Parents Group Denounces Supreme Court Decision

[Kuroneko97]

My parents don't mind me playing violent videogames because Guess what? I'm not violent. Sure I curse a lot, but I can control my tongue. Videogames do not make kids more violent. I've beat guys up in GTA4 with a bat and then lit them on fire with a bottle. I would never think of hitting someone with a bat.

But if these parents don't want kids playing violent videogames, it is not that hard to turn off a PS3 and take out the God of War 3 CD. If the kid struggles, give 'em a little smack on the head. Parents need to teach kids what's right and wrong, not expect the schools and games to teach them everything. Schools are meant to teach knowledge for your careers, such as math and literature. Games are entertainment. If you got them the GTA4, and you then saw what the game was like, YOU got the game.
The reason my parents let me play that game is because I don't mimic anything done in that game, so parents should also note that kids won't become violent due to videogames. I played Grand Theft Auto: Vice City when I was seven. I'm not stealing cars and shooting hookers.

God, where are the smart people these days? Oh yeah, there's a bunch here on Escapist. Thank God for that.

 

[weirdee]

Considering the amount of money behind all these interest groups, "caving to pressure from money" is probably the most lame and hypocritical argument made by anybody in these situations.

 

[Belbe]

*Face palm*

 

[idarkphoenixi]

How about you be a real parent and watch what your kids are doing?
Oh, and how about NOT BUYING THE GAME?!

 

[BabyRaptor]

So, they're pouting that peoples' freedoms took a higher preference than their desires to not do their job?

 

[McNinja]

The funny thing is I did. When I worked at Target, I enforced the age restrction when a kid who looked no older than twelve attempted to buy GTA: San Andreas. I made him get his mom. The sad thing was she was on board with the whole thing, even after I pointed out the rating.

It's not the fact that kids try to buy these games, its that parent who are out-of-touch with games in general have no idea what they're buying, and some don't even care. Responsibility of the minor falls directly on the parent/guardian of the child. Maybe they should show some once in a while.

 

[Imp_Emissary]

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*.

Are you trying to give me a nightmare? I already listened to the MLP fan fiction Cupcakes! I don't need anymore nightmare worthy thoughts!

 

[shrekfan246]

Really? I don't think so without their parents' help in some way, at least not where I've lived. Kids don't typically have $60+ or credit cards (of their own) lying around mainly because they can't get jobs yet. But let's say they have some saved up from their birthday or whatever; now they actually need to find a way to the retailer, and not all that many are going to be in reasonable walking distances, let alone a lot of people may call to attention why a kid so young is out on his/her own for the trip. Now if they do somehow make it to the retailer on their own, it's not going to be very likely that the cashier is going to let them buy the M-rated game they want due to company policy. If the kid managed to pull all of this off without his/her parents getting involved, let alone hearing any wind of this, he/she is one incredibly lucky s.o.b.

Do you live out in the middle of the country or something? A kid that age probably has a bike or the ability to use his legs and on top of that most places have public transportation. Where I live its extremely easy for a 12 year old to get a paper rout or another similar job and save up some money. Hell the only time my parents ever bought me a game was either on my birthday or christmas and probably bought 2-3 a year. To top it off due to inflation/exchange rates games are actually a lot cheaper now then back then.

If he wants to buy an M-rated game then all he will have to do is go to any small game store thats not a big chain or a place like wal-mart.

In the end it all depends on if the kid is a fat lazy bastard who thinks its to much effort to get off the couch or not. I also think you dont know how old a twelve year old actually is, its not that young when you think about it. Then you also have those people who are a couple years older that can go out and get their own jobs and make it even easier to have enough money to buy those games.

The ESRB can and does stop parents from buying mature rated games for their kids but it does not stop a kid from buying one on his own unless he is extremely lazy.

If ever I met someone like this, I'd put the question to them: "Explain me."
I've played Doom, Blood, Duke Nukem 3D, Quake and Mortal Kombat 2 in the mid 90s when I was 11 and oddly enough, I've not gone on a rampage or harmed anyone for that matter. Can't explain that, can he?

Im not going to say that games make people violent because that is as rediculous as your arguement. You cant in all honesty compare mature rated games like doom and duke nukem 3d to the stuff that is coming out today.

You have the largest straw man arguments I've ever seen. Look, I don't even want you to respond, but I want you to just consider, just consider something for a moment: If a twelve year old is going out to a video game store by themselves and purchasing an M rated game, and the game store for WHATEVER reason doesn't stop them (I had to show ID to buy God Of War a week after I turned 18, and I've looked over 20 since I was 15), maybe, just maybe that kid has some other problems that don't stem from violent video games? Maybe, perhaps, they might have neglectful parents? And an irresponsible games retailer? Or something?

If a kid can hold a stable job while they're in school (Paper route notwithstanding), then that kid is probably mature enough to handle some pixelated blood and recorded swears. That's not to say they should play a game like Manhunt, but it wouldn't hurt them to blow off some steam with Devil May Cry.

I guess you're one of those "THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!!" types, but if a kid is playing GTA IV and then proceeds to go out and beat people up with baseball bats and try to jack cars, maybe that kid had some issues to begin with. My best friend has been repeatedly exposed to violent and adult content for all of his life, he saw Spawn when he was five for crying out loud, and he's a perfectly functional productive member of society. He has a great work ethic, he's going to be attending his second year of college this coming year, and he has an amazing relationship with his family. Obviously I do know that this isn't indicative of everyone who gets exposed to "violent" content, but it's about as "crystal clear" a study as the ones that Senator Yee has been doing to try and ban these video games.

Oh, and I suggest that you go back and actually play the original Doom before you use it as an example. It's actually considerably tamer than most of the games that get pumped out these days, even if only because there was no voice acting to fill up every second of firefights with cursing.

 

[shrekfan246]

Oh, and I suggest that you go back and actually play the original Doom before you use it as an example. It's actually considerably tamer than most of the games that get pumped out these days, even if only because there was no voice acting to fill up every second of firefights with cursing.

Thank you for missing the entire point of my post.

I personally dont really give a shit about the children or what they do. All I was saying is that you cannot blame that parents if a 12 year old kid gets a hold of a violent game. It does not automatically make them a bad parent like so many people in this threat assume. It is impossible to know where you kid is at all times or to be constantly watching him even when he is in the same house. If a twelve year old kid wants to go out and buy a M rated game there is nothing at all that either the parents or the ESRB can do about it.

Next time try actually reading the post before you throw wild assumtions around. My points were extremely clear.

1) Only large retailers like gamestop actually give a shit about the ESRB, most small stores dont care.
2) Parents can not watch their kids at all times, that is a fact and it does not make them shitty parents if a kid stops at wal-mart on his way home from school and picks up black-ops.

And thank you for missing the entire point of my post. I was saying that if a child is doing that, maybe they have some issues to begin with and just maybe it stems from parents not paying as close attention as they could. I don't know about how you were raised, but even after my parents divorced they still managed to take five minutes out of their days to check up on me and what I was doing, and guess what, they didn't even have to watch me at all times. If a parent doesn't want their child to get something, sure, it's impossible to stop them completely. But it is not difficult to spend five minutes either explaining that it's a video game, or just take the damn thing away. What are they going to do? Throw a fit? Go to a friend's house to play it?

TL;DR so you actually get the point this time: Parenting isn't as difficult as you think it is. You don't need to have both eyes on your child 24/7 to keep them from actively owning something you don't think they're ready for.

EDIT: Oh, and if a parent can't keep their child from owning an inappropriate game, then maybe the parent has issues too because seriously, you think a twelve year old has sway over their parents? I'm actually afraid to think of what kind of house you were raised in.

 

[Mikeyfell]

In fact I'd love to see a study like that. take a group of random babies and don't allow them to see any mature content for 18 years and just see how fucked up they are after that. 10 bucks says more than half of them won't be able to function in society

Those type of tests are actually forbidden in the realm of science. Would you really want to do that to a child for the sake of some curiosity?

Not just for curiosity!

A few fucked up kids is a small price to pay to be able to silence these idiots. They can't argue with science. Especially not the same "science" they're using to determine that video games fuck with kids.

 

[hotsauceman]

In fact I'd love to see a study like that. take a group of random babies and don't allow them to see any mature content for 18 years and just see how fucked up they are after that. 10 bucks says more than half of them won't be able to function in society

Those type of tests are actually forbidden in the realm of science. Would you really want to do that to a child for the sake of some curiosity?

Not just for curiosity!

A few fucked up kids is a small price to pay to be able to silence these idiots. They can't argue with science. Especially not the same "science" they're using to determine that video games fuck with kids.

Rather then messing up kids who didnt do anything Why not follow the way of the government and not listen to them? they seem to have a good idea.

 

[shrekfan246]

And thank you for missing the entire point of my post. I was saying that if a child is doing that, maybe they have some issues to begin with and just maybe it stems from parents not paying as close attention as they could. I don't know about how you were raised, but even after my parents divorced they still managed to take five minutes out of their days to check up on me and what I was doing, and guess what, they didn't even have to watch me at all times. If a parent doesn't want their child to get something, sure, it's impossible to stop them completely. But it is not difficult to spend five minutes either explaining that it's a video game, or just take the damn thing away. What are they going to do? Throw a fit? Go to a friend's house to play it?

TL;DR so you actually get the point this time: Parenting isn't as difficult as you think it is. You don't need to have both eyes on your child 24/7 to keep them from actively owning something you don't think they're ready for.

EDIT: Oh, and if a parent can't keep their child from owning an inappropriate game, then maybe the parent has issues too because seriously, you think a twelve year old has sway over their parents? I'm actually afraid to think of what kind of house you were raised in.

Oh why oh why is reading so hard. Your post really did make me laugh. If you honestly believe that then you are definatly in for a rude awakening one day.

Look, I know I won't change your opinion or anything, but if you honestly believe it's difficult to take a game away from a twelve year old, you're in for a rude awakening one day.
I'm just going to stop now, because I did in fact open my first post with "I don't even want you to respond."

 

[Mikeyfell]

In fact I'd love to see a study like that. take a group of random babies and don't allow them to see any mature content for 18 years and just see how fucked up they are after that. 10 bucks says more than half of them won't be able to function in society

Those type of tests are actually forbidden in the realm of science. Would you really want to do that to a child for the sake of some curiosity?

Not just for curiosity!

A few fucked up kids is a small price to pay to be able to silence these idiots. They can't argue with science. Especially not the same "science" they're using to determine that video games fuck with kids.

Rather then messing up kids who didnt do anything Why not follow the way of the government and not listen to them? they seem to have a good idea.

Well yeah.... but then they never learn.

If they had a tangible example of what happens when their thinking gets put into play they might realize that they're dumb.

That way prevents the possibility of them multiplying like rabbits until they have a large enough percent of the vote to have their stupidity inflicted on us whether we like it or not.
You have to think of things in a long term scale. You know what they say "A stitch in time saves nine."

 

[KezzieZ]

What is up with these groups and always trying to make us gamers/industry members out as bullies?

Why don't these guys just be parents and independently control the content their kids see instead of forcing everyone else around them to bend to their will?

Also, as pointed out in the article, the ESRB is the most enforced rating system. If the PTC thinks it's so "abysmal" then why aren't they chasing, say, the MPAA first since they're less enforced?

 

[hotsauceman]

Snip.

They wont listen. Just like they wont listen the the other studies that show that video games don't cause violence. They are too set in there ideals to listen to anything that invalidates them. They would called it flawed or say the scientists pushed the outcome. These people are a dieing breed. They are just screaming while they are struggling no to die along with the anti-lbgt community.. They want to restore families but they are looking in the wrong place. You need to fix the problems breaking up families rather then just yell at them for being stupid.

 

[DarksideFlame]

Man, these kind of people are persistent fucks aren't they? This kind of shit has been pulled on books, radio, TV, heavy metal music and movies the result is ALWAYS the same yet they never understand that the war is lost

Delusion is a powerful weapon and motivation when wielded by the incompetent fools of society.

True, however I wonder what the members of the PTC or any similar group of twats do if they see their kids play a 18+ game or movie do they stop them right away by taking the game/movie from them or do they start a campaign against the "evil" industry who makes this stuff and which never intended that minors should be watching them if the parents had done their fucking job with raising a kid properly?

 

[Canadamus Prime]

You know what? Has anyone actually accused this group of advocating their parental responsibilities? Like to their face? You know 'cause I'd LOVE to see how they'd respond to that.