Phillipines Politican Pushes for Videogame Regulations

[WMDogma]

Phillipines Politican Pushes for Videogame Regulations

A lawmaker in the Southeast Asian country is indirectly blaming videogames for recent violence, and wants the government to step in.

Whenever there's an incident of extreme violence, many are quick to point fingers and more often than not, videogames end up getting the blame - even if there's America [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/114561-Swedish-Study-Says-Videogames-Do-Not-Cause-Aggression], and now a politician from the Philippines is the latest to suggest that videogames are to blame after a pair of shootings in the country resulted in the tragic death of nine people, including two children.

Representative Bernadette Herrera-Dy, the vice chairman of the House committee on children's welfare, recently claimed that many videogames promote violence and sexual promiscuity, and is calling for local government agencies to step up and impose classification standards to control who has access to what kind of videogames. Currently, the Phillipines does use the age and content ratings offered by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, but Herrera-Dy states that they aren't enforced since none of the games reviewed by the ESRB are made locally, and the country has no specific government agency that handles videogame classifications on its own.

Along with pushing for the new videogame classification standards, Herrera-Dy is also pushing for several new measures promoting stricter gun-control and violence prevention. While she did admit that there's no direct connection between videogames and the recent gun-related violence in the Philippines, Herrera-Dy believes that a lack of one "should not deter local and national legislative bodies to pass laws against video game violence, most of which are even more brutal and ruthless than those committed in real life."

Source: Game Politics [http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/asia/220913-philippine-lawmaker-seeks-classifications-on-video-games.html]

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[Falterfire]

Why yes, Video Game Violence IS more brutal and ruthless than real life violence. Other things more brutal and ruthless than real life violence: Books.

 

[Sylveria]

Bernadette, you need to relax and get some alone time with those transvestites that your country is so famous for.

 

[One of Many]

Bernadette, you need to relax and get some alone time with those transvestites that your country is so famous for.

I thought that was Thailand, not the Philippines.

 

[Remus]

Phillippines is famous for sun and black sand beaches. Least that's what the CS rep told me when I needed tech help for my router sometime before christmas.

 

[Erttheking]

*head desk* is there any country that is safe from this idiocy?

 

[disgruntledgamer]

Under her reasoning I can say the lack of book control could cause violence even tho there's no direct connection between books and the recent gun-related violence. Reading & Learning cause unruly behavior and is the devils work.

Although I do agree with stricter gun control and stopping kids from buying M rated games they're doing it for the wrong reasons. 10 year old kids shouldn't be playing & shouldn't be able to buy Call of Duty for the same reason 10 year old kids shouldn't be watching R rated movies and porn.

It's not going to ruin the industry, or cause it to go bankrupt for not allowing kids to buy games that don't meet the age requirement like developers and publishers want you to believe. This isn't the 80's early 90's anymore where the average gamer is 10, the average gamer is in his late 20's no excuse to allow 10 year old's to buy M 17+ rated games.

 

[raingod]

This is a place where parents let their kids (KIDS, ages 5 - 12) go to a computer shop where there are tons of games of all types available (illegally acquired) to play. No supervision. The shop owner doesn't care what the kid is playing. And the said computer shop is open 24 hours a day with an hour rent of 50 cents.

Maybe the politician can implement stricter rules about illegal software FIRST then stricter rules on games available on computer shops.

 

[mattttherman3]

OOOOHHHH, the Phillipines want to enact regulations! I'm soooooo scared! Oh well, I never intend to move there, visit, or look it up online so really, this has no effect on my life except that I must post this comment telling you guys it has no effect on my life.

Oh snap, 3000th post! I'd like to thank myself for my genious! Lovin life!

 

[Fireprufe15]

So, the place that has a website dedicated to their retarded laws wants to make another one? Well yay! More comedic content for the rest of us!

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

Herrera-Dy believes that a lack of one "should not deter local and national legislative bodies to pass laws against video game violence, most of which are even more brutal and ruthless than those committed in real life."

I don't...what...how...I'm at a loss for words here. I just...I can't...

I need a break. That's as much stupidity I can take for the month...or year...or decade.

I'm just as lost but no, this is one of those moments where we as a whole need to stand up and tell them that they are the ones who are fucked up into thinking this kind of thing is far more violent than real life.

Seriously why haven't the mental psychiatric doctors been called in yet because what I'm seeing there is a proper case of people losing their grip on reality.

I can tell a game apart from real life and I sure as hell know real life violence is far more devastating than a mere video game so why can't these people see what they are doing is above all kinds of wrong and stupid, in fact what they are pushing towards is ignoring what's really going on and that just looks far more wrong to me.

 

[Strazdas]

Well philipines politics are largely ruled by religion and religion does not like that people found other more entertaining ways to spend their time than praying.

Although I do agree with stricter gun control and stopping kids from buying M rated games they're doing it for the wrong reasons. 10 year old kids shouldn't be playing & shouldn't be able to buy Call of Duty for the same reason 10 year old kids shouldn't be watching R rated movies and porn.

in the words of Jim Sterling: WRONG!

 

[Ldude893]

I don't agree with her 'video games cause violence' sentiment (in fact, I think it's idiotic and baseless), but I think it's a good idea to replace the Filipino game rating system with one that's more effective, so long as they work a fair 18+ rating into there.

 

[Metalrocks]

and again the lazy excuse by pointing in to the wrong direction instead investigating the real cause of it.
i really wonder what they blamed in the middle ages when someone was really violent. chess???

 

[Ashadowpie]

yah know what would be silly but interesting to do? iight so hear me out. lets sell the violent media ie movies, music and video games in a different room from the stores just like those video places that hide the dirty movies, i dunno what there called. anyways, under aged kids wouldnt be allowed to buy any of the stuff in the "violent media room" and Parents would actually open their blind eyes and notice this violent media room is filled with games they were just stupid enough to sell to their 7 year old son.

oh oh, another name for the room could be " M for Mature 17+ " ...shut up..im bad with name making

Also

i'll never forget the one time i went to blockbuster like....10 years ago? it was a long time * cough * i was showing my dad this game i wanted, and there was this little kid, had to be like 7 or 8, he was looking at the game The Suffering. he asked his dad if he could rent it, the dad didnt even LOOK at the game, if you all know what game im talking about the cover art is just screaming " NOT FOR FREAKIN CHILDREN!" they rent the game and everything, i wonder if that child was scarred for life, and did the parents even know what the hell they rented for ther 8 year old? ....* face palm * stupid people is stupid?

 

[LostintheWick]

I actually disagree with her statement that video game violence is worse than real life. There isn't a single game in the world that has violence comparable to what real life violence is like.

A "victim" in a game can be disemboweled and screaming and it is still not as bad as a drunk parent hitting their child just once (for example).

 

[Tiamattt]

I wonder what she would say if all the law she wants against video games actually happens and then another tragedy occurs? She's obviously not going to admit that she's wrong, but it would be interesting to see what new scapegoat she uses.

In reality there's nothing to see here, the people that voted her into office are probably the same clueless parents that believes the nonsense she's saying, and she just wants to make them happy so they'll re-elect her when her term is up.

 

[Headdrivehardscrew]

Hm, not sure this will lead anywhere or have much impact.

Public awareness of violent games being bad for kids is pretty much non-existant in the Filipino community.

You got dad playing Call of Duty with his five-year-old son, recommending the little guy to go for headshots, or you got young mommy training her three-year-old daughter to be her sparring partner for some fighting game, wondering why the girl would start beating up her kid brother and kicking him in the face.

Or then there's a whole family playing Madworld, just because it was the only game that came with the Craigslist Wii.

Now, these issues are pretty much universal amongst people with little to no education, but the subject is that big change in politics on the Philippines. A lot of things are handled differently over there. One thing is sure, though: As long as it's not enforced some way and as long as there are no omnipresent TV ads or, say, a huge ass facebook campaign, people plain won't notice and couldn't possibly be bothered.

Oh, and then there's the political extremism and the constant threat of Muslim violence in the South, so I really don't exactly get it, as in 'at all', especially since there are plenty of problems and unresolved issues society as a whole is confronted with on the Philippines, so cracking down on video game violence sounds a bit... detached from reality, crazy and downright offensive.

 

[kburns10]

I give up. No matter how much we defend gaming, people attack it. I'm going to let these people talk until they tire themselves out. Maybe after they realize no one is listening, they will stop trying to ban games.