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Australian Road Safety Authority Criticizes Racing Game
Thanks to the Sydney Morning Herald for their story revealing Australian road safety authorities are trying to pull the plug on Project Gotham Racing 2 for Xbox, claiming the real-life Sydney course in the game is "undoing a lot of the effort authorities are putting into road safety." According to State Labor MP Paul Gibson, chairman of the Staysafe Committee: "This game sends the wrong message to young people. It is actually glorifying speed and power. It is clearly an inappropriate depiction of speed behavior. If I had my way I would ban it." A spokesman for Microsoft responded: "It is not about driving on the streets, it is purely a racing game. The streets are blocked from other traffic and there are no pedestrians. All we are doing is taking the geography of Sydney and turning it into a race track."
Please...speed and power have been glorified since cars were invented...did we forget the GTO's and Mustangs of the 60's? this game won't make kids irrisponsible drivers any more than doom makes them kill or Pacman makes them crave candy and run away from ghosts...
Hopefully, some right-minded person in Australia will take the reigns and end the tyranny of Pac-Man.
I hate liberals. If you are a liberal, do not reply.
how SHOCKING.
i wonder if arnold movies send the wrong signal too, glorifying killing and mayhem.
virtual mayhem is much better than real, live mayhem. what if it was an imaginary city the track was set in? what real difference there would be? except that they wouldn't get huge extra free advertising from biggots like this? grimm stories glorify violent revenge too, they must be bad as well.
actually if it's realistical enough it provides an incentive to not do it in real life(as you end up being a murderer of innocents and trashed by a truck in mere minutes, after which the game burns).
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
I really hope when Generation X starts to take over the political enviroment/wasteland, that these views on video games will die.
Left 4 Dead Gaming Group - http://www.l4dgg.com
Look at what the 60's generation has done since the tookover the political enviroment. Things have gotten worse.
Power corrupts.
eg - bike races are often on real city streets that are closed to normal traffic and pedestrians.
sometimes there are even NASCAR-style races. this is all the game appears to be. anyone know of examples of this?
The One Rule Of Chess You'll Ever Need: Don't play someone who carries a kit in their bookbag.
Didn't they ban GTA:VC just a year of so ago?
CMDRTACO CHECK YOUR EMAIL!
Maybe which should rename "video games" to "reality". It is really hard to tell the difference.
Seriously, games are an escape. It is a virtual environment to do things that you may not necessarilly be able to do in real life. I have never been able to do more than 110 MPH in a car in reality but it is fun to do in a video game because you don't die when you crash that high speed car.
I've also chosen not to join the mob, pickup hookers, kill people on the street and steal cars. Though, it is real fun in a video game since there are no consequences.
Maybe they should make games about sitting in front of a cumputer, in cubicle and being the low man on the totem pole. I'm sure that would sell quite a few games.
Soothing be productive lights and pretty be happy colors... and the gentle sounds of the be complacent ocean..
There now.. isn't that better than be accepting those nasty old violent thought games...
You've achieved a productive happy accepting citizen rating.. a shiny gold star will be mailed to you shortly..
The real truth is, it's just like anything else. People react differently.
I grew up playing video games and watching movies where there were fast driving, fast women, and law breaking. (Smokey and The Bandit *shame*) I grew up, got a car, and proceeded to break laws like crazy flying through the country, where I lived.
About 6 months after I got my license taken away for "reckless Endangerment", my friend gets arested for "Felony to elude a police officer in an automobile". He grew up on the same movies as I did.
On the other hand, I watched action movies just as much as driving movies. I have not shot at anyone, have not killed anyone, have not held up a bank, and am not a fugitive from the law.
When it all comes down to it, it's all about your own moral base. What do you think is right, what do you think is wrong, and what do you just not care either way on.
Banning things with a high demand is silly too. We can see that banning certain drugs has kept the US city streets free of drug users. Prostitution is full under control, there are no murders, and nobody ever speeds.
Pretty Pictures!
We had better ban Flight Simulator too, in case people get the idea that they can actually crash planes into things without any consequences!
7 November 2006: The day Americans realized corruption and incompetence weren't addressing 11 September 2001
It's kind of ironic that if some big-budget movie wanted to pay the city of Sydney a bunch of money to block off the REAL streets and use them as a racetrack, there would be almost no controversy at all despite the REAL danger that driving cars around inside the city at insane speeds would present.
~GoRK
Lots of tough talk from the original Penal Colony. Idiots.
People bringing up this lame argument again? Come on! I know, I beat Need for speed High stakes, and now I'm gonna go crash that yellow taxi. Right. I don't see why people keep arguing this! And just how many Chainsaw incidents have we had since the advent of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"? Honestly, I would think that if we were to have incidents like that they would've happened with the advent of Doom...
"This game sends the wrong message to young people. It is actually glorifying speed and power. It is clearly an inappropriate depiction of speed behavior. If I had my way I would ban it."
Someone call Bernie Ecclestone and cancel the next Australian Grand Prix.
Why is it that idiots like this get a soap box on Slashdot?
Oddly Draconis
Too cynical to live, too stubborn to die.
Maybe Aussie officials are upset that the game would have people drive on the wrong side of the road.
Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
Or substance abuse.
Or intolerance.
Or civil disobedience.
Or anything that disagrees with one or more branches of government.
"This game sends the wrong message to young people. It is actually glorifying speed and power. It is clearly an inappropriate depiction of speed behavior.
I love these guys. While this subject (and others like it) will be debated about until the end of the civilized world, I don't think the important point is ever going to come to light: the difference between a cause and a correlation. I don't mean to portray mass media or videogame makers as blameless, but honestly, they are largely giving the public what they want. Some people like games (and movies) where you speed around in cars, and do absurd things you could never realistically do yourself in real life. It's a form of escape.
Some people are quick to argue that this sort of game encourages the same behavior in real life. I'd argue that the fantasies people have about this sort of thing create a need for these games, and software devs and movie producers are more than happy to cash in.
Take a look at some of the more absurd games that have been created in response to things people like to do. We have a bazillion low-quality "Deer Hunter" games (Huh?), and Paintball PC games, which, when you think about it, is a simulation of a simulation. It's no surprise to see the GTAs or the Gran Turismos of the world being so successful.
Auto-reply to ACs: "Truly, you have a dizzying intellect."
No, I don't think that's likely. But is a possibility.
If violent video games make me more homicidal, and driving games give me a lead foot, then by extension, playing Dance Dance Revolution will cause me to stomp people to death in a rhythmic fashion.
I had the same thoughts about the Gold Coast Indy 10 years ago. They turn the Gold Coast into a race track each year here and leave all the banners and markings there so revheads can hit the track at any time.
Wake up Australia! =)
Pixels keep you awake!
How about Funny. An amusing quote, but it falls apart under any sort of scrutiny, such as, ohhh what videogames were kids playing in the 40's and 50's that "made" them take drugs during the 60's and 70's?
Ironically, the word ironically is often used incorrectly.
Firstly, it's ludicrous. It's a game. End of story. You might as well go back to the "Doom encourages violence" argument.
Secondly, why don't they make some sort of realistic game where you can see exactly WHY you can't race around city streets. You're penalised for killing people. You could have a bit of plot along the lines of you being in a police car chasing etc., you could have REALISTIC traffic (yet to see realistic-acting traffic in any computer game) and pedistrians crossing the street quite normally and you have to get through them to the bad guys without causing too much damage?
You could have a bit in a normal speed-through-the-streets game where you have to stick to the law to get through some challenge (so the cops don't tail you etc.). You would have to stop at red-lights. Pull away sensibly, take corners properly, keep to speed limit, all while trying to get somewhere and do something.
Some people might say you couldn't make it fun enough, but some games designers can be ingenious ("Tetris? Falling blocks? That's a bit dull isn't it?"). Realistic games score better with gamers. If you couldn't sell it as a game, you could use it as a training tool.
um... Mad Max?
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Risk - Its lifelike depiction of the globe and glorification of "world domination" may be a severe liability to Hasbro worldwide.
Monopoly - The day someone is inspired by the best strategies in this game will be the beginning of the end of mankind. Encouraging housing shortages, anticompetitive behavior and beauty contests are not desireable behaviors in our landlords.
Hungry Hungry Hippos- In today's world of fast food franchises being sued for causing obesity, any game encouraging eating all you can outside of a thirdworld country is asking for trouble.
Hi Ho Cherroy - Sure, most people think the most dangerous aspect of the game is children choking after actually eating the cherries. But they neglect the greater social consequence of stealing poor American farmer's fruits!
The game of life - Its encouragement of heterosexual marriages may be approved by the President, but that won't stop gay right's activists from petitioning stores to stop carrying it!
I Browse at +4 Flamebait
Open Source Sysadmin
"According to State Labor MP Paul Gibson, chairman of the Staysafe Committee: "This game sends the wrong message to young people. It is actually glorifying speed and power. It is clearly an inappropriate depiction of speed behavior. If I had my way I would ban it." whatever they say it influences young people they said that about NightTrap for segaCD. i never went out a terrorized women by raping them and causing them eternal mental stress. maybe mr paul gibson needs to get off his kangaroo and work a little....
Folks, gov'ts in Australia lead the way to
banning everything, and would do so if not
kept in check...
- in the arts (eg, films)
- on the 'net (eg, content)
- on the air (eg, hams -offering- to do
phone patches; we can -do- them, but
we can't -offer- to do them!!!)
- to appeal a traffic violation charge
AUTOMATICALLY -raises- the amount of
the fine, just in case you lose!!!
- unions are restricted in their rights
to strike
These are hold-overs from the Colonial period
I suppose, or at least the obnoxious willing-
ness to continue to legislate such nonesence
into force, from time to time...
When you're "captive" by distance from
other lands & have no effective Bill of
Rights (as in Australia), them's the breaks,
ie -until- you change it!
Some states still restrict trading hours,
at least for buying essentials (eg Food!)
- while allowing gambling venues unlimited
trading hours.
Australia's a place where businesses have
got the reigns & people's interests had
better be in line with those of business!
this story description should read "australians are baffled upon first encounter of "racing game" concept." authorities comment that "we expect it to simulate the typical day activities, take kids to school in minivan, drive to work, sit in rush hour traffic... but we are shocked.. speed, power. those two things sell?"
ban the game?! what!?! talk about the salem witch trials..
Don't forget the Gran Prix... closing & using
inner city streets for hig speed racing...
Recently, a guy was killed, near a baracade,
hit by a tyre flew off a race-car.
In Adelaide, fast cars fly through the
beautiful Adelaide Hills... Is this the
way to respect Nautre? Of course, not!
In fact, in recent memory, a driver was
killed - after a crash - as his daughter
sat next to him in one of the race-cars.
Is this a country that values Life?
I don't think so...
Adelaide and/or South Australia gov'ts
routinely fund such costly events...
presumably to attract big-spending
tourists... Back packers be damned!
In the mean time... South Australia's
annual Folk Festival had to be cancelled
- after its SA Gov't grant(s) were cancelled.
Did I mention that Adelaide has -two-
car-makers (Holden - formerly GM-Holden - &
Mitsubishi)???
"The way politicians act in parliament sends the wrong message to young people. It is actually glorifying heckling and bad manners. It is clearly an inappropriate depiction of proper behavior. If I had my way I would ban it."
"If I had my way I would ban it."
If I had my way, I would ban censorship-fanatic politicians.
Do not be alarmed. This is only a test.
australia rocks, alll this shit about us being censorship peoples, well at least WE didn't allow the DMCA m0h4h4h4h4