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GA Proposes Restricting Game Sales to Minors
HarryCaul writes "The Georgia Legislature has a bill proposing the restriction of sales of video games to minors. This bill is independent of the voluntary ratings in that it would prohibit the sale of "especially heinous, atrocious or cruel" games to children. Another bill from the same legislator would take the more reasonable step of requiring stores to post a sign explaining the video game rating system. From the article: "The video game proposal is one of several like it being introduced across the country. Lawmakers in North Carolina, Illinois and Michigan are among those considering similar measures."
On the one hand, this seems like a good idea. It holds the stores responsible for not enforcing the policies that they have in place - mainly fining them for selling (or renting) M-rated games to minors. Great, I guess.
On the other hand, I'm not really sure that this will fix the problem of uninformed parents buying and renting the games for their children. I don't have a problem with people deciding that it's ok that their child plays a game. I have a problem with parents not knowing what the game is and getting it for their kids because "my friend's mom said it's ok". That happens all the time. Are these parents going to be fined, too?
Why should the gov't be responsible be people not raising their kids right. i agree with you that your LB shouldnt be playing that kind of a game, but what more can the gov't do to prevent this. they cant send someone out to watch over every parents shoulder and when a parent lets their kid do something that they shoudnt, that man cant be there to slap the parents fingers and tell them "no!" the government can not control the way that parents raise their kids, it all comes down to old fashion parenting.
I was in Walmart not too long ago, and there was this Mother and her 9 to 11 year old son with her. She was buying him a copy of "Max Payne"--an M-Rated game--for the PS2. Most kids don't have the $20-$50 it takes to buy a new game, it's the parents that buy most of them, so what difference does it make if the parents are buying M-Rated games for their kids?
Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
When I was a kid I barely had enough money to buy a comic book once a month. Now it seems that kids have enough cash flow to buy M-rated games and what not at the drop of a hat. I think I grew up in the wrong generation. :P
Back on topic, I agree that kids shouldn't be allowed to buy M-rated games. It's the same deal as movies, books, or any other medium. Of course, it's ultimately up to the parents and how they want to bring up their kids. What's good for the goose isn't always good for the gander.
I know when I was younger my parents were generally always making sure I wasn't doing things I wasn't supposed to, but on those occasions that they allowed me to run off by myself, if I wanted to go see a rated R movie, I wouldn't have been able to get in. I ask you, really, what is the difference between enforcing laws that keep kids from watching movies that have been deemed too violet or sexual or whatnot, to keeping them from being able to buy games of the same nature without parental consent? Nothing really.. If the parents allow it then the kid can still do it, this will hopefully just make the parents realise that maybe they shouldn't get their kid "game x" because it is rated mature, maybe they'll pay a little more attention to what they buy now.
But it isn't enforced too well. Since I'm 17, I'm not supposed to be able to buy GTA:SA. Electronics Boutique didn't care beyond being 17 for a mature rated game. Also, reading the article, the proposed GA law seems to broad. "Violence without signs of remorse", would block out Metroid, Castlevania, most Final Fantasies, and even fucking Mario would be banned under this law, since I've never seen Mario show remorse for killing legions of Goombas and Koopas. Thank good our law is only violence towards police and similar people.
...this is why organized religion should be put in its place. Most parents like myself are intelligent enough to know what is and is not suitable for our children. There are those who spent far too many years under the collective whip of the Catholic Church to be able to think on their own and rely heavily on their congregation for guidance...sort of like one of my ex's cousins who think along your lines. After listening to him, I gave him a swift verbal lashing on the subject of who impregnanted his wife (him or the good minister) I said it is your responsibility to take an active interest in your child and address any potential interests they may have especially what they read. Regardless of the subject matter...be it Harry Potter or others. It is up to you to educate or even better READ THE BOOKS your children wish to read to you can make an EDUCATED decision on wether or not they are prepared rather than letting the good preacher decide for you. By the way the only one of the series that caused a major uproar was "Order of the Pheonix" in that the student body was force to mutiny it's abusive headmaster. The message is this is what can happen if corrupt government politics interferes with the well oiled runnings of a good school. Also if you hadn't noticed there is ABSOLUTELY NO MENTION of devil worship in the series...in fact the school pushes a class called "Defense Against the Dark Arts" so if I were you I'd let your children READ, the more they read the more educated they will become. The more educated they become the less likely they will me so easily manipulated like yourself by powers that seek to cripple you. They'll go farther ahead in life than you.
"If they decide that they aren't OK with you, a 12 year old, playing GTA, then there should be some means of them enforcing that decision."
Exactly, it's called doing it themselves.
The parents themselves have to enforce the restrictions they put on their kids. They shouldn't expect the government and retailers to do the job for them. There are parents who don't want their kids to have access to the bible or Harry Potter books. Should the government restrict access to those to minors to help out their parents. How is it any different with violent video games? Parents all have differing opinions on what materials are approriate or not for their children.
According to your flawed logic we'd have to restrict just about everything out there to minors seeing as there are some parents out there who are likely to find it offensive or unsuitible for their child/children.
Other times the terrible mind warping stuff was books, movies, or music. Now it's videogames.
Doom, GTA, neck snapping in Price of Persia 2, and virtually storming the beaches at Normandy in Day of Defeat isn't going to turn kids into rampaging pairs of Harris & Klebold any more than D&D turned me and my friends into throat slashing demonically possessed murderers.
This is *stupid* and so are the legislators pushing it and the people who support it.