Don't Blame The Games, Blame The Parent

jayintune writes "2old2play has an interesting article up on the recent push for more laws on videogame sales to children. It goes over the history of violent crime amongst teens and how it relates to the new surge in videogame-related legislation. Do laws really help our children or is it ultimately the parents role to decided?" From the article: "I'd say by the time a kid is three or four, he or she should know it's not okay to hit someone else. The child should be aware violence is not an acceptable response. Parents, grandparents, older siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, teachers... anyone older than a child should reinforce certain societal values and traits. Kids should and mostly do know better. I talked with a psychologist who told me children can separate reality from fiction at about nine or ten years of age. Well, "pre-teen" is what he said. At that age, they know what's on TV isn't real, what's in a video game isn't real. Video games are easier; they're basically just moving cartoons."

Comments

Two words.

[kunwon1]

'No shit!'

Re:Two words.

[__aaclcg7560]

That's right. My roommate's mother gave me trouble for working on a baseball video game for kids when I was at Atari that forces kids to stay indoors instead of going outside. I told her it was the parent's responsibility to raise their children that they brought into the world by screwing around. That didn't go over too well with her.

Re:Two words.

[killermookie]

I'm sorry, but your reply has been rated M, therefore the majority of Slashdot users are forbidden to read it unless their parents do so for them.

Re:Where is the disconnect?

[MonkeyPaw]

"Hello, Acme Lawyers of Walla Walla Washington? Yes. I was riding my rocket-powered roller skates down the road minding my own business when WHAM I drove straight into a cliff face. The odd thing was I thought it was a tunnel. It sure looked like a tunnel. I saw Winckle sneaking off with a can of paint. I don't even think I would have noticed him were it not for the guy in the bushes playing sneaking music on the oboe. I want to sue him for a million-trillion dollars and a Illudium PU36 Explosive Space Modulator.

Yes, I'll hold."

Re:This may sound cliché but,

[BigZaphod]

Heber's Law: As an online discussion which has invoked Godwin's Law grows longer, the probability that someone will point it out approaches one.

Rephrase

[Lord Bitman]

By the time a child is three or four, they should have had beaten into them the idea that hitting someone is not okay.

Re:Not just moving cartoons

[mooingyak]

You can get totally immersed in the game and begin to think about the game also when you are not playing it.

I used to look at people's faces and want to put L-shaped tetris blocks between their eyebrows.