Euro Parliament Wants "Red Button" For Shutting Down Games

GamePolitics writes "The European Parliament has actually requested that red, panic-style buttons be set up for use by parents whose children play online games. The buttons would allow the parents to quickly shut the game down should something inappropriate occur. Wouldn't the old-school on-off switch work just as well?" To be fair, the report isn't entirely crazy; it says games "can also be used for educational and medical purposes," and acknowledges that the "presence of violence in video games does not automatically lead to violent behaviour."

Comments

Let's teach kids to make hardware mods early

[Mrs. Grundy]

Seriously.

1. phillips head screwdriver (to open case)
2. wire cutter (to cut leads to switch)
3. wire nut (to short circuit around switch)
4. profit?

The really clever kids will find a way to install a software patch that makes any game say "Show us your tits!" every time the button is pressed.

When I was a kid, my parents had a 'red button' called a leather belt. It was much harder to hack.

Re:Let's teach kids to make hardware mods early

[aerthling]

When I was a kid, my parents had a 'red button' called a leather belt. It was much harder to hack.

Harder to hack, my arse! When this happened to me, I used to modify the client (my bottom) by increasing the resistance (extra underpants) and return a spoofed result to the server.

Games are supposed to be educational

[jsse]

To be fair, the report isn't entirely crazy; it says games "can also be used for educational and medical purposes,"

I do agree that sex and violent games are meant to be educational.

Like last time I caught my cousin attempt to flirt with a CG girl in hope to have cyber sex. I pressed the magic red-button and gave him a few bucks, told him to go out and do a real girls like a real man.

The other time I caught him shooting polygonal guys on streets with lots of bullets and first-aid boxes scattering around. Needless to say, I pressed the magic red-button again and gave him a shotgun, told him to hit the street and shoot real people like a real man.

Re:Universal Remote

[Weedlekin]

"They could employ the same system that the Xbox employs. Add an IR receiver."

A lot of people with an XBox 360 don't even have to go that far, because Microsoft have once again proved that they're ahead of curve, and have already equipped their system with a special facility that displays a red circle on the screen to indicate that all gaming has been suspended for an indefinite period. This lock-out mechanism so secure that the only way to resume gaming is by sending the machine back to Microsoft, where a specially trained technician will the reset the cunningly hidden Naughty Person flag, and then send it back after a suitable period has elapsed to teach people that being naughty has consequences.

Bender got it right this time...

[Durinthal]

Have you ever tried simply turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?