House of Reps. eyeing warning labels for video games

[Riggswolfe]

I didn't see this posted elsewhere so thought I'd share it. I debated putting this in politics but I doubt there will be much argument over this one.

http://ds.ign.com/articles/114/1146315p1.html

"The video game industry has a responsibility to parents, families, and to consumers – to inform them of the potentially damaging content that is often found in their products," said Rep. Baca.

So, basically the same old stuff once again. I doubt it'll pass and if it did I'd expect to see some kind of lawsuit over it since, to my knowledge, there has never been any valid study that made a link between games and violence.

[Ironwood]

Oh, I dunno - They really proved that link to Dungeons and Dragons.  I mean, Vin Diesel plays it and I've seen him on the TV killing TONS of people...

[Khaldun]

It's good thing we're in an era of peace and prosperity where our rulers don't need to deal with important issues.

[Oban]

Wouldn't this be a positive thing for the gaming industry? 

I thought that music labeled as explicit had higher sales than titles without the sticker/warning (except at Walmart of course).

[Malakili]

What about the current rating system?  How would this be more useful than that?

[NiX]

What about the current rating system?  How would this be more useful than that?

It wouldn't. Parents need to start taking an interest in their kids habits if they're concerned and stop trying to offload it onto some arbitrary rating system.

[01101010]

What about the current rating system?  How would this be more useful than that?

Pretty sure the gov't wants control in the regulation rather than the way it is now through the ESRB.  

[Lantyssa]

Which will fail for the same reasons the other ratings systems aren't controlled by the government.

I agree with having a ratings system.  The government should have no part in it.

[NiX]

The rating system is fine and in some cases it's over the top in how they define things as violent or drug use. Heck, LOTRO has drug use because of Pipeweed.

From my time at EB I learned that there are parents who care and parents who are looking for a babysitter. The worst was a mother who bought her son, who couldn't have been older than 10, GTA San Andreas despite us pointing out the rating and reading off every note on the ESRB label. Just for fun, here's that list: Blood and gore, intense violence, strong language, strong sexual content, use of drugs.

[Malakili]

The rating system is fine and in some cases it's over the top in how they define things as violent or drug use. Heck, LOTRO has drug use because of Pipeweed.

From my time at EB I learned that there are parents who care and parents who are looking for a babysitter. The worst was a mother who bought her son, who couldn't have been older than 10, GTA San Andreas despite us pointing out the rating and reading off every note on the ESRB label. Just for fun, here's that list: Blood and gore, intense violence, strong language, strong sexual content, use of drugs.

I can't remember what I was playing when I was 10, but I think it probably had mario in it, and there is definitely heavy mushroom usage in that game. 

That being said, I learned early on the difference between fiction and reality, I can't say that it ever occurred to me to actually do in real life things that I did in video games.  If that is a big issue, I can't help but feel people need a better grounding in reality more than they need a new rating system for video games.

[Oban]

Did you have an issue with her purchasing GTA because of the gore, intense violence, strong language, strong sexual content, or because of the depiction of drug use?

[Slyfeind]

Oh, I dunno - They really proved that link to Dungeons and Dragons.  I mean, Vin Diesel plays it and I've seen him on the TV killing TONS of people...

Bwahahaha. Win++ :D

[NiX]

Did you have an issue with her purchasing GTA because of the gore, intense violence, strong language, strong sexual content, or because of the depiction of drug use?

I took issue with her not flinching at the fact that she found none of that inappropriate for a kid under the age of 10.

I share the same point of view as Malakili.

[Ingmar]

Oh, I dunno - They really proved that link to Dungeons and Dragons.  I mean, Vin Diesel plays it and I've seen him on the TV killing TONS of people...

Um, yeah, about that...

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/01/26/dungeons-dragons-threatens-prison-security-court-rules/

TLDR version: because it is a "cooperative game" it might help gangs form. 

[kildorn]

I will only support that if you have to keep an updated character sheet with your inventory clearly labeled to be in the grou^H^H^H^Hgang

[UnSub]

Oh, I dunno - They really proved that link to Dungeons and Dragons.  I mean, Vin Diesel plays it and I've seen him on the TV killing TONS of people...

Um, yeah, about that...

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/01/26/dungeons-dragons-threatens-prison-security-court-rules/

TLDR version: because it is a "cooperative game" it might help gangs form. 

Rogue D&D groups prowl the streets, holding up passers-by for loot drops under the threat of a severe dice-bag beating.

[Lantyssa]

"On a roll of 15-20 I'm going to beat you up.  On a roll of 1 I'm going to let you hit me."

[Muffled]

"On a roll of 15-20 I'm going to beat you up.  On a roll of 1 I'm going to let you hit me hit myself."

[Lakov_Sanite]

I read this thread title as "house of rapes"

[Strazos]

Did you have an issue with her purchasing GTA because of the gore, intense violence, strong language, strong sexual content, or because of the depiction of drug use?

I took issue with her not flinching at the fact that she found none of that inappropriate for a kid under the age of 10.

I share the same point of view as Malakili.

I'm sure we have similar EBstop experiences. I played MK when it came out. Mom was entirely aware of the rating, saw the blood, and chuckled.

The issue for me is that now there is tons more "mature" content in games that are a lot more realistic. I've actually had a few parents change their minds after I pointed an M rating out to them. I've had others ask me for my opinion on if they should buy the game for the kid, for which my response was roughly, "I'm not a parent, and it's not my kid we're talking about, so I'm in no position to decide." Different kids are going to vary in maturity and what they can handle.

But again, it really comes down to parents needing to be involved, mentally, in the purchases for their children. Relying on the government to handle it, in this case, is completely retarded - a one size fits all solution is simply not appropriate here. Also, the current ratings work fine, as long as parents pay attention, and retailers actually enforce the damn ratings by not selling M-rated games to children without consent. More than one parent had to come into my store in a huff because I wouldn't simply sell the new hotness M game to a 12 year old kid while they waited in the car.

[ghost]

Don't they already put warning labels on video games?

[Merusk]

What about the current rating system?  How would this be more useful than that?

Pretty sure the gov'tCongressman wants [government] control in the regulation rather than the way it is now through the ESRB.   

[Pennilenko]

Parents don't give a shit what they buy for their kids anymore. My good friend is a manager of a gamestop, frequently I am in there while he is trying to explain to parents why Grand theft auto is bad for their 6 year old. I've seen more than my fair share of parents not even giving a shit and buying games like that for their very young kids.

This one lady was the worst though, her son was seven, and my friend was like, "In this game you can pick up a hooker, pay her, then kill her to get your money back." This lady was completely fine with that and got the game for him anyways.

[Krakrok]

"In this game you can pick up a hooker, pay her, then kill her to get your money back."

I wonder how receptive RockStar would be to a flash game when you buy a game (say GTA), pay for it, and then kill a game developer to get your money back. Money hats? 

[01101010]

Parents don't give a shit what they buy for their kids anymore. My good friend is a manager of a gamestop, frequently I am in there while he is trying to explain to parents why Grand theft auto is bad for their 6 year old. I've seen more than my fair share of parents not even giving a shit and buying games like that for their very young kids.

This one lady was the worst though, her son was seven, and my friend was like, "In this game you can pick up a hooker, pay her, then kill her to get your money back." This lady was completely fine with that and got the game for him anyways.

I think this mentality persists in parents who view games as nothing more than interactive cartoons with no basis in reality. They are entertainment used to pacify kids to give parents a break. I'd venture to say they do not see any connection between the themes in the games and real life. Some do obviously, but parents like the ones you mention really don't.

[UnSub]

"In this game you can pick up a hooker, pay her, then kill her to get your money back."

I wonder how receptive RockStar would be to a flash game when you buy a game (say GTA), pay for it, and then kill a game developer to get your money back. Money hats? 

Could I pirate the game in the game, but still kill the game developer and take his money?

[Malakili]

Parents don't give a shit what they buy for their kids anymore. My good friend is a manager of a gamestop, frequently I am in there while he is trying to explain to parents why Grand theft auto is bad for their 6 year old. I've seen more than my fair share of parents not even giving a shit and buying games like that for their very young kids.

This one lady was the worst though, her son was seven, and my friend was like, "In this game you can pick up a hooker, pay her, then kill her to get your money back." This lady was completely fine with that and got the game for him anyways.

I think this mentality persists in parents who view games as nothing more than interactive cartoons with no basis in reality. They are entertainment used to pacify kids to give parents a break. I'd venture to say they do not see any connection between the themes in the games and real life. Some do obviously, but parents like the ones you mention really don't.

Funny thing is, I never really wanted violent games as a kid.  I wouldn't have been able to understand what was going on in something like GTA at age 7, let alone had the dexterity to use the controller for a complicated game like that (though I do understand little kids pick that stuff up quick, so maybe I would've if I had the chance).  I was playing like...Tecmo Bowl and Mario Bros.

That being said I didn't play very many games as a young kid to begin with, I didn't have the patience to sit in front of a TV, I was always on the move - playing outside and such.

[Krakrok]

Could I pirate the game in the game, but still kill the game developer and take his money?

I'm thinking that for the hacker class in the game you could pirate the game and then report yourself to the 1-800 anti piracy hot line. When the game developer comes to investigate the crime you could kill them, take their money, and go pay for a hooker with it.