U.S. Government vs Video Games Part 97

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Full Article

 

The article is your standard "Some lawmakers want to ban violent video games because they cause kids to grow up and be murderers, blah blah blah.."

 

But this time the government is busting out a new trump card:

 

For some legislators, that's a call to arms. Some want the violence in some games declared obscene.

 

"You can carve out some exceptions to the First Amendment when it is determined that these things we are talking about — like pornography, like alcohol, like tobacco, and so on — have harmful effects to children," Leland Yee, a Democrat in the California Assembly.

 

The new dreaded O word..Obscenity...

 

Well I think this is obscene..excuse me while I go barf up my latenight snack...

[Lightning Flik 0]

WTF? Obscene?

 

Oh for the love of Final Fantasy, can these stupid lawmakers in the States just give it a rest on the "MUST BAN VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES" ride they decide to go on every now and then. Seriously, every single time they show up, it just gets worse a reason for them to do so.

[The Amazing Rando 0]

Nothing that makes that much money will ever be "banned". The Video Game Industry is a multi-BILLION dollar industry...same as pornography, alcohol, tobacco, and so forth. They aren't "banned". There are limits here and there of course, but they definitely are not OMG BANNED~

 

It will always be the same story and the video games will still be here at days end.

[AndrewTS 0]

I've yet to figure out why LIBERALS are always stooping to this bullcrap. Shouldn't they be the last ones?

 

Meh, I'm old enough to purchase them and most of the "mature" games suck anyway.

 

There is also the inescapable fact that the military uses video games to train its soldiers. A 2003 University of Rochester study found that young adults who played a lot of fast-paced video games showed better visual skills than those who did not.

 

So, anyone know what point this was trying to make?

 

Author Evan Wright ponders the effects of video games on U.S. soldiers in the current Iraq (news - web sites) war in his new book "Generation Kill." In an endorsement that "Grand Theft Auto" creator Rockstar Games would probably rather not get, he quotes one U.S. soldier as saying an ambush felt just like playing the game.

 

"It felt like I was living it when I seen the flames coming out of windows, the blown-up car in the street, guys crawling around shooting at us," the soldier says.

 

So in the last GTA game you could burn buildings and crawl around?

 

 

The next 12 months could see a flurry of new scrutiny of violent games because three controversial franchises are due to release sequels. They include "Doom," notorious as a favorite of the Columbine killers; "Mortal Kombat," with its calls for a player to "finish" opponents in myriad gruesome ways; and "Grand Theft Auto," which exhorted players in its latest iteration to start a Cuban-Haitian race war.

 

I'm more concerned about the complete lack of originality the game industry has fallen into.

 

Among games' most vocal critics is Jack Thompson, a Florida lawyer who has tried, so far without success, to argue for acquittal of defendants in violent crime cases in which he believed that games made them do it.

 

What...a...jackass.

 

Thompson is part of a $246 million case filed last year that accuses Rockstar Games, Sony Entertainment and other companies of causing two teenage stepbrothers to shoot and kill a motorist, and wound another, in Tennessee last year. The boys, who pleaded guilty to reckless homicide, reckless endangerment and aggravated assault, told authorities they were inspired by the "Grand Theft Auto" series; Thompson and another lawyer are suing on behalf of the victims.

 

Ahhh...I see his motivation.

 

New Zealand, Brazil, Germany and several other nations have outlawed some games.

 

Yeah, there's a ringing endorsement.

 

Oh for the love of Final Fantasy, can these stupid lawmakers in the States just give it a rest on the "MUST BAN VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES" ride they decide to go on every now and then

 

For the love of...? *stabs you in the face*

[The Amazing Rando 0]

That Tennessee case from last year is completely bogus. I said it here when it first hit the news, and i'll say it now...

 

My sister should sue MTV/Viacom for her bad taste in music making her buy shitty CDs...

 

and I should go on a killing spree and then blame it on depression because my lotto tickets never won, then go after the state lottery commission.

 

 

Just like this is a messageboard...people should realize that they are just games, and if they can't distinguish between game-world and real-world, they have no right to play them in the first place.

[AndrewTS 0]

Wait a minute...if they succeed, no more Doom, GTA, or MK?

 

Go filthy hypocritical Democrats!!

 

Find something to pin on Final Fantasy while you're at it.

[Scroby 0]

"Mortal Kombat," with its calls for a player to "finish" opponents in myriad gruesome ways

 

Yeah the Friendship finisher and the Baby finisher (which I forget it's actual name)

were two of the nastyest, gruesomest ways to finish off someone. I hate these people I really do.

[Lightning Flik 0]

Oh for the love of Final Fantasy, can these stupid lawmakers in the States just give it a rest on the "MUST BAN VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES" ride they decide to go on every now and then

 

For the love of...? *stabs you in the face*

First series I could think up at the time. Besides, more people love Final Fantasy, so I went with obvious choice #1

 

Find something to pin on Final Fantasy while you're at it.

Ok. Now that's just going to far. You have to admit that without Final Fantasy, RPGdom wouldn't be as big as it is.

[Hogan Made Wrestling 0]

Ok. Now that's just going to far. You have to admit that without Final Fantasy, RPGdom wouldn't be as big as it is.

Is that a bad thing? The video game world would be a far better place if FF7 had never been made.

[Guest Hero to all Children]

Wait, there would have been no D&D, no Shadowrun and no Mage: the Ascension if FF7 had never been made?

OH. WAIT. You mean Japanese console RPGs that, with a few noble exceptions (such as Tactics Ogre which is still not getting transelated muchly), have completely failed to score anything better than a mediocre on my personal ranking system? Okay. Works for me.

 

That's all I'll say on that subject as it's a tired, old discussion.

 

 

However: The main reason people are currently targeting the gaming industry is because they suck. The people, not the industry. Soccer moms and knee-jerk liberals are blaming the damnable influence of such evil games instead of themselves or the possiblity of humans being born rather remorseless.

The problem is that games are used to baby-sit kids. If the kid is busy with a game you don't have to care for it. And that's where the actual problem stems from: Kids aren't being taken care of these days.

 

The only way Joe Genero can stop the blaming of the gaming industry is if they step up to the pulpit and tell the world at large to stop pussy-fying like that, to take some god damned responsability.

[Use Your Illusion 0]

"Mortal Kombat," with its calls for a player to "finish" opponents in myriad gruesome ways

 

Yeah the Friendship finisher and the Baby finisher (which I forget it's actual name)

were two of the nastyest, gruesomest ways to finish off someone. I hate these people I really do.

You're an idiot.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Among games' most vocal critics is Jack Thompson, a Florida lawyer who has tried, so far without success, to argue for acquittal of defendants in violent crime cases in which he believed that games made them do it.

 

I heard this guy on a local talk radio show some time ago. He's a real douche who's only hoping for a big payday. I think I remember him saying that his gameplan is to also sue some big retailer that didn't require ID checks or something, too...

[Lightning Flik 0]

Wait, there would have been no D&D, no Shadowrun and no Mage: the Ascension if FF7 had never been made?

OH. WAIT. You mean Japanese console RPGs that, with a few noble exceptions (such as Tactics Ogre which is still not getting transelated muchly), have completely failed to score anything better than a mediocre on my personal ranking system? Okay. Works for me.

 

That's all I'll say on that subject as it's a tired, old discussion.

Actually, I should've specifically said Final Fantasy 7, since it is the game that actually got the RPGs looked at as a serious gaming genre (whereas before, we were lucky to receive more than 3 games a year). Not saying other series weren't pivotal, just meaning that it probably would've been a lot longer if we didn't have something to standout.

 

And your right, it is a tired old subject. So I'll just say this and drop it. Besides, we are supposed to be bitching about how the governments are absolute idiots who are trying to limit violent video games and will probably waste a lot of time in doing absolutely nothing about it.

[CheesalaIsGood 0]

Among games' most vocal critics is Jack Thompson, a Florida lawyer who has tried, so far without success, to argue for acquittal of defendants in violent crime cases in which he believed that games made them do it.

 

I heard this guy on a local talk radio show some time ago. He's a real douche who's only hoping for a big payday. I think I remember him saying that his gameplan is to also sue some big retailer that didn't require ID checks or something, too...

Wasn't Thompson also involved with the 2 Live Crew bust back a million years ago? His name rings a bell. He can eat my BUTT. There I said it. I hope he is properly dismissed and angry. He can blame Vice City for this outburst.

[Slayer 0]

Same old shit here.

 

Although, there's something to be said about.... about.... *gets hypnotized by Flik's sig*

 

...yeah

[AndrewTS 0]

Let me reiterate:

 

There is also the inescapable fact that the military uses video games to train its soldiers. A 2003 University of Rochester study found that young adults who played a lot of fast-paced video games showed better visual skills than those who did not.

 

Wow, people who play video games regularly get better at them? GET OUT!!!

 

Anyway, this is just something to make people think Congress is actually doing something. The "targeted" companies aren't in any real danger or facing any major problem. They'll just have to fend off lawsuits from dozens of idiots and ambulance chasers.

 

Think about it--the net result of all their efforts amounts to places like Wal-Mart not carrying "mature" games. They didn't even really bring about the ratings system because before the ESRB was established Sega already had been self-regulating, and Nintendo slapped a rating on MKII for their systems.

 

The only ones to really get ticked off about it would be young people who can't vote. It's kind of safe for these guys to go after this "problem" since teenagers under 18 aren't their constituents.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Wasn't Thompson also involved with the 2 Live Crew bust back a million years ago?

It appears so.

 

Long-ass article, haven't read it outside the following sentence and I haven't heard of this source before, but it was mentioned here...

 

Thompson has also kept himself busy by hounding 2Live Crew frontman Luther Campbell or anything else that might get his name in the papers or on talk radio.