Thompson Vs. Jenkins On VG Violence

1up.com has a feature up including side-by-side interviews with Anti-Gaming Muckraker Jack Thompson and Prof. Henry Jenkins. The site manages to ask both proponents some tough questions, and they get some realistic answers in response. From the article's Jenkins interview: "Education is the key, not legislation. If you heavily regulate the industry it will narrow what games are in the market, and retailers will only carry content that is suitable for the youngest of players. Retailers won't carry a Mature-rated game if you move to an enforceable system. We saw this with the comic industry in the '50s. The other way to approach this problem is to put the burden on the consumer. We have to educate."

Comments

Re:more crap from this guy's mouth

[Koiu Lpoi]

See, I don't know if you've noticed, but a big secret of the liberals for a long time has been that we all like molesting people. Mentally, physically - doesn't matter. We like it and encourage it.

But what the hell is mental molestation? I think this guy's just going for an emotional kick.

Also, I don't know if this guy's noticed, but the Communist party - which preaches about the violent overthrow of the US government - is protected under the first amendment. So videogames should be as well. But, just because the speech is free does not mean you have to listen. Parents can still stop their kids from playing these games if they're really that worried. By this guy's standards, I should be shooting my mouth off while killing my teachers with a glock. It's all BS.

Re:My experience...

[buffer-overflowed]

Huh? They did not have the types of games when I was growing up that they have now. So I can't really weigh in and say "I played violent games, and I'm ok."

About the most violent thing I can think of that I played was Doom. Which is comically cartoony compared to stuff like Manhunt or the newer GTAs. Or hell, any modern FPS. Mortal Kombat is also NOTHING compared to what we have now. Go back and play it. Not only are the situations found within ridiculous, but the graphics are downright tame. I've seen better gore effects in foreign low-budget horror flicks(which I also watched growing up, and apart from a sick sense of humor, I'm pretty well-adjusted). There's also looney tunes. None of this is in the same league as some modern games!

We just didn't have the tech to produce violent situations with as much realism as we can now. We don't have as much now as we will next year, and we won't have as much then as we will 5-6 years from now. Now, does this matter? Maybe, maybe not. We know that exposure to violence during certain stages of development effects people(and even later in life, PTSD and the like). The extent to which simulated or indirectly viewed violence(IE: via the news) does is still up in the air(with current data pointing to it not being statistically significant[but hey, neither is 2nd hand smoke!]) because psych is such a voodoo art soft science(and the professor quoted here isn't a developmental psychologist). Now, as the line blurs between reality and gameplay due to improved physics, graphics, AI and a miscellany of immersion techniques, this could very well change. That's tangenital however.

Now, believe it or not, that was just a big tangent on the "I played violent games growing up and I'm FINE" argument I keep seeing. No you didn't, at least not compared to what's out right now.

Anyway, I certainly can't think of a valid argument AGAINST enforcing game ratings when it comes to sales to minors. So you can't buy an M rated game if you aren't 18 by law rather than by inconsistent policy. Oh no. You can't buy cigarettes or alcohol either(I mean, after all, shouldn't parents, you know PARENT? Keep their kids off smokes and booze! Why should Uncle Sam be involved?).

It shuts up the social conservatives, shifting the blame onto the parents who buy their kids these violent forms of media. The big demographic for these games is the 18-30yo set anyway, so any fears about retailers discontinuing stocking them is just downright paranoid. I mean, you can buy adult adult content at any DVD store. What makes you think Gamestop is going to stop carrying GTA? Because both they and the clerk will get fined if they sell to your underaged ass?