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Step Away From The Games Legislation
Next Generation has an opinion piece by former Lucasarts VP of global marketing John Geoghegan. In it, he discusses exactly why gaming regulation is such a bad idea, and why he's so unsurprised that people have tried to do it anyway. From the article: "Kids need acceptable outlets to channel their energy and aggression. Critics claim video games promote aggression but an argument! is to be made that they channel aggression and perhaps even siphon it off, just like sports. Crucial to Schechter's thesis is his claim that popular entertainment is much less violent today than in the past. Oh, really? Well, consider the 19th century when whole villages turned out for a public hanging like it was a kid's snow day. Or think about Dante's graphic description of hell in The Inferno."
They don't sell R-rated movies to a 14 year old. They don't sell "explicit lyrics" records to 14 year old. But they'll sell an M-17 game to the same kid. If retailers would adhere to the voluntary ratings of games the same way they adhere to the voluntary ratings of movies, we wouldn't be having this conversation.
120 characters for a sig? That's bloody useless.
There have been countless studies based on far more opinion that show that young kids behavior is heavily effected negativley by video game and TV media of a violent nature... Kids watching power rangers do nothing but fight with each other and when those fights turn violent they are using the "techniques" used on power rangers to fight. (attempted karate i guess you could call it) Kids who watch Barney (as silly and sad as it is) are much calmer, they share with each other, and generally get along well.
I think certain regulations should be enacted, but i also feel that if parents did a decent job AT their job, we wouldnt have these issues. I, for instance, might not want a future 11 year old son playinga game as violent as F.E.A.R.
Maybe you think i'm off base, but kids are NOT adults and they can NOT judge things for themselves. They don't always know what things they learn in "fake world" can be transferred to "real world." It's just a set up for things later down the road IMHO.
Yeah this is a great idea, I'm glad this was modded up. Not only is it plausible, it makes perfect sense! I mean heck, it did wonders for the Nazis, amirite?? Who should we grant licenses to? Older, white middle class americans only?
You have a point in that irresponsible parents (and irresponsibility) in general is the real problem here, however, your suggestion is not only infantile but offensive and preposterous.
Laws won't fix this problem. We as a society need to reward and encourage responsibility, rather than reinforcing scapegoating and selfishness.
Football (American, Austrailian, etc.) ...
Soccer (Yes the game is minimal contact but the fans aren't).
Hockey (goes without saying).
NASCAR (For those in the U.S. Just how often do they replay the crash scenes).
Boxing
Karate
In my experience most of the people clamouring for games legislation a) ignore these things and the very real links between them and aggressive behavior, or b) even promote these very violent endeavors as "healthy excercise". IMHO much of the Game legislation, like calls for tv censorship in the early days and warning labels on CD's has to do with new tech. Whatever the new things kids do (D&D, Dancing, Heavy Metal, Video Games) is always blamed for all social ills because, at a basic level, it is't what we did.
That having been said I do think that some games (GTA) are in a special category by themselves and should be considered carefully. Banning them won't really work we ban kids from having alcohol, cigratettes, and porn in the U.S. but despite all that they still got them even before the internet. Ultimately its all about educating parents so that they realize that a game called Grand Theft Auto isn't exactly Sesame Street.
Who's going to administer the test to see if you're qualified to have children? As everybody on Slashdot knows, a certification is often just a piece of paper that you can get by spending some bucks and memorizing a book without even really understanding it. How many times have you met a MCSE who can't seem to solve the most basic of problems?
Unless handled very carefully, the certification process does little to insure that the person is fit for the job. For something like parenthood, it's going to be nearly impossible to come up with a good generalist course and certification exam that covers all aspects of parenthood while not overly burdening the system or the applicants.
I read the internet for the articles.
Yes because that whole License to drive thing really got rid of the bad drivers...
Mr. T carries a postage stamp in his wallet at all times on the back is a list of all the fools he doesn't pity
The Music Man is a perfect example of what's going on here. The crooked salesman (insert your favorite politician or zealous anti-game lawyer here) creates a problem where none exists, solely for the purpose of selling his wares to a bunch of unsuspecting dupes. Of course, unlike Harold Hill, the anti-game zealots will never see that the real problem is bad parenting, not violent games.
For the record, I'm a mid-30s father of two who grew up playing video games, and my two year old has already started. The games that we play (e.g. Winnie the Pooh, Reader Rabbit) are great tools that help her learn and allow us to spend quality time together. We have a firm rule in our home that the kid-unfriendly games like Halo 2 stay in the box until after bedtime.
No problem with the pool table here, Professor Hill. Go talk to the folk in the next town.