Saving video games

[thejboy88]

Hi everyone,

As you are all no doubt aware at this point, the courts of California are discussing whether or not to regulate the sales of video games to minors, with many other states poised to do the same if the enemies of the industry have their way.

From what I understand, games like Postal 2, the GTA series and others have done much to damage the name of both the industry and the image of those who play video games in the eyes of the mainstream population.

This is a crossorads for our beloved industry and if things go wrong in the Supreme Court, it may be damaged beyond repair. We, the gaming community need to do something, and quickly,

So here's my question, after all of the hate, the ridicule and slander that has been put on the industry (and its gamers) over the years, what can possibly be done to change people's minds about us? Or if it's not too late already?

All comments are welcome.

P.S. - I am fairly depressed over this issue at the moment so any shred of hope you can offer is appreciated.

 

[oplinger]

Don't -do- anything.

Just be you. It'll pass. I mean, if you're friggin weird...being a gamer isn't the problem >.> you're friggin weird anyway.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

To quote my post in the thread on this subject that's only a few hours old,

Just give it time. Sixty years ago, comic books were destroying children's lives. Today, it's a largely respected art form well on the way towards oversaturating the film market.
Thirty years ago, heavy metal and D&D were destroying children's lives. Today, Ozzy Osborne is the punchline to a joke no one remembers, and you can get the 4th edition boxed set at Wal-Mart.
This too shall pass.

I'm going to agree with this. Living on a college campus, I don't know a single student who doesn't play videogames to some extent, or a single professor who would look down on a student for playing them. Maybe for having the time to play them, or for missing a deadline because they were playing a game, but not for the act itself. It's my generation that was the first to really accept gaming, and the one five to ten years ahead of mine made significant inroads. I think in another 10 or 20 years, anti-videogame sentiment is going to be a thing of the past. There may be a few old crackpots still pushing for bans on videogame violence, but by then they'll be well and truly in the minority -- if they aren't already.

Basically, give it time, the stigma is already passing. Also, the California courts ruled in our favor, which is why it's at the Supreme Court now: The Supreme Court of the United States is a part of the federal government, not a part of any state government. They have appellate jurisdiction in this case, so when the California Supreme Court didn't rule the way the state wanted, they took it to the next level.

 

[likalaruku]

Slam the hypocracy in their face by attacking the movies they watch & pointing out how they're no different.

 

[Christopher Roberts]

Yeah, nothing you can do. It won't happen, they've tried it before a few times. It's just something for uptight conservatives to waste time on until the next election period.

After all, if a kid can't realize that a game isn't real life, obviously said kid's parent aren't doing their jobs. Or, said kid is mentally ill. Either or.

 

[Jarcin]

Slam the hypocracy in their face by attacking the movies they watch & pointing out how they're no different.

A major fear is (actually it was stated by the rep for the EMA) that if this gaming bill goes into effect, that it will be the first step to them regulating the entertainment industry, giving them the foothold needed to try and move in on movies, and then eventually literature.

Get to do a fun little speech about this in my Public Speaking class as my final speech. Been trying to keep up with it.

 

[likalaruku]

Slam the hypocracy in their face by attacking the movies they watch & pointing out how they're no different.

A major fear is (actually it was stated by the rep for the EMA) that if this gaming bill goes into effect, that it will be the first step to them regulating the entertainment industry, giving them the foothole needed to try and move in on movies, and then eventually literature.

Get to do a fun little speech about this in my Public Speaking class as my final speech. Been trying to keep up with it.

I'm sure the bill will be found unconstitutional, violating freedom of speech, expression, & privacy. Even if it passed it would get vetoed later.

 

[Jarcin]

Oh I'm sure, but we have to be ready for a worst case scenario, and the EMA Rep presented it.

It was nice to hear the judges comment on how they could try and regulate these games when FAR FAR FAR FAR FAR more "obscene" (as was the favorite word of that day) could be allowed out there.

 

[RatRace123]

We can't really do anything, we just have to wait and see how it goes, and whatever happens, we'll deal with it; because we are gamers, unashamed of who we are.
We're stronger than a bunch of hypocrites parading under the banner of moral righteousness. We've dealt with controversey before and we'll deal with it in the future, but as long as we stand tall and still continue to game, no one will be able to take that away from us.

(Somebody think of some fitting music to go with that speech.)

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Slam the hypocracy in their face by attacking the movies they watch & pointing out how they're no different.

A major fear is (actually it was stated by the rep for the EMA) that if this gaming bill goes into effect, that it will be the first step to them regulating the entertainment industry, giving them the foothole needed to try and move in on movies, and then eventually literature.

Get to do a fun little speech about this in my Public Speaking class as my final speech. Been trying to keep up with it.

I'm sure the bill will be found unconstitutional, violating freedom of speech, expression, & privacy. Even if it passed it would get vetoed later.

Why do I get the feeling I need to start a thread with a crash course on the American political system? The bill already passed, the governor didn't veto it. The EMA sued California over the constitutionality of the bill, and the EMA won at the state level. California, unhappy with the ruling, took it to the Supreme Court. Regardless of how the SCOTUS rules on this one, barring a constitutional amendment specifically aimed at overturning their ruling, they are the end of the line here. And good luck getting an amendment passed -- the founding fathers made that extremely difficult, with good reason.

 

[Twilight_guy]

It's the supreme court, the only proper response is to sit on your hands and wait for a response.

On top of that, haven't you notice the general positive trend in media perception of video games in recent years. FarmVille and the Wii produce more then hardcore ire you know.

 

[likalaruku]

Slam the hypocracy in their face by attacking the movies they watch & pointing out how they're no different.

A major fear is (actually it was stated by the rep for the EMA) that if this gaming bill goes into effect, that it will be the first step to them regulating the entertainment industry, giving them the foothole needed to try and move in on movies, and then eventually literature.

Get to do a fun little speech about this in my Public Speaking class as my final speech. Been trying to keep up with it.

I'm sure the bill will be found unconstitutional, violating freedom of speech, expression, & privacy. Even if it passed it would get vetoed later.

Why do I get the feeling I need to start a thread with a crash course on the American political system? The bill already passed, the governor didn't veto it. The EMA sued California over the constitutionality of the bill, and the EMA won at the state level. California, unhappy with the ruling, took it to the Supreme Court. Regardless of how the SCOTUS rules on this one, barring a constitutional amendment specifically aimed at overturning their ruling, they are the end of the line here. And good luck getting an amendment passed -- the founding fathers made that extremely difficult, with good reason.

I don't watch or read any kind of news (too depressing & bullshitty, gimicky, & ratings-driven).

All I know is that the games I play are mostly imported from Europe & if I can't legally buy them in a store, I can find someone overseas to ship them to me.

But if all this shit comes to fruitation & we're too damn lazy to fight back, the rest of the world will see America as a nation of wussy little babies that embrace "big brother" or something along those lines. They already make fun of us for being sue-happy & incarceration-happy.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Slam the hypocracy in their face by attacking the movies they watch & pointing out how they're no different.

A major fear is (actually it was stated by the rep for the EMA) that if this gaming bill goes into effect, that it will be the first step to them regulating the entertainment industry, giving them the foothole needed to try and move in on movies, and then eventually literature.

Get to do a fun little speech about this in my Public Speaking class as my final speech. Been trying to keep up with it.

I'm sure the bill will be found unconstitutional, violating freedom of speech, expression, & privacy. Even if it passed it would get vetoed later.

Why do I get the feeling I need to start a thread with a crash course on the American political system? The bill already passed, the governor didn't veto it. The EMA sued California over the constitutionality of the bill, and the EMA won at the state level. California, unhappy with the ruling, took it to the Supreme Court. Regardless of how the SCOTUS rules on this one, barring a constitutional amendment specifically aimed at overturning their ruling, they are the end of the line here. And good luck getting an amendment passed -- the founding fathers made that extremely difficult, with good reason.

I don't watch or read any kind of news (too depressing & bullshitty, gimicky, & ratings-driven).

All I know is that the games I play are mostly imported from Europe & if I can't legally buy them in a store, I can find someone overseas to ship them to me.

But if all this shit comes to fruitation & we're too damn lazy to fight back, the rest of the world will see America as a nation of wussy little babies that embrace "big brother" or something along those lines. They already make fun of us for being sue-happy & incarceration-happy.

What country are you from? Because what I was correcting you on wasn't a question of watching the news, it was a question of understanding how the US government works -- something any high school student should be able to explain. If you're coming from another country here, the ignorance makes sense, and is perfectly excusable. If you are in America, you might want to do some research -- this stuff affects you, and it really scares me to think of someone reaching voting age without understanding the difference between the Federal government and the State governments, or the basic structure of the Federal government for that matter.

I do agree with you that this kind of thing doesn't make America look good on the world stage.

 

[likalaruku]

What country are you from? Because what I was correcting you on wasn't a question of watching the news, it was a question of understanding how the US government works -- something any high school student should be able to explain. If you're coming from another country here, the ignorance makes sense, and is perfectly excusable. If you are in America, you might want to do some research -- this stuff affects you, and it really scares me to think of someone reaching voting age without understanding the difference between the Federal government and the State governments, or the basic structure of the Federal government for that matter.

I do agree with you that this kind of thing doesn't make America look good on the world stage.

They didn't teach anything about government when I was in school, though when I got into college they "untaught us all the BS we learned in highschool American History." My last American History teacher only talked about how "Wal*Mart is ruining the country" & made us watch Sex in the City reruns before she was fired.

I'm also kind of a hermit who only leaves the house 4 times a month, so I'm pretty much uneffected by everything.

 

[manythings]

If all else fails dress up as the master chief and cock box Ah-nuld. If we're lucky it'll get him to rethink his policies... or, at least, ban Halo which would just be good for industry creativity.