Vice President wants to ban "violent video games" to decrease school shootings

[Armos]

What do you guys think of this topic? I've just saw on the news that video games were being critizizing really badly about another school shooting and the media and the vice president wants to get the gaming industires involved and ban violant video games and games in general. Games such as F.E.A.R., COD, Assassins Creed, Starcraft, etc. What do you guys think of the subject? Will it get approved? I'm a ltitle pissed that games are gettiing the blame again for school shootings. And how would the gaming industries get involved with the school shootings? I don't see a point. Why would the vice president want to take action about video games and cause a riot for gamers because they think video games are brainwashing gamers to go on school rampage shootings? Please share your thoughts about this subject. Can this get approved or not? What are the legal rights? Would it be fair for other gamers? Will they arrest us for having video games? Thanks.

[Arceny]

What do you guys think of this topic? I've just saw on the news that video games were being critizizing really badly about another school shooting and the media and the vice president wants to get the gaming industires involved and ban violant video games and games in general. Games such as F.E.A.R., COD, Assassins Creed, Starcraft, etc. What do you guys think of the subject? Will it get approved? I'm a ltitle pissed that games are gettiing the blame again for school shootings. And how would the gaming industries get involved with the school shootings? I don't see a point. Why would the vice president want to take action about video games and cause a riot for gamers because they think video games are brainwashing gamers to go on school rampage shootings? Please share your thoughts about this subject. Can this get approved or not? What are the legal rights? Would it be fair for other gamers? Will they arrest us for having video games? Thanks.

 

Off topic: You spelled "violent" wrong

 

On topic: I think it would be against people's rights. You have hate groups- why can't you have violent video games (although I don't really play much of those...)

[Secant]

The vice president is merely one head of a collective group of parents who are too stupid to realize that game companies put an 'M' rating on their games for a reason, yet we see 8-year-olds playing ridiculously violent games all the time. Instead of banning something outright (and thereby violating the first amendment to the US Constitution), maybe parents could, oh, I don't know, actually do their job and monitor what their kids are up to so they aren't being prematurely exposed to stuff like that?

 

 

lolno, that would involve people in the United States taking responsibility for their actions.

 

[Jotokun]

Nothing will change. The fact is, those games sell and sane logic and research demonstrate NO link between them and violent crimes. The Supreme Court has also ruled video games as protected under the 1st amendment thanks to that Californian case a while back. Worst case scenario, we wait for the next big tragedy that the news will blow out of proportion, and the blame will shift from video games to global warming or North Korea or whatever the easiest scapegoat will be.

[Armos]

The vice president is merely one head of a collective group of parents who are too stupid to realize that game companies put an 'M' rating on their games for a reason, yet we see 8-year-olds playing ridiculously violent games all the time. Instead of banning something outright (and thereby violating the first amendment to the US Constitution), maybe parents could, oh, I don't know, actually do their job and monitor what their kids are up to so they aren't being prematurely exposed to stuff like that?

 

 

lolno, that would involve people in the United States taking responsibility for their actions.

 

 

I completely agree with you there, I was thinking the same thing. We go to gaming stores that sells games like Gamestop, etc. And they make us show proof of idifecation, State ID, etc. To show how old you are. And if your old enough to buy rated M games, etc. Instead if kids want to buy the game thats rated M or Adult and parents don't bother reading the label ratings, they go a head and buy it for them with out looking up information about the game. Most parents are stupid these days. Overly protected soccer parents. It annoys me when parents make a purchases at a game they buy for their child. And they see their child playing a gory game like Silent Hill or Resident Evil and start complaining. Stuff like this is what gets people involved in stupid situations like this. People never read the ESRB rating system. If they looked at this, then all of the game blame situations will probably cool down. Come on parents, we have a ESRB system, why wont you look at the games rating before you buy it so you wont start bitching later on. People need to look before they buy. That's what my grandma taught me.

 

Off topic: You spelled "violent" wrong

Haha I didn't notice, thanks for pointing that out. lol

[xdaniel]

Feeling reminded of two kids on the bus a few days ago; they looked not a day older than 12 or 13, yet were talking about Assasin's Creed Revelations, which is USK 16 (ages 16 and up)... Then again, some stores don't take age verification all that seriously over here anyway, so who knows if they bought it themselves or if their parents bought it for them.

[Armos]

Feeling reminded of two kids on the bus a few days ago; they looked not a day older than 12 or 13, yet were talking about Assasin's Creed Revelations, which is USK 16 (ages 16 and up)... Then again, some stores don't take age verification all that seriously over here anyway, so who knows if they bought it themselves or if their parents bought it for them.

 

 

Haven't seen you in awhile. Anyways, Yea it's pretty insane on how the kids get the games, they either lie about their age. Or they let their parents buy it for them.

[Jotokun]

Haven't seen you in awhile. Anyways, Yea it's pretty insane on how the kids get the games, they either lie about their age. Or they let their parents buy it for them.

 

Something to keep in mind, if a kid wants a violent game desperately enough, they can get it. My parents were pretty strict about me playing M rated games, and I remember when I was younger (very early teens) I really wanted to try out Grand Theft Auto. My solution? I pirated a copy... it was either III or Vice City, dont remember which. Anyone with an internet connection and a decent PC would be able to do it. In my case, I found the game kinda boring and didn't keep it for more than a few days... but the point is, while the parents have some say ultimately the best thing they can do is try to teach the difference between reality and fantasy. Because kids can turn to piracy, they can borrow from friends, they can get a points card to a digital distribution service and get a copy digitally... plenty of ways to circumvent parental watch.

 

But yes, the majority of these cases are idiot parents.

[Arceny]

Something to keep in mind, if a kid wants a violent game desperately enough, they can get it. My parents were pretty strict about me playing M rated games, and I remember when I was younger (very early teens) I really wanted to try out Grand Theft Auto. My solution? I pirated a copy... it was either III or Vice City, dont remember which. Anyone with an internet connection and a decent PC would be able to do it. In my case, I found the game kinda boring and didn't keep it for more than a few days... but the point is, while the parents have some say ultimately the best thing they can do is try to teach the difference between reality and fantasy. Because kids can turn to piracy, they can borrow from friends, they can get a points card to a digital distribution service and get a copy digitally... plenty of ways to circumvent parental watch.

 

But yes, the majority of these cases are idiot parents.

 

I remember I couldn't play Shadow the Hedgehog till I was 10; got it for my tenth birthday...

[Conker]

Off topic: You spelled "violent" wrong

 

I notice you've corrected others' typos a few times here on the GCN.

I have a nice Cracked article I can link to you that explains why people shouldn't do that so much, if you like.

(I still think you're cool, no worries)

 

lolno, that would involve people in the United States taking responsibility for their actions.

 

Playing one of the very common and stereotypical (also untrue) cards against the USA again, I see.

Trust me, plenty of people take responsibility for their actions here, Naxy, and to say otherwise is just dumb. (no rudeness intended)

Just because there's a lot of idiots here who can't take responsibility for their actions, it doesn't mean every single

one of use are like those morons; think logically instead of blindly insulting an entire country.

---

Anyways, my opinion on this whole thing:

Try, try if you must; you aren't getting anywhere at all. Videogames of all types are here to stay with us for a VERY long time to come.

[TheGamerGal]

No one is gonna ban games. It will start up 2 much crap.

[HellspawnOfHalo]

Playing one of the very common and stereotypical (also untrue) cards against the USA again, I see.

Trust me, plenty of people take responsibility for their actions here, Naxy, and to say otherwise is just dumb.

 

Sadly, you're wrong. I've seen it happen time and time again, parents buy their kids a game without even realizing/recognizing the ESRB rating. However, you are right, there are indeed many times when parents will actually take the time to do their damn job and properly raise their child. Here's an example. When I was VERY young, about 4-6 years old, my dad let me play games like Doom 64, Unreal, and let me watch him play RE and RE2, which even as I look back, wasn't the worst decision he's made, mainly since he always defined the very fine line between fiction and reality. A couple years after my parents split and I was living with just my mom, my mom said I wasn't allowed to play any M rated games. Then when I was 11, she saw I was mature enough to play M-rated games and let me play them again. The only game I wasn't allowed to play, under my dad or mom's rules, was the GTA series.

 

At this point I'm rambling. My point is, there are SOME responsible parents, but there are plenty of irresponsible parents that stick their kid in front of a TV with CoD and say "play this, I don't wanna deal with you today." Then that kid grows up as a sociopath and bam, radical left OR right wing parents retaliate and scapegoat video-games again.

 

Haven't seen you in awhile. Anyways, Yea it's pretty insane on how the kids get the games, they either lie about their age. Or they let their parents buy it for them.

 

As Jotokun said, a kid can pirate a game they want without their parents' knowledge or consent, but another way, if the kid is sly/clever enough, is to order it online. There's no way for them to do an age check outside of "When were you born?" before they ask for the address.

 

 

Another random point, unrelated to either post I was responding to, Video-games will never be banned for 2 reasons. 1, it's considered art, so that violates the 1st amendment if they ban it. 2, it's the same reason they don't ban porn, it's a vice, and it sells. In the words of JonTron while playing Mario Party in the cliche Russian persona Malkovich's voice, "I tell you once, I tell you twice, giant spider good for economy!" While this is out of context, I feel it fits what I mean, even if it's humorous in nature.

 

**EDIT** Blinx was right, I missed his point, he wasn't saying it doesn't happen, he was saying it about blindly insulting an entire country, though I don't see it as entirely wrong, we've become the laughing stock of the world. Personally, I want to change that.

[Conker]

Sadly, you're wrong. I've seen it happen time and time again, parents buy their kids a game without even realizing/recognizing the ESRB rating. However, you are right, there are indeed many times when parents will actually take the time to do their damn job and properly raise their child. Here's an example. When I was VERY young, about 4-6 years old, my dad let me play games like Doom 64, Unreal, and let me watch him play RE and RE2, which even as I look back, wasn't the worst decision he's made, mainly since he always defined the very fine line between fiction and reality. A couple years after my parents split and I was living with just my mom, my mom said I wasn't allowed to play any M rated games. Then when I was 11, she saw I was mature enough to play M-rated games and let me play them again. The only game I wasn't allowed to play, under my dad or mom's rules, was the GTA series.

 

At this point I'm rambling. My point is, there are SOME responsible parents, but there are plenty of irresponsible parents that stick their kid in front of a TV with CoD and say "play this, I don't wanna deal with you today." Then that kid grows up as a sociopath and bam, radical left OR right wing parents retaliate and scapegoat video-games again.

 

Hey, want to read my post one more time? Also read what I was replying to? Because, boy-oh-boy, you've missed my point by a long shot.

[Arceny]

I notice you've corrected others' typos a few times here on the GCN.

I have a nice Cracked article I can link to you that explains why people shouldn't do that so much, if you like.

(I still think you're cool, no worries)

 

Sorry, ol' habit. I write, so I'm always getting annoyed by punctuation errors and such... (maybe I should be an admin- more like, grammar nazi... )

[Xylaphone]

can you site a source? I just read on the huffington post that he is meeting with representitives from the industry, and it also brought up that other media groups are meeting with him and never mentioned banning games. many other articles said the same thing.

[Gump]

When will people learn that banning guns nor violent video games will not solve our country's problem? The problem isn't the gun used or the video game played, it's the mental health of the individual who commits the act.

 

What's in common with the Arizona Shooter, the Aurora Shooter, and the Sandy Hook Shooter? Mental illness. It doesn't matter if it's a semi-auto assault rifle or a little handgun, can kill many people. But so can knives, so can cars. It doesn't change literally anything by banning guns, as there will be a black market for guns whether it be from Mexican drug cartels or the "right" people. As one of the many, many responsible gun owners of America, us losing our guns will not change a person's will to kill. Not to mention, it prevents citizens from being able to protect themselves. And don't say it doesn't happen, because it does. I know from a personal account it does. What we need to do is provide mental illness awareness.

 

I call whoever says video games are the reason to explain why. Millions upon millions of games have been sold. In comparison to massing shootings in the US since 1982, there have only been around 60. Is that number something to be proud of? Of course not, but its obvious that video games aren't the reason. In fact, if I recall correctly, the only mass shooting that has even been remotely linked to video games is Columbine, which happened most likely due to the shooters being bullied.

 

I've seen my fair share of kids playing M-rated games. As a teacher, one of my 9-year-old students was talking about Far Cry 3 to another student. Now, listen. Far. Cry. 3. In no world should a 9 year old be playing a game like Far Cry 3. My parents were extremely strict about me playing M-rated games. The only teen games I was able to play before I was 13 was Star Wars games. I could watch other people play, but I wasn't allowed to play except in very few cases where my parents were in the room with me. And even then, it was games like Goldeneye, nothing like Far Cry 3. I got to play M-rated games before I was 17 due to proving I was more mature than kids my age. Of course, it was nothing more than games like Left 4 Dead, where I was shooting zombies rather than regular human beings.

 

Just my two cents, I guess. I feel very strongly about my liberties as a citizen, which include the right to own firearms and freedom of speech, which applies to video games.

 

EDIT:

I just found a really good picture on the Libertarian Party page on Facebook.

 

[Oowoon]

lolno, that would involve people in the United States taking responsibility for their actions.

 

I wish people would stop using that stereotype, not all of us are irresponsible pigs like the rest of the international community say we are. No country is absolutely perfect, every one of them screw up (some a lot more than others). However, to generalize that all of us don't take responsibility for our actions is just ignorant.

[LEepicPOULET]

If the government bans violent videogames, they might as well ban parenting. If the parents decide to buy a violent videogame for their eight year old son, and the kid ends up being a mass murderer about it, it's the parents fault that the kid got that crazy. I admit to being un-informed about the school shooting other then a few articles and the news channel, but does this case have anything to do with videogames? If it dosen't, then this whole "blame" thing is stupid, end of story.

[Secant]

I wish people would stop using that stereotype, not all of us are irresponsible pigs like the rest of the international community say we are. No country is absolutely perfect, every one of them screw up (some a lot more than others). However, to generalize that all of us don't take responsibility for our actions is just ignorant.

 

Then allow me to clarify, then, that that comment was intended as jest, and when speaking about the political shortcomings of the USA, I tend to adopt a decidedly sarcastic tone because I have become very jaded with how much regression this country has seen over the past several years. No, I do not honestly believe every citizen of the USA is a fat, lazy couch potato incapable of coherent thought; considering the fact that I have US citizenship and do not fit in this category, that would already destroy any credibility of my above statement.

 

With that said, this sudden outcry against "violent video games," as it were, serves as a stark highlight to the grounds from which such generalizations form. As To Coool mentioned, video games have little to no influence in turning someone into a criminal; far more relevant are the person's mental health and upbringing (or lack thereof, as the case may be). What bothers me so much is how people immediately jump to conclusions to find a suitable scapegoat when it's something they barely even understand or have experience with. Perhaps even more troublesome is how many people hop on the band wagon and gladly trumpet their cries of protest to the heavens, decrying video games as the source of all evil. And even more troublesome is that this movement isn't simply laughed at and brushed aside; it gains momentum as an actual possible movement. My blame for that rests in people who have good intentions and understand what it takes to move the USA forward but don't care enough to expend the effort required to do so. For example, how many people are aware of Obama's reinstating of the NDAA? In fact, who even knows what the NDAA is? (If you can't answer either question, see here and here.) Given how much of a gross violation this policy is of people's basic rights--I should add, rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the USA--I fail to see how this was allowed to be passed and wasn't made out to be the egregious transgression that it is.

 

Anyway, that rambling aside, my apologies if I offended anyone with that comment, it was not meant to be taken seriously. I just get very annoyed with stupid people, and I love being a cynical bastard every now and then.

[Blaze_Uchiha420]

I don't think games are the problem. The media just blames games but I guarantee these dumbasses that do school shootings just had a shitty life and destroy everyone else's. Video games don't kill people or even promote violence against other people, people who have mental issues or are on drugs do this shit.

[Armos]

I may have had a shitty child hood my self. But that doesn't mean I'm going to go and start going on rampage shooting kids at school who don't deserve it. Kids can be bullies in school, that's what turns people into psychopaths, their depression from being bullied needs to be treated immediently before something like this happens. I think the majority of school shootings is people who do them have shitty parents who don't give a fuck about their child and they get bullied in school. Bullying is a subject that needs to get involved in. I've been bullied all the time during my school life and I didn't turn out to have mental illness. And there are cases where people are addicted to drugs causing them to have mental illness. I may be wrong, but its either being bullied since childhood that turns people into a psychopath or being bullied in general. Or being a drug addict.

[That 1001th Person]

I think they shouldn't. The problem wasn't the games, it was the guns. If anything, ban all guns from the U.S. unless it's military reasons.

Also, the reason kids play these games is the parents, they're bad. Sure, I've played violent games without my parents knowing, but I'm very mature for my age (well, as many people have said) and I'm not a complete idiot as kids are today.

[Blaze_Uchiha420]

I think they shouldn't. The problem wasn't the games, it was the guns. If anything, ban all guns from the U.S. unless it's military reasons.

Also, the reason kids play these games is the parents, they're bad. Sure, I've played violent games without my parents knowing, but I'm very mature for my age (well, as many people have said) and I'm not a complete idiot as kids are today.

 

That would be a violation of our second amendment right the freedom to bear arms. Guns don't kill people, people kill people. The people behind these shootings had their choice to do what they did. Games and guns don't have minds of their own.

[Conker]

Guns don't kill people, people kill people.

 

No, you're wrong:

Guns don't kill people, bullets do.

 

 

 

 

:V

[Arceny]

No, you're wrong:

Guns don't kill people, bullets do.

 

 

 

 

:V

 

I'm gonna sue you Blinx cause you nearly made me gag on my grape juice! >8V

 

lol