have video games gone too far ?

Video games and violence

 

Joseph Adam Sujka |

Posted October 22, 2005

 

 

Ever feel like you are going in circles?

 

The relationship between video games and teen violence seems to come up every once in a while and spout the same ideas about teens and how violent we are. Another cookie-cutter article appeared Sept. 18, not purporting answers but just stirring the pot.

 

That is not what this is about, though. This is about video games and violence. The bottom line, no matter how you look at it, is that parents need to monitor what their kids are buying and doing.

 

Video games have labels telling what the content of the game is. There is even another label on the back telling what things are in the game that garnered it that rating. Things on the back include, "cartoon violence, mild language, sexual situations."

 

There are tools out there to make it so that parents can parent, but most would rather blame the video-game companies rather than their lack of interest in what their kids do.

 

This circular reasoning by adults in this country has gone too far. In the past, for instance, if a child was playing king of the mountain on a pile of gravel and he or she fell and got hurt, the parents would reprimand the child for not being safe.

 

Today, the parents would sue the owner of the pile for damages and hospital bills for their children. This is the same situation in regards to video-game companies. Rather than monitoring what their children do, parents would rather blame video games and their content and not take responsibility for their actions.

 

It does not matter if video games cause violence in children because even if they do, the result will still be the same. Parents will have to monitor what they buy or let their children buy and video-game stores will have to be very stringent on what games they sell to what people.

 

The whole argument is at its core an excuse for parents to not be parents, and the responsibility needs to lie squarely on the shoulders of parents rather than video-game companies.

Indeed, Could a parent sue Paramount Pictures if their 6 year old watch a R rated movie? I think not.

It all comes down to parental responsibility. If you don't like it, STOP BUYING IT FOR YOUR KIDS!! I know most places are pretty strict about carding for M games. Or, better yet...take away the PS2 and make your lard ass spawn go outside and play some football! Parents rely too much on technology to raise their children for them. Whatever happened to playing with your kids outside, taking day trips with the family? Get out, get some fresh air, and get to know your kids.

Or better yet, WHY HAVE KIDS AT ALL!?!

I've been playing Madden 2006...

 

Now if kids played games like this, maybe they'd go out and make billion dollar contracts.

Or better yet, WHY HAVE KIDS AT ALL!?

 

The human race will become extinct

 

I've been playing Madden 2006...

 

Now if kids played games like this, maybe they'd go out and make billion dollar contracts.

 

Sort of like how Mario will make you become a plumber, PAC-MAN will make you running around eating shit, Donkey Kong will make you throw barrels at people, etc

 

It all comes down to parental responsibility. If you don't like it, STOP BUYING IT FOR YOUR KIDS!! I know most places are pretty strict about carding for M games. Or, better yet...take away the PS2 and make your lard ass spawn go outside and play some football! Parents rely too much on technology to raise their children for them. Whatever happened to playing with your kids outside, taking day trips with the family? Get out, get some fresh air, and get to know your kids.

 

Good stuff....to a point.

 

Parents need to understand the concept of "children's entertainment" and "adult entertainment". They are referred to these for a reason. And as for kids getting away from technology....This is the electronic age. Times are changing and gone are the days of let's pretend, backyard clubhouses, toys, and non-electronic games.

I'm just taking a break from "Grand Theft Auto/San Andreas"

 

I love that game

The human race will become extinct

 

 

 

Sort of like how Mario will make you become a plumber, PAC-MAN will make you running around eating shit, Donkey Kong will make you throw barrels at people, etc

 

 

 

Good stuff....to a point.

 

Parents need to understand the concept of "children's entertainment" and "adult entertainment". They are referred to these for a reason. And as for kids getting away from technology....This is the electronic age. Times are changing and gone are the days of let's pretend, backyard clubhouses, toys, and non-electronic games.

 

It doesn't mean that their ONLY source of entertainment should be from electronics. Especially when children are younger. There is no reason that a 3 year old should be sitting in front of a TV for 3 hours (or more) a day. At that age, they SHOULD be outside most of the time. I know you can't completely avoid TV, videogames, etc, but it's up to the parents to step in and take some control, and responsibility, for their actions.

I'll be damned if my daughter is going to be a lazy, obese drone who sits in front of a TV in all her spare time while developing diabetes by the age of 6. There is NO reason for it. It is inexcusable. It's simply lazy parenting. If you want to be lazy then please just don't reproduce.

And those times aren't quite gone, KVH. I see some great parents who still encourage their children to play outside, use their imagination...And these children are in better health (mentally and physically) have better attention spans, are more respectful, than their electronic age counterparts. It's simply a matter of balance.

It all comes down to parental responsibility. If you don't like it, STOP BUYING IT FOR YOUR KIDS!! I know most places are pretty strict about carding for M games. Or, better yet...take away the PS2 and make your lard ass spawn go outside and play some football! Parents rely too much on technology to raise their children for them. Whatever happened to playing with your kids outside, taking day trips with the family? Get out, get some fresh air, and get to know your kids.

 

What she said.^^^^^^^^

The whole arguement that video games can cause the mind of a child to be desensitized to violence is flawed beyond reason. It's really no different then the same being said of the movie/music industry. All forms of media are subject to attack by the moral majority. Anything deemed moraly objectionable is attacked with this thinly vailed excuse. "what about the children", they say about fucking anything at all that goes against the moral code that is impossed upon us. Drugs, guns, sex, and all forms of media--including the internet. I say if you cant control what possesions your child owns then YOU have failed society, not the producers of the material.

 

As far as video game producers and their responsiblity. If they used overtly deceptive methods to get children to buy their game then I would see why they would bear the blame. Say for instance if they made a game called 'Happy Teddy Bears picnic fun parade' and on the cover was a happy group of teddy bears holding cotten candy and ballons. Then when your child pops the game in and it turns out to be a game about teddy bears raping and murdering inocent children in their sleep, well then ya, thats not cool at all and the game manufacturers should be sued to mammoth perportions.