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72% of US Adults Support Violent-Game Ban For Minors
SpuriousLogic writes with an excerpt from GameSpot: "The US Supreme Court won't start hearing arguments over California's law banning game sales to minors until November 2. However, the ruling in the court of popular opinion is already in, according to a new poll. This week, parent watchdog group Common Sense Media released the results of a survey it commissioned on children's access to violent games. Conducted by polling firm Zogby International, the survey asked 2,100 adults whether they would support a law that 'prohibits minors from purchasing ultra-violent or sexually violent video games without parental consent.' Of those surveyed, some 72 percent said they would approve such a law. Common Sense Media CEO and founder James Steyer, whose nonprofit organization is lobbying for game-restriction legislation in many states, hailed the poll's findings. 'We hope the [state] attorneys general will take a look at these poll results and that they'll side with families over protecting the profits of the video game industry.'"
Bullshit, films are rated for violence, TV shows generally let you know too. I wouldn't want my eight year old to play COD:MW2 any more than I would want her to watch Hostel.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
People who are concerned about availability of violent games (to minors) should be lobbying the retailers, not the government.
People who are concerned about availability of violent games (to minors) should probably checked out by mental health professionals, as they are somewhat delusional.
This is a goddamn non-problem. We already have ratings on games, and kids can't buy them because stores won't sell them.
If corporations are people, aren't stockholders guilty of slavery?
Pretty sure you have to be 18 to purchase a rifle. Depending on the state, I think any kid who has passed hunters safety courses can own a rifle, but cannot buy it for themselves.
That brings me to an interesting point, / . is just "the ramblings of socially-inept, technology-literate news-mongers".
Which is great except the gun show loophole pretty much allows anyone to walk in and buy a gun with cash, no questions asked. There is pending legislation to close it, but I have friends that have been buying guns at such shows since they were 16, including one that bought an assault rifle (not fully automatic - an AR-15 if I recall correctly). Admittedly they started pre-Brady law (1993), but gun shows are still lax from what I remember of the one I attended in the mid-1990s.
First off it's not the store's problem. Parents need to BE PARENTS. If you don't want your children buying/playing those games then you as a parent need to get your lazy butt off the couch and go be a parent. Or away from your computer, or maybe, come home early a few times a week and spend time with your kids. Stop making society try to (very very poorly) parent your kids.
Next basically all retailers are following a (voluntary?) good practice of IDing anyone buying an M or T rated or above game, or requiring a parent. Secondly, theres not one shred of evidence linking video games to violence of any kind. None. Some kids who have committed violence have yes played violent video games, but if you look at their history, their psychological profile, it wasn't the games that caused it at all. In fact there is research that indicates there might be a link to video games and LESS violence. Why? Think about it, if you can kill the school bully in your head 100x -- or -- beat him on the virtual battlefield (if he or she also plays) then it's likely to defuse the conflict by letting the aggression out in a safe, virtual, manner.