University Videogame Will Teach Girls to Say "No" to Sex

[ShadowsofHope]

Huh... well if it's actually made well, it could be good. About time we had something teaching teens not to give in to pressure instead of freely throwing out condoms and telling them to have fun. But if the game sucks, it'll do little good.

Why? Why not instead give them condoms AND educate them? Hmm? Is knowledge that bad? Also, damn, a news channel that I actually get getting cited on The Escapist (as my profile says, I'm from Central Florida). It's weird seeing a news channel that I've seen (sure, not for long, as it's Faux "News") being on here. See if you can find something from a better source. I can't seem to find anything on the others, just lots of murder and politics.

Oh, I never said they shouldn't be educated. They definitely should be. I only objected to the mentality that we should just hand out condoms and tell them to have a good time. It's hardly a way to teach responsible use of their newfound knowledge.

Well, we SHOULD at least hand out condoms and birth control pills, and teach safe sex and not abstinence.

I strongly disagree. I understand the necessity of safe sex, since those who become sexually active at a young age should know how to avoid teen pregnancy. However, abstinence is by far the preferable option. It's a matter of using self-control and responsibility in how you treat sex. It is (or rather should be) an important part of how humans interact, but it only has that status if it's not treated with the same reverence as scratching someone's back. Sex has been hugely devalued in modern culture, and it's caused a lot of problems. But all we do is encourage it.

Besides, what's more effective to avoid teen pregnancy: trying not to get pregnant while having sex, or avoiding sex until one is ready, or married?

So, we should close ourselves off? Sorry, I really feel that there's no "ready" and waiting until marriage is retarded, especially if it turn out that the sex is awful. Sex is an important part of a relationship, and doesn't need to be seen as "special" or secretive.

Close ourselves off? Since when is being sexually inactive equal to closing yourself off? From what, society? The only thing abstinence closes off to someone is sex, and it's a willing and beneficial thing.

And yet as people obviously still continue to do it despite religious outcry for abstinence, would not the logical approach be to actually give these teenagers the means of having safe sexual experiences and protection from younger aged pregnancies when they are still in school rather than not allow them these devices, and have a good number of newborn children that are either abandoned or sent to orphanages because their teenage parents can't take care of them well enough?

Sex is an important part of a relationship either way, but you can't exactly expect everyone in the world to suddenly not want to try sex before they are married (if they ever get married, that is). Reality doesn't, and hasn't worked that way for centuries now.

 

[BlackWidower]

Why girls? Why not guys as well? Only girls are pressured into having sex? Or is it only girls should remain virgins?

I'm reminded of that episode of the Cleveland Show, where Cleveland tries to get his step-daughter to vow to stay a virgin, and is freaked out when his son does instead. It's a pathetic double standard that pisses me off every time I hear it.

Oh, and I got to say, for tax-payer money to go to something like this, which can only be described as social engineering, is wrong in so many ways. It's not up to the government to say whether or not our children should be having sex. If they create a game that says it's okay to not have sex, and if you do have sex, make sure it's your own decision, that's one thing. But this does not sound like that.

Besides, who owns a motion capture suit?

 

[Comieman]

In Soviet Russia video games teach you how to say YES and how to put on a condom.

On serious note, yeah I bet like 3 or 4 copies of the game will be sold. And why does one need a motion capture suit to press NO button?

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

FFUUUUUUUUUUUU........... Oh, wait so no is going to play it.

 

[duchaked]

good job University of Central Florida...lol

 

[Deacon Cole]

They should have spend the $434,000 on ice cream instead.

 

[Ickorus]

Why not just show a video of a woman giving birth tell them thats what sex leads to.

Pretty sure that would act as a good deterrent.

On a totally unrelated note a moth just landed on me.

 

[C_Topher]

On paper, this is a good idea. By using a game, the added interactivity may make the message and lessons more personal, and therefore could be far more effective than traditional educational videos and role playing exercises.
However, as our hero Yahtzee once said, "Paper is a flimsy thing that becomes see-through when you rub grease on it." What if some parent thinks it's inappropriate for their child to be playing a game with sex being a core element, even if it is to help them say no. It's like those Christian fundamentalists who pull their kids from health class during the sex ed part.
In short: good idea, but how well can it be executed?

 

[Bullfrog1983]

Why not just show them how to use condoms instead of practicing abstinence? There would probably be a lot less teen pregnancies. I mean come on... it's not like a crappy looking videogame is going to persuade them to "say no" any more than the cheesy movies they showed when I was in health class.

 

[Bullfrog1983]

They should have spend the $434,000 on ice cream instead.

I agree. Justice be done!

 

[SenseOfTumour]

I imagine it being Fox News, they're angry at $43,000 being spent on this when it could have been spent on guns to shoot at immigrants on the borders instead.

Honestly, $43,000, if it stops a couple of teen pregnancies, it's paid for itself, and it's cost about the same as a quarter of a second of a presidential campaign.

I fully agree that condoms should be getting taught, but as much as I hate to agree with the abstinence lot, abstinence should be a choice, and people very much are pushed into having sex early because 'everyone else is doing it' and it's only when you're older that you find out hardly anyone was and THEY all thought everyone else had 'done it' too.

Condoms are a good thing, but they are not 100%, just as abstinence isn't, as it requires willpower in humans.

I would suggest if possible, make it a flash game however, so it's accessible to all, instead of having to be distributed on disc and installed. Something that can just be clicked on a website is going to get far more players than something needing installs, min requirements and a disc.

 

[Sillyiggy]

Has the government ever come across as anything but super-lame every time it tries to influence teenage behavior?

 

[leviathanmisha]

This is half a freaking million dollars that could be used to build a new campus for my high school district. Cause we're 700 students over our damn fire code!

*grumbles about the useless old people who vote no every year*

 

[Redweevil]

"Greetings fair maiden, would you care to partake in the act of casual fornification?"
"I am afraid I must decline, fine sir."

Pah to this game. PAH!

Why don't people talk like this in real life?

The next time I'm out I'll try that line on someone, I'm sure it'll turn out well.

How could it not?

 

[Jokull Reynisson]

The US has the highest teen pregnancy rates because parents REFUSE to talk to their kids about sex. The solution is NOT to tell them sex is bad and they shouldn't do it, etc. Of course they fucking shouldn't, especially in the US where having a kid is like shooting yourself in the foot financially vs more socialist friendly countries where having a kid is less of a deal. The solution is to TALK to your kids about sex, tell them why they shouldn't be having sex, and educate them about safe sex. Teenagers WILL have sex. It's a fucking given. Just make sure they won't screw themselves over in the process. It's not like they have magic on and off switch for their hormones.