The video game industry has a responsibility to parents, families, and to consumers โ to inform them of the potentially damaging content that is often found in their products. They have repeatedly failed to live up to this responsibility. Meanwhile research continues to show a proven link between playing violent games and increased aggression in young people. American families deserve to know the truth about these potentially dangerous products.
So I guess parents are off the hook. Seriously? Take some god damn initiative and learn what your fucking kids are up to.
No more of this I didn't know Tommy would use his 12 assault rifles to kill everyone at his school. I just thought he liked guns and enjoyed hiding in his room all day. Maybe it was because he played those video games where you shoot people and steal cars. Cause it can't possibly be that my child was just a complete bastard that had no regard at all for human life and was indeed a sociopath.
This is just a huge waste of tax payers money, time and the only people that get behind this shit are the uneducated asshats that have no idea what video games actually are. Come on people wake up there are much more important issues to be dealt with.
damn video games and there violence! i blame the developers!! ::goes back to making kibbles and random organ explosion meshes::
seriously tho...this is fucking stupid. The only proven link is kids like games...thats it.... And the games are labled, quite clearly! Also just about every game under the sun has a review writen on the net about it. If parents dont care enough to invest time in learning about the product they buy there kid, then they are fucking stupid.
On another note....I have no responsibility to anyone playing the games I make. My only responsibility is to my leads, and the people that pay me.....
i do actually believe we have a responsibility. i think it's folly to say that games (experiences) don't shape our understanding of the world. however! this extends to all and any media we interact with. if you're going to stamp one thing with this warning, you stamp everything, and pretty soon we have writing everywhere warning us of sharp edges, sad endings and bitter tasting citrus fruit.
and oh, wait. we do have a warning for media. its called the ratings system, and adult material is stamped 18, or m, or whatever, and kids stuff is stamped U. what the hell is this all about??
It's not my fault, I just buy what my kids want so they'll will shut up, that's what good parents do. I bought my TV to raise my kids and that's what I'm gonna use it for, it's my RIGHT. You guys produce the media that raises my kids, you need to tell them the difference between killing hookers in games and in real life, not me, I'm far to bust being a parent.
I once read Hamlet. Do you know how many people die in Hamlet? Lots of people. It's really violent... to be honest, I'm rather worried about this 'Shakespeare' character that has gotten popular all of a sudden and is now corrupting our youth. Don't get me started on Homer's Iliad!
..it just means kids will want to buy the games with the red labels more....and the parents that ignored the old labels will ignore the new ......
of all te fucking things ..doesnt california has some staggering foreclosure rate....if this guy was my congressman I would pissed he was fucking with this bullshit
Eventually there will be a ban on those dreadful, nasty, rotten vidyagames and the rest of the psychopaths will have no fictitious island upon which to vent their improper upbringing.
Then fight clubs will start popping up underground, LAN party style.
srsly.
And actually those should be "shooter" games not just FPS.
Really by the numbers every time the violent video games experience a lull of new releases crime goes up a bit. I mean just look at 1999-2001 and the similar smaller spike between 2003 and 2004. It is OUR DUTY to release violent games and keep these criminals indoors!
Crime data is from the FBI website
Game data is from.. I think moby games or a similar site.. I forget and apparently I forgot to properly annotate it as I originally made the chart as a half joke on how poor statistical modeling can imply things that aren't really there, and to reinforce the idea that correlation does not equal causation.
It's the parents fault for letting their children play games that are rated mature audience 17+ then get mad at someone else when something goes wrong with their child.
I know someone letting their 11 yo child play pretty mature rated games so that's where all this energy should go, into better parenting and stop trying to be there best friend your their parents know the difference.
Stop trying to get their respect and slap the living shit out of them for doing wrong so they know when they're doing something you disapprove of and let them retaliate it's a part of growing up and life.
We all had to do stupid shit to learn from what was right and wrong but most of us grew up with parents that would straighten us out, they didn't take us out to get video games or pizza when we raised our voices at them, they went for the belt or shoes and made sure we knew the differences between a friend and a parent it was the waiste & shoe sizes. LOL
I read about a similar graph to that during my dissertation. The problem with interpreting a graph like that is that we want to isolate just the effects of media/ videogames on society and these crime graphs cant really get that specific. So some people claim that the decline in criminal activity in young people could be related to any number of social issues for example abortion laws or school systems etc etc and people would just say video games are not helping to keep that crime rate down.
Personally I interpret those graphs the same way you guys do and I think that video games arent really a driving motive for criminal action in society in nearly all cases. Heres another site on the topic. http://www.gamerevolution.com/features/violence_and_videogames
....and oh, wait. we do have a warning for media. its called the ratings system, and adult material is stamped 18, or m, or whatever, and kids stuff is stamped U. what the hell is this all about??
Reading some of the other articles on this it appears that Baca's problem is with the ESRB itself, in the sense that he has a hard-on for doing them over, a bit like Jack T and GTA. It seems to me that he wants Government control over ratings rather than it being voluntary, in other words he must think "voluntary" means "feck off".
how about this: parents - take fucking responsibility for your actions. if you are an idiot or a douchebag, please, don't have kids. and if you do, at least do your best to not neglect them or train them to be a complete ass hole.
people are always looking to place the blame on ANYTHING but themselves
What did you expect? For years now both parents have had to work full time to keep above the bills. With both parents at work who is left to raise the children? For many its the grandparents, who have no clue what our ratings systems mean(that's if they even notice them at all). So what do you expect to happen? The kids get what they want and then the parents find their kids playing these games not intended for kids and blame anything bad that the kids do on the games. Its the games or its the grandparents, and they need the grandparents still so the games get the blame.
cavemen clubbed eachother to death
later on they stabbed eachother to death
after that they chopped eachother to death
and now we just shoot someone
shit has been around for ages,
yes media does influence us, but so does the whole speed up society of today.
there is a parents responability, the way you educate yourself and your nature.
someone who is agressive by nature, will not change by watching national geographic all day, it will only keep him further away from acting on his thoughts.
im tired of the statement that video games are bad,
ive learned a ton just because of them
my english skills... oh wow, thanks to video games (and tv)
thanks to games i got a reaction time like a madafaka..
thanks to games my eye hand coordination improved alot...
ect ect
anyway, each person is responsable for his own actions, its that simple.
let them put that on every fakn product.
I don't think a ban on guns will help us here. Yeah, it probably works, I'm sure you can point to countries that have had huge success after banning weapons, but there are negative aspects to it, and after George W you'd think people in this country could figure out what that is.
I'd be all for more strick means of limiting who can own a gun. Felons can't own guns here. Obviously some of them still get their hands on them, but the fact that they can't do so legally is good. Perhapse we should consider other similar restrictions and screening processes to prevent guns from getting into the hands of psychopaths. That sort of thing doesn't prevent kids from grabbing their sane, moral, non-criminal parents' guns and shooting up their school, tho.
Banning guns would be punishing everyone because a handful of people don't know how to use a gun, or because they abuse them. Why not place a ban on alcohol because some people drive drunk? Or ban cars because there are so many deaths? More people die in car accidents every year than shooting violence. Why not ban games because you can draw a line between kids shooting demons in a game and kids shooting other kids in a school? It defies the logic this country was founded on and that's gotten us this far.
That sort of logic is the same sort of logic people use to try to get games banned, to put it bluntly.
I remember this one time I was watching a nature special about lions. I went to bed and when I woke up I was out in the tall grass. I had chased down several house cats, a crow and even a handful of crickets. The carnage was horrific... so was the taste in my mouth.
Some things just don't taste like chicken. I wish someone had warned me...
It's funny how the people in some of the most dangerous areas on earth (Darfur, Pakistan, Columbia, etc.) don't play many video games. But in some of the safest areas on earth (US and European suburbia) lots of people play video games.
I doubt the focus on video games as an evil tool to corrupt youth will end any time soon. Previously it was film and comic books and television etc. There always has to be a pop culture trouble maker to point a finger at. I think it's still our turn.
"So, I got up today, played some Mortal Kombat, and went outside, as I walked I saw an elderly man, so I waved, he waved, we passed. Then I threw a rope-tied harpoon in his heart and began pulling his towards me. I then ripped my face off and set him a-fire with my skull breath. All I could hear over the screams, was someone saying "flawless victory"
Strange, can't think why. Oh, well I can't wait for the release of Surprise Abortion 5."
Vitor:
The honest hard line reason why Americans are so adamant about having weaponry, and why "The right to keep and bear arms" is in our constitution is not about protecting personal property, its not about protecting your own life and limb, its not about hunting, it is about one thing:
The ability to oppose and overthrow a tyrannical and oppressive government.
Every architect of the constitution knew that a government with the people's best interest would not last forever. All institutions of power trend toward tyranny. They knew this, saw the capacity of failure in their own designs, and instituted a check against it.
No guns no shootings, sure. But not no violence or even no murder. Why is it that people think that just because someone can't SHOOT at someone means they just lose the inclination to kill? Handgun shootings are close range things. Tens of feet.
According to the US Census, well here's another table. Rows in bold with yellow highlight added by me, data from US Census
A steady 1/3 of all murder in this country is non firearm related. Which kinda makes sense. Firearms are what people think of first as to "how to kill someone". Its why we use them instead of swords as a primary combat weapon. However, by the numbers look at how they fall. The vast majority of murders are non felony related non specified. Of the felonies Robbery is the primary cause. That's up and in your face, and a knife will do just as good as a gun.
TWilson: Thanks. I think you've got it for certain, but it doesn't mean we shouldn't keep fighting for our right to survive (as an industry) and for our own creative freedom. It just means we'll be doing it till holographic porn comes out.
Ged, about the previous chart: Yes. It doesn't actually PROVE anything, but it does show, that if anything, there is a chance of an inverse relationship between available violent media and perpetrated violence in the USA. I imagine that we can all agree that what influences violent crime runs far deeper than what media you consume. Timothy McVeigh read the Turner Diaries, the Ted Kaczynski read one of Al Gore's environmental publications. Media may influence our opinions, but the motivation, desire, and ultimately wilful decision to act in a violent manner come from reasons much deeper.
"Off to the movies we shall go,
Where we learn everything that we know,
Because the movies teach us what our parents don't have time to say!"
"We must blame them, the cause of fuss, before somebody thinks of blaming us"
Replies
If you've ever seen a controller with teeth marks you know why this warning should exist
The video game industry has a responsibility to parents, families, and to consumers โ to inform them of the potentially damaging content that is often found in their products. They have repeatedly failed to live up to this responsibility. Meanwhile research continues to show a proven link between playing violent games and increased aggression in young people. American families deserve to know the truth about these potentially dangerous products.
So I guess parents are off the hook. Seriously? Take some god damn initiative and learn what your fucking kids are up to.
No more of this I didn't know Tommy would use his 12 assault rifles to kill everyone at his school. I just thought he liked guns and enjoyed hiding in his room all day. Maybe it was because he played those video games where you shoot people and steal cars. Cause it can't possibly be that my child was just a complete bastard that had no regard at all for human life and was indeed a sociopath.
This is just a huge waste of tax payers money, time and the only people that get behind this shit are the uneducated asshats that have no idea what video games actually are. Come on people wake up there are much more important issues to be dealt with.
for the records sonic adventure 2 had REALLY bad camera at the time.....So I an understand why there was chewed controllers
You can not just like the taste of palm sweaty plastic anymore?!?
(Curse my forum newbie-ness)
seriously tho...this is fucking stupid. The only proven link is kids like games...thats it.... And the games are labled, quite clearly! Also just about every game under the sun has a review writen on the net about it. If parents dont care enough to invest time in learning about the product they buy there kid, then they are fucking stupid.
On another note....I have no responsibility to anyone playing the games I make. My only responsibility is to my leads, and the people that pay me.....
and oh, wait. we do have a warning for media. its called the ratings system, and adult material is stamped 18, or m, or whatever, and kids stuff is stamped U. what the hell is this all about??
They misquoted that... its,
"WARNING: Aggressive behavior has been linked to Excessive exposure to violent video games and other violent media."
of all te fucking things ..doesnt california has some staggering foreclosure rate....if this guy was my congressman I would pissed he was fucking with this bullshit
Then fight clubs will start popping up underground, LAN party style.
srsly.
And actually those should be "shooter" games not just FPS.
Really by the numbers every time the violent video games experience a lull of new releases crime goes up a bit. I mean just look at 1999-2001 and the similar smaller spike between 2003 and 2004. It is OUR DUTY to release violent games and keep these criminals indoors!
pwned.
Crime data is from the FBI website
Game data is from.. I think moby games or a similar site.. I forget and apparently I forgot to properly annotate it as I originally made the chart as a half joke on how poor statistical modeling can imply things that aren't really there, and to reinforce the idea that correlation does not equal causation.
I know someone letting their 11 yo child play pretty mature rated games so that's where all this energy should go, into better parenting and stop trying to be there best friend your their parents know the difference.
Stop trying to get their respect and slap the living shit out of them for doing wrong so they know when they're doing something you disapprove of and let them retaliate it's a part of growing up and life.
We all had to do stupid shit to learn from what was right and wrong but most of us grew up with parents that would straighten us out, they didn't take us out to get video games or pizza when we raised our voices at them, they went for the belt or shoes and made sure we knew the differences between a friend and a parent it was the waiste & shoe sizes. LOL
yeah i don't think i remember there being 35 fps games in 1988
Personally I interpret those graphs the same way you guys do and I think that video games arent really a driving motive for criminal action in society in nearly all cases. Heres another site on the topic. http://www.gamerevolution.com/features/violence_and_videogames
how about this: parents - take fucking responsibility for your actions. if you are an idiot or a douchebag, please, don't have kids. and if you do, at least do your best to not neglect them or train them to be a complete ass hole.
people are always looking to place the blame on ANYTHING but themselves
warning stupid bs like labels, ahem coffee, caution hot...
warning dumb people run this country...
later on they stabbed eachother to death
after that they chopped eachother to death
and now we just shoot someone
shit has been around for ages,
yes media does influence us, but so does the whole speed up society of today.
there is a parents responability, the way you educate yourself and your nature.
someone who is agressive by nature, will not change by watching national geographic all day, it will only keep him further away from acting on his thoughts.
im tired of the statement that video games are bad,
ive learned a ton just because of them
my english skills... oh wow, thanks to video games (and tv)
thanks to games i got a reaction time like a madafaka..
thanks to games my eye hand coordination improved alot...
ect ect
anyway, each person is responsable for his own actions, its that simple.
let them put that on every fakn product.
no guns, no shooting... for fucking sake
yep, they thought about it for a brief second.
I'd be all for more strick means of limiting who can own a gun. Felons can't own guns here. Obviously some of them still get their hands on them, but the fact that they can't do so legally is good. Perhapse we should consider other similar restrictions and screening processes to prevent guns from getting into the hands of psychopaths. That sort of thing doesn't prevent kids from grabbing their sane, moral, non-criminal parents' guns and shooting up their school, tho.
Banning guns would be punishing everyone because a handful of people don't know how to use a gun, or because they abuse them. Why not place a ban on alcohol because some people drive drunk? Or ban cars because there are so many deaths? More people die in car accidents every year than shooting violence. Why not ban games because you can draw a line between kids shooting demons in a game and kids shooting other kids in a school? It defies the logic this country was founded on and that's gotten us this far.
That sort of logic is the same sort of logic people use to try to get games banned, to put it bluntly.
Some things just don't taste like chicken. I wish someone had warned me...
I doubt the focus on video games as an evil tool to corrupt youth will end any time soon. Previously it was film and comic books and television etc. There always has to be a pop culture trouble maker to point a finger at. I think it's still our turn.
"So, I got up today, played some Mortal Kombat, and went outside, as I walked I saw an elderly man, so I waved, he waved, we passed. Then I threw a rope-tied harpoon in his heart and began pulling his towards me. I then ripped my face off and set him a-fire with my skull breath. All I could hear over the screams, was someone saying "flawless victory"
Strange, can't think why. Oh, well I can't wait for the release of Surprise Abortion 5."
-JesterBox's journal.
The honest hard line reason why Americans are so adamant about having weaponry, and why "The right to keep and bear arms" is in our constitution is not about protecting personal property, its not about protecting your own life and limb, its not about hunting, it is about one thing:
The ability to oppose and overthrow a tyrannical and oppressive government.
Every architect of the constitution knew that a government with the people's best interest would not last forever. All institutions of power trend toward tyranny. They knew this, saw the capacity of failure in their own designs, and instituted a check against it.
No guns no shootings, sure. But not no violence or even no murder. Why is it that people think that just because someone can't SHOOT at someone means they just lose the inclination to kill? Handgun shootings are close range things. Tens of feet.
According to the US Census, well here's another table. Rows in bold with yellow highlight added by me, data from US Census
A steady 1/3 of all murder in this country is non firearm related. Which kinda makes sense. Firearms are what people think of first as to "how to kill someone". Its why we use them instead of swords as a primary combat weapon. However, by the numbers look at how they fall. The vast majority of murders are non felony related non specified. Of the felonies Robbery is the primary cause. That's up and in your face, and a knife will do just as good as a gun.
TWilson: Thanks. I think you've got it for certain, but it doesn't mean we shouldn't keep fighting for our right to survive (as an industry) and for our own creative freedom. It just means we'll be doing it till holographic porn comes out.
Ged, about the previous chart: Yes. It doesn't actually PROVE anything, but it does show, that if anything, there is a chance of an inverse relationship between available violent media and perpetrated violence in the USA. I imagine that we can all agree that what influences violent crime runs far deeper than what media you consume. Timothy McVeigh read the Turner Diaries, the Ted Kaczynski read one of Al Gore's environmental publications. Media may influence our opinions, but the motivation, desire, and ultimately wilful decision to act in a violent manner come from reasons much deeper.
Where we learn everything that we know,
Because the movies teach us what our parents don't have time to say!"
"We must blame them, the cause of fuss, before somebody thinks of blaming us"