Parents Group Denounces Supreme Court Decision

Greg Tito

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Sep 29, 2005
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Parents Group Denounces Supreme Court Decision



The Parents Television Council said that the Supreme Court succumbed to economic pressures from the videogame industry.

Not everyone in America is happy with the Supreme Court's decision to strike down California's proposed law as violating the First Amendment to the Constitution. The Parents Television Council, or PTC, has been protecting children from "sex, violence and profanity on television and in other media" since 1995 and President Tim Winter is outraged that the Supreme Court circumvented its efforts.

"This ruling replaces the authority of parents with the economic interests of the videogame industry. With no fear of any consequence for violating the videogame industry's own age restriction guidelines, retailers can now openly, brazenly sell games with unspeakable violence and adult content even to the youngest of children," Winter said.

PTC claims that the law put forth by Rep. Leland Yee was flawless in its execution, despite even the dissenters in the Supreme Court calling out its vagueness as a problem. "The carefully-worded California statute would not have interfered in any way with the rights of the creators of adult games or the adults who wish to buy them; and in fact, it would not interfere with parents who wanted to purchase such a game for their children. Rather, the measure only would have prevented an unaccompanied minor child from buying or renting the product."

Winter seemed to ignore any of the arguments put forth by both the game industry's lawyers and the Justices, using language that seems to demonize game publishers as corrupters of our youth. "Countless independent studies confirm what most parents instinctively know to be true: Repeated exposure to violent videogames has a harmful and long-term effect on children. Despite these troubling findings, videogame manufacturers have fought tooth and nail for the 'right' to line their pockets at the expense of America's children. Today, the Supreme Court sided with them and against parents."

The facts cited by Winter appear to be at odds with reality by stating that the ESRB is not enforced by retailers, saying, "We call on the Entertainment Merchants Association to redouble its efforts for increased enforcement of the industry's age-based vending restrictions. The Federal Trade Commission and the PTC's own 'Secret Shopper' campaigns have routinely demonstrated an abysmal failure rate for videogame retailers to uphold the industry's own age-based restrictions."

In fact, the FTC found that the ESRB system is one of the most successful ratings systems, compared to other major media. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/103555-Retailers-Turn-Away-80-of-Kids-Trying-to-Buy-M-Rated-Games]



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bombadilillo

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Jan 25, 2011
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Greg Tito said:
Countless independent studies confirm what most parents instinctively know to be true: Repeated exposure to violent videogames has a harmful and long-term effect on children.
Really? Some studies agree with your admitted starting opinion? Bias much?
 

Drummie666

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"This ruling replaces the authority of parents with the economic interests of the videogame industry. With no fear of any consequence for violating the videogame industry's own age restriction guidelines, retailers can now openly, brazenly sell games with unspeakable violence and adult content even to the youngest of children," Winter said.
How the hell does this replace the authority of parents? You still have control over what your kids can and cannot play. Take some fucking responsibility for your kids and BE A PARENT.
 

Mr. Omega

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Jul 1, 2010
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[HEADING=1]U Mad?[/HEADING]​

In all seriousness, I find it ironic that they are saying "The government has taken awawy the parent's power to buy their games!" When the entire point of the law was for the government to be able to decide what games kids can and can't buy. So in reality, their argument is "PARENTS have to do the parenting? That's the government's job!"
 

Marudas

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In other news, the Parent Television Council continues to shout and scream for attention while being the most inappropriately named group in the world.

If you haven't seen these people before, let me give you the short of it. They want the government to regulate all media and tell people what they are allowed and not allowed to view, while claiming to be concerned parents. Its basically what if Lazy Parents got up and did something, but instead of parenting their kids, tried to force congress to do it for them.

Shake this off, these guys are West Boro Baptist Church Level Laughable.
 

Booze Zombie

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Drummie666 said:
How the hell does this replace the authority of parents? You still have control over what your kids can and cannot play. Take some fucking responsibility for your kids and BE A PARENT.
"Can I have 40 bucks, mother?" "What for? It had better not be violent video games!" "Uh... marijuana?" "That's my boy!"
 

Qitz

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"This ruling replaces the authority of parents with the economic interests of the videogame industry. With no fear of any consequence for violating the videogame industry's own age restriction guidelines, retailers can now openly, brazenly sell games with unspeakable violence and adult content even to the youngest of children," Winter said.
Wait.....what?

Where in this game does it say that if a parent says "No I'm not going to buy that for you" that a game store can go "It's ok, we'll sell it to you anyways!"

Something tells me these guys don't get what the bill was about. They still wont sell to your kids without ID or your consent.

You can sum up their entire "argument" with "We don't want to be RESPONSIBLE parents."
 

bombadilillo

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Drummie666 said:
"This ruling replaces the authority of parents with the economic interests of the videogame industry. With no fear of any consequence for violating the videogame industry's own age restriction guidelines, retailers can now openly, brazenly sell games with unspeakable violence and adult content even to the youngest of children," Winter said.
How the hell does this replace the authority of parents? You still have control over what your kids can and cannot play. Take some fucking responsibility for your kids and BE A PARENT.
Also it doesnt TAKE AWAY shit. Since everything stay the same as it is now...So there so loss of anything.
 

TotalHobNob

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Boo hoo we lost wahhh. If don't want kids playing violent video games do your job and be a responsible parent. Yea sometimes game retailers drop the ball. No matter how much you try to regulate things there will always be around.
 

cookyy2k

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Aug 14, 2009
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Wow, I really didn't see this comming a mile off... Who'd have thought it the supreme court rules in favour of games as art and some people still think thay corrupt kids!
 

hellflame

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Nov 9, 2010
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Just admit defeat already!

Love how they call in a conspiracy theory just so they can keep on trying to ban games.
imagine what life would be if your mother/father was part of that group *shivers*.
 
Apr 17, 2009
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Repeated exposure to violent videogames has a harmful and long-term effect on children
Because as we all know there was no violence before video games existed.
The older generations have been declaring the young violent and lawless since at least ancient Rome, and probably before. Change the record.

With no fear of any consequence for violating the videogame industry's own age restriction guidelines, retailers can now openly, brazenly sell games with unspeakable violence and adult content even to the youngest of children
Even if games stores were letting younger childen buy higher rated games, maybe you, as the parent could, oh I don't know, take it away from them? Not give them the means to buy it in the first place? Take some responsibility instead of declaring all your problems somebody else's fault?
 

Jegsimmons

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hey parents, how about ACT LIKE A PARENT AND STOP RELYING ON THE COURTS TO DO IT FOR YOU!!!
if you think your kid has a problem, act like a responsible parent and lay some law down....with a belt if need be!

what my parents did and i turned out great and going to college in the fall. AND i play games.
 

Colinmac93

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Mar 20, 2011
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Jeez, you'd think that these people would have learned that it's the parent's job to look after kids and make sure they don't end up finding Lemon Party on Google.
But no, they want the government to do it for them. They're less parents and more "people who happen to have children living in the same house as them".
 

Ickabod

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I think this group would be better suited teaching parents how to parent, rather than hope the government will do it for them.

Parents need to educate themselves, if you see your child playing a game that you don't think they should be, read up on it, play it yourself, then make an educated decision on if your child should be playing that game.
 

Jegsimmons

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also, just because the court says they can sell video games to younger kids....doesnt mean they dont have a store policy saying they wont.

after all gamestop requires a guardians permission for games that are not age appropriate for younger kids.