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Oklahoma Senate OKs Violent-Games Bill

CNet is reporting that the Oklahoma Senate unanimously approved a new violent-games bill on Monday that makes it a crime to sell violent video games to children under 18. From the article: "The bill passed 47-0 in the state Senate, but is being held on a motion to reconsider the vote within three legislative days before being sent back to the House to vote on Senate amendments."

6 of 412 comments (clear)

  1. What do they mean by violent? by XxtraLarGe · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This type of thing really pisses me off. Are they going to ban violent sports games like football, boxing and hockey? There is a lot of hitting in those games. Are they going to ban sales of violent rated "T" games? This is just another example of legislators usurping parents' roles. It will be struck down, they're doing it all for show.

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  2. Not much of a solution. by Funkcikle · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Making it a crime to sell such games is pointless if one can simply supply a child with them. Say, for example, on the 25th of December after weeks of begging.

    The problem isn't some immoral shopkeep hawking his wares to unsuspecting kiddies whilst twirling his moustache, but the permissive parents at home who mostly don't give a damn if their child is virtually running around with a virtual gun shooting virtual people with virtually aroused sexual organs.

    1. Re:Not much of a solution. by Tim+C · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Speaking as a parent, I'd rather my daughter did it virtually (in moderation, of course), than in reality.

      One of my earliest childhood memories is of being at school during play time, at the age of 5 or 6, running around with a bunch of other kids playing war. We divided into two teams, and ran around miming shooting, stabbing and otherwise killing each other, long before you could do the same on a computer. Great fun.

      Violent video games don't make kids violent; being human makes kids violent. Some are worse than others, and need special care and attention; despite my favouring violent games, films, etc I've never actually been in a fight in my life.

  3. Re:How many times do we have to go through this? by doesitmakeitsick · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Correct me if I am wrong, but this law simply restricts minors from purchasing/renting "violent" games without their parents' knowledge. This simply forces the parents to get involved. If a parent doesn't think that the game is too violent, then that parent can simply authorize the purchase (ie: purchase it for the child). This law seems to really be made for parents who don't care to get involved with their child; it simply governs the child when the parents fail to.

  4. Re:Text of the Bill. by Bwerf · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Hmm.. I'm a bit confused, but what does any of the above examples have to do with violence?

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  5. Homosexuality is not a form of sexual conduct by Colonel+Angus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Homosexuality isn't a form of sexual conduct. It's a sexual preference. Anal sex is sexual conduct. Oral sex is sexual conduct. A Dirty Sanchez is sexual (mis)conduct.

    Homosexuality is no more a form of sexual conduct than heterosexuality is, the latter of which appears to be missing.

    That's purely prejudicial to include one and not the other. A homosexual character in a game makes it illegal to sell to minors? Please.