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Kaiser Foundation Shows Little Video Game Violence Concern

Thanks to EvilAvatar for the heads up about a new Kaiser Foundation study showing that parents are simply not worried about video game violence. "Overall parents are more concerned about inappropriate content on TV than in other media: 34% say TV concerns them most, compared to 16% who say the Internet, 10% movies, 7% music, and 5% video games."

6 of 39 comments (clear)

  1. Concerned about what's on tv? by sparkie · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If parents would be a little more concerned with their children, rathar than concerned about what's on TV, then there'd be no problem.

    i.e. watch your own kids and the tv won't have to baby sit for you.

  2. Thanks Janet by StocDred · · Score: 4, Funny

    Special thanks to Janet Jackson's tit for taking the heat off of us for a while.

  3. This happens every couple years... by vasqzr · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Remember Mortal Kombat? Night Trap?

    Date: Wed, 1 Dec 93 11:21:59 PST

    WASHINGTON (UPI) -- Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., supported by
    television's gentle ``Captain Kangaroo,'' said Wednesday the video game
    industry is contributing to violence in America with its graphic
    depictions of force and sex and warned it to regulate itself before the
    federal government does.
    ``We're talking about video games that glorify violence and teach
    children to enjoy inflicting the most gruesome forms of cruelty
    imaginable,'' Lieberman said.
    Lieberman, 51, the father of four children, said he will introduce
    legislation calling on the video game industry to set up a uniform,
    credible system to warn parents about the content of such games as
    ``Mortal Kombat'' and ``Night Trap.''
    Shown at a news conference, ``Mortal Kombat'' involves a martial
    contest with blood gushing from a fighter's head, and the winner
    decapitating his opponent, then displaying the head attached to a spinal
    cord. ``Night Trap'' involves hooded men seizing a sorority woman in her
    nightgown and draining her blood.


    Every couple years a game comes out and people try to put blame on it. More kids have killed each other imitating 'pro wrestling' than video games.

    You don't see anyone trying to shut down the WWE, do you?

    1. Re:This happens every couple years... by Otter · · Score: 4, Informative
      You don't see anyone trying to shut down the WWE, do you?

      The WWE has toned their act down considerably in the last year, under FCC pressure. They get plenty of complaints, from both the right and left.

      I used to watch semi-regularly but it got so repulsive a few years ago that I just couldn't stomach it anymore. As a parent, I'd be far less likely to let young kids watch pro wrestling than play almost all video games.

  4. Article Completely Misinterprets the Data by Andy_R · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The survey does NOT imply that parents are "simply not worried about video game violence."

    It states that 89% of parents are very, or somewhat concerned about inappropriate content in entertainment media, and 34% of parents rate TV as the medium they are most concerned about. It says nothing about their other concerns, and how strongly they rate them.

    Reading the survey, it is possible to reach the conclusion that somewhere between 5% and 89% of parents are very or seriously concerned about video game violence. Hardly a level of confidence that should be used for a headline!

    --
    A pizza of radius z and thickness a has a volume of pi z z a
  5. Re:More than that by realdpk · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Nobody has to have respect for the Christian faith. I have to tolerate that other people believe in it, but that's as far as I have to go in our society.

    I may actually start respecting Christians if they can manage to keep their noses out of other people's business and out of public government. I don't know if they can do that, though -- history (modern and "ancient") indicates that they can not.