idea of what the game is like. Factor in children's pester power (and "if Peter has it, why can't I have it?" logic) then I can really sympathise with parents wanting a little extra help in this area.

The one thing I would say though is that I think that age ratings are generally too high. I think that by age 16 you should be able to watch pretty much anything.

 

[hawkeye52]

the current system in place in america is fine since the only way minors can get their hands on a game is through their parents

 

[AnOriginalConcept]

It's been said several times on this thread but I don't feel like anyone's addressed it:

This law is not about prohibiting the sale of M rated games to minors. Most stores already adhere to that. This law is about prohibiting the sale of VIOLENT video games to minors, stripping video games of their first amendment rights. This could be calamitous to the industry as (potentially) any game could be restricted due to violence.

I agree, people should try to express their opinion slightly more calmly.