Defending violent video games, Medal of Honor edition

This is a wonderful 4 page article concern violences in video games, the evolution of video games, and how it compares to other media industries. Great read.

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hahaha that is why the game company's added a rating system

This is a serious issue though, California has brought a bill to the Supreme Court and is being heard in October. If this bill is passed it will make it illegal to sell what California defines as inappropriate games to minors.

Now this doesn't sound that bad right?

Wrong. Dead wrong.

The bill specifies that a game inappropriate for minors is any in which characters with human-like characteristics have actions being taken to them that are violent or despicable in nature.

This definition makes just about every game inappropriate for minors.

"Ok, so what? Less snot nosed teens yelling at me on Xbox Live" Right? Maybe, but not without consequences.

Retailers soon will think that it's more trouble than it's worth to carry video games. All it would take is one careless cashier to cause the company legal problems. It doesn't take much imagination to see where the snowball will ed up from there.

meh... if i were a minor living in CA i'd probably be like omgwtfbbqpewpewikillyou. But looking at the community of WOW, I really don't think it's a bad idea. I mean i am talking to my 10 year old nephew that swears like a sailor.

Yes, i would agree that there are plenty of great games out there that might fall under the category you are describing. But i do not think it is the end of the world. If it stops a few kids from playing WOW then i'm all for that bill. And if kids really want a certain game, they can always get it from their parents or over the internet.

I am glad that games like WOW exist. They keep the attention of all the foulmouthed little turds and for the most part prevent them from going to any other games like FFXIV. but at the same time those games do get the best of kids and can turn them into ignorant lazy selfish punks. from what i saw there just 1 month ago, it is truly a disgusting sight.

You aren't looking at the larger picture.

It will stunt the growth of the industry in a way that's never been imposed on a form of media before.

Think of it, how many places sell cigarettes or alcohol now? Chances are you can't get a pack of cigarettes from anywhere but gas stations and liquor stores depending on where you live. This is for good reason, before it was heavily enforced you could get cigarettes and booze practically everwhere. There were vending machines for them even. Now that there is legal implications and heavy fines associated with the sale of these items to minors, most retailers just decide it's not worth it to carry the product, or if they do carry it, it's only available in a place that they can guard closely.

If this legislation passes, this is what will happen to video games. It will be the equivalent to buying pornography. Most retailers will drop video games altogether. In turn game publishers will shy away from publishing games that fall under the government restrictions, and will cause game developers to stop making games that fall under the government restrictions because they can't get them published.

We will live in a world where video gaming literally devolves.

I can't completely disagree with what you are saying but i do think it's a bit over the top.

90% of videogames today fall under the category of humans getting killed or whatever. Hell, even fable and battle chess fall under this category. But dare i say that none of the businesses you mentioned have dwindled. Cigarettes, alcohol and porn are as booming as ever and roll in the cashmoney on regular basis. Yes, the videogame industry might see a few numbers fall off the board, but it will in no way cripple them. It's like movie industry releasing a rated R movie or whatever. sure little kids can't go see it, but plenty of adults do.

Just look at age of conan. The game was released, if i remember correctly, with MA rating. No one under age of 18 could buy it. If the game was actually decent and playable at launch, i would guarantee you it would have made a lot of money. But as shitty as it was, it's still alive and making a comeback now.

It's not ILLEGAL for a child to see an R rated movie. So the risk is small to movie showing patrons. If it were illegal, you could bet your sweet ass quite a few movie theaters would drop R rated movies altogether.

hmmm i was under the impression that it actually was illegal to sell tickets to under-aged kids without adult supervision. I remember when i got carded to go see Blade 3... I was 20 something but i looked young. Lady wouldn't sell me a ticket until i gave her my driver's license.

It's an industry enforced mandate, but it is not illegal.

Much like...oh...I don't know...the ERSB?

the game rating will be treated like a movie rating that's all, the kid will need mom or dad to buy it for them.

Talos Dembski wrote:

the game rating will be treated like a movie rating that's all, the kid will need mom or dad to buy it for them.

Incorrect, if the legislation goes through it will be illegal to contribute to the delinquency of a minor.

like i said, i think that the bill is a bit excessive and i think it's wrong. it's basically stereotyping and saying all games are evil.

but on the other hand i will be first to sign the bill that prevents children under the age of 16 to play MMOs. I truly believe that if unleashed into an MMO or some other certain types of games, you are hurting the child. let them play lego starwars or tetris or mario party, that's fine. but games like MW2 MoH2 and so on will be dangerous for a young kid not only because of the content but because of all the deranged morons, psychos and idiots that populate them.

Kel Krius wrote:

like i said, i think that the bill is a bit excessive and i think it's wrong. it's basically stereotyping and saying all games are evil.

but on the other hand i will be first to sign the bill that prevents children under the age of 16 to play MMOs. I truly believe that if unleashed into an MMO or some other certain types of games, you are hurting the child. let them play lego starwars or tetris or mario party, that's fine. but games like MW2 MoH2 and so on will be dangerous for a young kid not only because of the content but because of all the deranged morons, psychos and idiots that populate them.

And this should be up to the parents to regulate, not the government.

too many parents fail or don't know the intricacies of what is going on in the game. unfortunately there are not enough parents that would spend the time to do the research on games their kids play.

I feel somewhat accomplished to have sparked this discussion. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your comments.

Shenhua Ling wrote:

Kel Krius wrote:

like i said, i think that the bill is a bit excessive and i think it's wrong. it's basically stereotyping and saying all games are evil.

but on the other hand i will be first to sign the bill that prevents children under the age of 16 to play MMOs. I truly believe that if unleashed into an MMO or some other certain types of games, you are hurting the child. let them play lego starwars or tetris or mario party, that's fine. but games like MW2 MoH2 and so on will be dangerous for a young kid not only because of the content but because of all the deranged morons, psychos and idiots that populate them.

And this should be up to the parents to regulate, not the government.

Amen, parents need to do there jobs not the government

Shenhua Ling wrote:

It's not ILLEGAL for a child to see an R rated movie. So the risk is small to movie showing patrons. If it were illegal, you could bet your sweet ass quite a few movie theaters would drop R rated movies altogether.

Actually it is illegal for a child under 17 to see an R Rated movie, unfortunately most parents don't care and it is not heavily enforced in the movie theaters. Most theaters also don't care as long as the parent or responsible adult is with the child.

To get around this whole stupid thing then stores have to do the same thing they do with R Rated Movies. Pay attention to the ESRB rating on the game and do not sell it to minors.

oooh behind the black curtain are all the naughty games.

Actually there are NC-17 movies which are illegal for under 17 and are not made to theatre because of it. Rated R movies only need supervision from someone 21 and up, without a 21yr supervisor you can still get in most of the time... you just risk getting a ticket if cops in your town are tough.

this bill isnt going to pass, its been found unconstitutional twice already in the lower courts, plus theres already some big guns lining up to support the gaming industry in this. The states Utah, Rhode Island, Oklahoma, Washington, Georgia, Arkansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, territory of Puerto Rico, have all filed to argue against the bill. to read more go here.

http://www.gamepolitics.com/2010/09/17/amicus-briefs-filed-california-violent-games-scotus-case
http://www.gamepolitics.com/2010/09/18/nine-states-support-video-game-industry-scotus-battle

Ahh... I love living in The People's Republic of California...

You would think a state as liberal as CA, I mean...we have a proposition on the November ballot to legalize pot for recreational use for crying out loud... would be the LAST state to enact this sort of legislation.

...then again we did ban gay marriage...

This bill will get killed in the courts, if it's not vetoed by the governor first. There's too much precedent for a court to ignore.

If by some snowball's in Hell it does not get shot down... fine... I'll buy my games online. Saves me the sales tax anyway.

theirs a problem with that corday, the govonator is the one who put this bill forward in the first place, i think its funny, a man know for his violent movies, is trying to attack violent video games, its also already been turned down in two of the lower courts, its facing the supreme court in oct

Shirigu Bateau wrote:

Shenhua Ling wrote:

It's not ILLEGAL for a child to see an R rated movie. So the risk is small to movie showing patrons. If it were illegal, you could bet your sweet ass quite a few movie theaters would drop R rated movies altogether.

Actually it is illegal for a child under 17 to see an R Rated movie, unfortunately most parents don't care and it is not heavily enforced in the movie theaters. Most theaters also don't care as long as the parent or responsible adult is with the child.

To get around this whole stupid thing then stores have to do the same thing they do with R Rated Movies. Pay attention to the ESRB rating on the game and do not sell it to minors.

Incorrect, it is not illegal for a minor to see an R Rated movie. The rating system is defined by the MPAA and is enforced by the industry, not the government.

What this legislation is proposing is that the government will replace the ERSB. The ERSB will no longer exist, instead it will enforce it's own rating system on video games. By it's own definition 95% of existing games will be unsuitable for minors, and if sold to minors the companies will face heavy fines and other legal trouble.

Corday Rynir wrote:

Ahh... I love living in The People's Republic of California...

You would think a state as liberal as CA, I mean...we have a proposition on the November ballot to legalize pot for recreational use for crying out loud... would be the LAST state to enact this sort of legislation.

...then again we did ban gay marriage...

This bill will get killed in the courts, if it's not vetoed by the governor first. There's too much precedent for a court to ignore.

If by some snowball's in Hell it does not get shot down... fine... I'll buy my games online. Saves me the sales tax anyway.

The governator is backing this bill and it's being heard by the Supreme Court in October.

This bill is going a lot further than people are giving it credit. It's not ok just to say, "Eh those nutballs will never get far with that" anymore. It's time to actually be heard.

go to gamepolitics.com if you want to follow the news about the bill