The PTC's "Campaign Against Violent Videogames"

[SuperSuperSuperGuy]

... Idiots. The lot of them. Instead of going about, buying any game their kid asks for, how 'bout they LOOK AT THE RATING? It's not that hard... It's a little symbol on the corner of the box. I wish they would just smarten up and actually do some research. They're parents. They control what their children are exposed to. You don't like violence? Simple solution: don't buy them violent games. See? How hard could that be? Some people like to play violent games. If you don't want to take 5 minutes to check whether or not a game has violence in it before you go out and buy it, tough cookies.

On a kind of related topic, I hate how people handle the correlation between violent games and violent people. Violent people may gravitate to violent games, but violent games do not necessarily make people violent.

 

[Cain_Zeros]

Well, the way they phrase it doesn't seem so bad.

The PTC is pushing for legislation to enforce the ESRB ratings guides for purchase of games backed by financial penalties for those who do not follow the law.

However, somehow I doubt enforcing the ratings and fining retailers who don't comply is where they'll stop, That's a perfectly fine idea, and I'm pretty sure it's in place here in Canada. I'm probably missing something that's not on their home page, but I'd rather avoid the idiocy I've seen people on here talking about. Assuming of course you're not all blowing it out of proportion.

 

[MechaBlue]

What I hate most about this is the assumption that kids are computers who have no thought process and have no ability to tell the difference between realty and fiction. What do you think they've been doing for most of their childhood? Do they want a ban on playing cowboys and indians/cops and robbers/superheroes and supervillains next? Maybe ban Santa Clause in case kids actually expect the fatman to appear?

 

[King Toasty]

I nearly got an aneurysm out of rage. Long, ranting post, here I come!

EDIT: Read some of the articles. It claims the Wii is a "David and Goliath" story, Nintendo apparently being a small, indie company and WHAT?! WHHHAAT!? EXCUSE ME, THIS CALLS FOR AN INTERROBANG.

WHHAAATTT‽‽‽‽
HAVE THEY NEVER HEARD OF INDIE DEVELOPERS‽‽

 

[Legendairy314]

I fully expect them to also put forth a campaign to remove all violence in all entertainment mediums. If they don't well, then they're just biased. Wait...

 

[King Toasty]

I fully expect them to also put forth a campaign to remove all violence in all entertainment mediums. If they don't well, then they're just biased. Wait...

Games don't get any free-speech stuff. That's why Medal of Honor's Taliban thing happened.

 

[EHKOS]

under current laws, retailers are not obligated to impose restrictions on the sale of video games to minors. A ten-year-old can purchase an Adult Only (AO rated) video game.

Wait what?!
I get stopped at any game store (I'm 17) and asked to present my licesne. I know for a fact it is against the law. wth

 

[King Toasty]

I now have a headache from sheer stupidity and blatant stereotyping. Agh.

 

[Arcanist]

under current laws, retailers are not obligated to impose restrictions on the sale of video games to minors. A ten-year-old can purchase an Adult Only (AO rated) video game.

Wait what?!
I get stopped at any game store (I'm 17) and asked to present my licesne. I know for a fact it is against the law. wth

It isn't illegal to sell those games to minors. If I, as an independent retailer, decided to sell GTA4 to a twelve-year-old, nobody could bring me to court. The current system with the ESRB is entirely self-enforced. Most retailers, chains or otherwise, simply refuse to sell violent games to minors. This is as it should be - it's up to the people who produce, sell, and buy the games to decide how they are distributed.

This legislation from California threatens to uproot that - and in doing so singles out video games as being somehow beneath the protection of the First Amendment.

 

[Arcanist]

I nearly got an aneurysm out of rage. Long, ranting post, here I come!

EDIT: Read some of the articles. It claims the Wii is a "David and Goliath" story, Nintendo apparently being a small, indie company and WHAT?! WHHHAAT!? EXCUSE ME, THIS CALLS FOR AN INTERROBANG.

WHHAAATTT‽‽‽‽
HAVE THEY NEVER HEARD OF INDIE DEVELOPERS‽‽

I couldn't read that with a straight face, and I'm DAMN proud of it.

This is what we're dealing with, people! The pricks that want to regulate our games thinks NINTENDO is small and homey!

 

[King Toasty]

under current laws, retailers are not obligated to impose restrictions on the sale of video games to minors. A ten-year-old can purchase an Adult Only (AO rated) video game.

Wait what?!
I get stopped at any game store (I'm 17) and asked to present my licesne. I know for a fact it is against the law. wth

It isn't illegal to sell those games to minors. If I, as an independent retailer, decided to sell GTA4 to a twelve-year-old, nobody could bring me to court. The current system with the ESRB is entirely self-enforced. Most retailers, chains or otherwise, simply refuse to sell violent games to minors. This is as it should be - it's up to the people who produce, sell, and buy the games to decide how they are distributed.

This legislation from California threatens to uproot that - and in doing so singles out video games as being somehow beneath the protection of the First Amendment.

I live in Canada, so it is here. They can't actually sell me Fallout, even though I'm 16.

 

[lacktheknack]

If you ignore them, they'll go away, and you'll be happier.

 

[King Toasty]

I nearly got an aneurysm out of rage. Long, ranting post, here I come!

EDIT: Read some of the articles. It claims the Wii is a "David and Goliath" story, Nintendo apparently being a small, indie company and WHAT?! WHHHAAT!? EXCUSE ME, THIS CALLS FOR AN INTERROBANG.

WHHAAATTT‽‽‽‽
HAVE THEY NEVER HEARD OF INDIE DEVELOPERS‽‽

I couldn't read that with a straight face, and I'm DAMN proud of it.

This is what we're dealing with, people! The pricks that want to regulate our games thinks NINTENDO is small and homey!

I honestly feel my IQ dropping. Oh dear god, so many people LISTEN to these twats.

 

[King Toasty]

If you ignore them, they'll go away, and you'll be happier.

THEY CONTROL PEOPLE.
IMPORTANT PEOPLE.

 

[chinomareno]

I do not understand this group, most kids under 15 don't have jobs so the only way they get will get games saving what they've been given or having them bought as gifts. By the time they are 15 there's not much you can stop them seeing anyway.

Pretty much parents against parenting.

 

[Anzrel]

The corporations control more. They have more money too.

 

[superbatranger]

Maybe we should try educating them in why their logic is just wrong. Hopefully, they'll see that video games are not only for children. Also, if a teenager kills someone and they played video games, it's not because they played video games that they killed someone, it's because there was already something wrong.

 

[lacktheknack]

If you ignore them, they'll go away, and you'll be happier.

THEY CONTROL PEOPLE.
IMPORTANT PEOPLE.

Who?

They control as many people as Jack Thompson. Don't be hysterical.

 

[King Toasty]

If you ignore them, they'll go away, and you'll be happier.

THEY CONTROL PEOPLE.
IMPORTANT PEOPLE.

Who?

They control as many people as Jack Thompson. Don't be hysterical.

Most of those "family-friendly-Christian-oh-aren't-we-so-smart" twats like Sarah Palin.

 

[Krion_Vark]

For some reason I get the feeling that the PTC is the WBC of the Media. They are vastly misinformed and believe that what they are doing is right.