Actually you are wrong, the reason this "hamrless" mini game was taken out in the first place was because it took them from an M rating to an X rating and they couldn't make a boat load of money unless they got into WalMart - which only accepts M. So being the ratbastards they are, they decided to screw the most powerful retail company in the world by getting in their store and still selling X rated crap.
I don't have a 13 year old, I was making a point, but if this company can screw parents like this what is stop the pokeman game manufactures from adding hidden M stuff into their games? You can't tell me my fictional 13 year old wouldn't love that!
My point is still valid - ratings are there to help parents make decisions, and if the companies do shit like this to get around those ratings, then they are taking choice away from parents. And they are hurting the entire industry because parents will stop trusting games, and criminy, send thier kids to Football camp (yuck!)
I agree with you 100% But I also think it is important to rate the games accurately. And if my 13 year old can jump online and learn a hack that will add violence or sex that I didn't know about when I checked the game out that doesn't help me as a parent.
That would be like reading a book and thinking it is OK for my 8 year old, but little did I know that if you turn it upside down and read it inside out there were rape scenes in the book.
I think video games can actually help kids, but as a parent I would like to know what they experiencing while still letting them experience it without me looking over their shoulders every second of the day.
Now 90 million - only our government could spend 90 million on $49.95 question.
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Actually you are wrong, the reason this "hamrless" mini game was taken out in the first place was because it took them from an M rating to an X rating and they couldn't make a boat load of money unless they got into WalMart - which only accepts M. So being the ratbastards they are, they decided to screw the most powerful retail company in the world by getting in their store and still selling X rated crap. I don't have a 13 year old, I was making a point, but if this company can screw parents like this what is stop the pokeman game manufactures from adding hidden M stuff into their games? You can't tell me my fictional 13 year old wouldn't love that! My point is still valid - ratings are there to help parents make decisions, and if the companies do shit like this to get around those ratings, then they are taking choice away from parents. And they are hurting the entire industry because parents will stop trusting games, and criminy, send thier kids to Football camp (yuck!)
I agree with you 100% But I also think it is important to rate the games accurately. And if my 13 year old can jump online and learn a hack that will add violence or sex that I didn't know about when I checked the game out that doesn't help me as a parent. That would be like reading a book and thinking it is OK for my 8 year old, but little did I know that if you turn it upside down and read it inside out there were rape scenes in the book. I think video games can actually help kids, but as a parent I would like to know what they experiencing while still letting them experience it without me looking over their shoulders every second of the day. Now 90 million - only our government could spend 90 million on $49.95 question.
I don't know how many - but here are four recent murder cases that claim video games were a part of the problem - or in one case actually taught the "perp" how to commit the crime. This was the first 4 answers under google news to your question... http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articl e?AID=/20050725/APN/507251163
http://www.betanews.com/article/GTA_Battle_Goes_to _the_Courts/1121894331
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/12180380. htm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/?feed=TopNews&arti cle=UPI-1-20050721-14014500-bc-us-playstation.xml