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California Anti-Videogame Bill Author Interviewed
rsmith-mac writes "As an update to last week's story about a proposed California bill to bar minors from buying first-person shooters, HomeLANFed has an interview up with Leland Y. Yee, the assemblyperson responsible for creating the bill. While there are some good intentions with Yee's actions, I can't help but feel that this is a classic case where the road to Hell is being paved with those good intentions."
. While there are some good intentions with Yee's actions, I can't help but feel that this is a classic case where the road to Hell is being paved with those good intentions."
Is this really any different from rating movies and not letting 18 and unders into R rated movies? Video games should be the same way, stores and parents should be monitoring what the kids are doing. If this does pass, I think we will see more games released both with and without blood included.
Mr. Lee didn't really convince me on his point of why the parental control isn't enough. He says "Unlike movies, in which parents can easily determine whether it is suitable for their child, many of these games must be mastered before the interaction begins at the most violent levels." I don't see any basis for that. Video games are definitely as easy to indentify as violent as a movie. If the graphic content on the back of the package, the ESRB rating, and the hours of grisly sounds and images emanating from the living room aren't enough to allow determination then either is what's offered by movies for determination.
I think that's an important aspect because parents buy kids the games anyway. I bet that's the most common way kids get their games: from someone else buying them for them, but I could be wrong.
I guess it's not really a big deal in the grander scheme of things, just possibly a waste of money and time and effort.
Everytime I hear someone try to pin violence onto video games. Whats more bloody, watching the nightly news or pretend killing nazi's in Wolfenstein?
As a parent, its your responsibility to watch what little Billy is doing, and if you cant, to teach little Billy that killing is wrong.
If little Billy goes out and gets a gun and shoots people, its either cause he's messed up in the head, or you failed as a parent, not because the guy in Doom did it.
Heck, if you arent intelligent enough to seperate reality from fantasy (reality, killing bad... fantasy, killing acceptable) than you have deeper issues anyway.
This is my sig. Its pathetic.
The idea of rating games M for mature, and denying access to those under 17 is acceptable. But who provides the ratings? If it's not an independent, objective group, the rating will mean little. Game makers will not willingly give up a large chunk of their customer base for violent games: teenage boys.
Movie ratings provide parents a consistent measuring stick to enable them to make informed decisions for their kids. Parents can accompany their kids to R-rated movies if they wish. Likewise, parents can buy M-rated games for their kids, nomatter what laws are enacted.
The challenge will be in making the rating consistent and trustworthy enough for parents to depend on without having to research each title extensively before buying.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
Firstly, I must say that some portions of what he says are good common sense.
Summary: The existing regulation isn't good enough, so lets make more regulation. This never works.
Further on:
Interesting - I see Cosmopolitan as equally damaging, or more damaging, than GTA: Vice City. It's okay to brainwash a 13 year-old into thinking she needs to be sexed-up, but being violent just isn't lady like! Maybe this guy needs to see a proposal for magazine ratings. He might reel from that and get a sense of balance.This is my sig. There are many others like it, but this one is mine.
This is just the D&D Panic of the mid-80's all over again.
When are people going to realize that if you go out and shoot up your school after playing some FPS, that there was probably somethine wrong with you to begin with?
You are attempting to read sigs. Cancel or Allow?
The logic must remain consist. That is, if one contends that children learn to read and do math through interactive video then one must also believe violent behavior is learned by playing these games. In fact, you don't even need to bring in behavior to see that these games are learning tools. For example, a child can learn how to create a kill zone by playing many of these games.
Math and Reading are not the same thing as killing. Math and Reading are things you can REALLY actually do in a game. Killing is not. This isn't the holodeck, you aren't physically breaking someones neck. While math and reading in a game are the same as math or reading in real life, fighting in real life is nothing like fighting in a video game. Driving a car in real life, isn't like driving a car in most games.
And what the hell is a kill zone? I've been playing FPS games online forever now and I'm not sure what the heck he's talking about.
In light of these facts, the government is compelled to act to protect children from the affects of violent video games. Similar to pornography, there must be a penalty imposed on stores who sell or rent these types of games to children.
What a joke, he is comparing video games to porn now. Most games have very little sexual content, nothing outside of what you would see on public (free) TV.
HomeLAN - Why do you also wish to make a separate section for restricted games and how would the retailer decide which games are supposed to be in that section? Leland Y. Yee - It is important that these games not be marketed towards our children. For instance, legislation has been passed that makes it illegal to place tobacco products next to the candy.
I missed the part where video games were found to give people cancer...
They shouldn't be next to the games teaching little kids how to read and count.
Why? In blockbuster they have 'R' rated movies next to 'G' rated ones in the new release section. Of course Mr. Yee won't compare video games to movies, because if he took these extremist views against movies the MPAA would make his political life hell.
(about what should happen to people who sell video games to children)....The same penalty that currently exists for selling other harmful material to children (he means porn) will be imposed....(snip)...punishable by fine of not more than two thousand dollars ($2,000), by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment. If a person has multiple convictions they may be imprisoned in the state prison.
Someone needs to explain to him that video games aren't the same as porn. Also, this is the reason our prisons are so overcrowded, our taxes so high, and our legal system is so screwed up. He wants to sent a retailer to JAIL for selling kids GTA, Postal2, etc. Give me a break. Should a man or women really have their life ruined if they mistakenly sell a game to a minor? Should that really be a criminal offense?
he type of evidence that suggests a correlation between smoking and lung cancer is the same that suggests a correlation between violent media images and future aggressive behavior. If tobacco conglomerates controlled the message about smoking and lung cancer, it's likely that the public would be confused about that too.
Looks like video games are causing cancer again. If the problem is violent media, why doesn't this guy go after the MPAA? The TV networks? Oh right, because video games are the easy target....
Also, human nature is violent. People may want to deny it, but it's true. Did the first caveman hit the second one over the head with a rock because it reminded him of pong, or because he wanted the second cavemans resources?
However, many live very difficult and busy lives and can not possibly monitor their children at all times. Unlike movies, in which parents can easily determine whether it is suita
If they can't buy the games thay'll just download them.
Is that SHE'S(Read the quotes, people, she's a mother) never actually played these games, only seen other people play it.
It's another hyper-sensitive person who is a ludite. People fear what they don't understand and with games being the latest medium, she'd like to see it stomped out, similar to bad movies, music, plays or books.
History has proven itself that there are always something the parents believe to be a negative influence, and eventually it passes.
Of course, I will say this, when you ring up an M-rated game at Target, it pauses the checkout and forces the sales clerk to check your ID. If violent games are a concern to her, just have her shop elsewhere. Oh wait, she can't give up her Wal-Mart.