Do you live in the San Francisco area? Do you care about videogames? Then I know what you should be doing tonight. In a few hours, a panel of experts will be debating the constitutionality of banning violent and "pornographic" videogames. The debate should be interesting and enlightening, regardless of what side of the argument you're on.
Senator Leland Yee was supposed to be there, but was swapped out at the last minute for James Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media. That's a shame, as Yee is one of the most passionate and most potentially damaging anti-gaming public figures in politics today. The good news is that Cheryl K. Olsen, of Grand Theft Childhood fame (and inspiration for this episode of Constructoid), will be in attendance. She won't be speaking, but she will be around before and after the show for in-person discussion with other attendees. If you're interested in the effects that videogames have on children and young adults, she's someone you should be paying attention to.
Jonathan Holmes is the most lovable Associate Editor on Destructoid. Catch him on videos, original editorials, and on back episodes of the Destructoid Show and MTV's Road Rules. Jonathan is a retro gamer's gamer.
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Mega Man 2, Resident Evil, Katamari Damacy, Bit.Trip, Metal Slug 3
Meet the rest of the team
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Contest:
5:40 PM on 03.17.2011 | 
What are the effects of parenting on children.
Then again there are truly experts out there so you never know.
Agreed.
I wish I could be there to at least argue for the case of Violent games. I could care less if "pron" games were banned, since it paints women as objects, and there's enough media outlets for it already(books, movies, etc.). Plus, people can have sex in real life, they shouldn't have to turn to video games for it.
Anyway, games are not to blame and anyone to think otherwise has a problem. Parents need to quit being lazy and man up. Take responsibility for their kids and make other parents aware of the faults they have for shit happening behind their back. The only reason I played games my parents wouldn't have let me play was because my friends parents didn't know and they had Mortal Kombat on SNES for their kids to play.
There are cases like this everywhere(some vary in scope and magnitude), and the only ones to blame are the parents. Game developers don't make these games with kids in minds, they make them for consenting adults. People who can USUALLY discern right from wrong and have a stronger understanding of reality and consequences.
I just think parents need to watch what games their kids play and make sure that the child understands that it's just a game and that they should not be doing those things in real life....also limit the playing time too much gaming isn't good for kids.
YEAH! "Arizona Bay" baby!
exactly. thank you.
While I will admit that games these days can be overly violent, it doesn't mean they should be banned. The ESRB already does a good job of regulating the sales and it's already against the law to sell a game rated M or higher to a child under 17.
Another word that bothers me is "pornographic". This word is one that I personally don't hear as often, but it was quite a popular word to throw at video games not to long ago. (What was the name of that group again? Equality Now?) Anyway, pornographic games aren't even that abundant in the mainstream market because they're not allowed to be. Be it social or government laws, pornographic games just aren't something you want to advertise and I don't believe a child can find one unless they're actively looking for boobies.
While we're on the subject of M rated games. The ESRB recently released that chart that revealed only 5% of games being M rated, they're not exactly saturating the market, but they're sure as hell making a big deal about themselves.
Although, really, when it comes to whether or not video games have an effect on their children should use their brain and realize that they have the biggest effect on their little babies, not some magic box that seeps violent thoughts into their tiny brains. The REAL common sense, which obviously isn't common anymore is to just unplug the video game system and not let your children play6\ those games in the first place.
If it is not video games, it will be dirty magazines or movies, Dungeons and Dragons, violent movies, etc... Honestly there is a time and place for just about everything in life. Eventually your kids should know some of the basics of sex and understand what violent acts do happen in the world today. They don't need to know at age 6 but by 18 a person should know a number of varied things so that when they step out the door or turn on the news it doesn't tramatize them.
What I would love to ask them is which is more tramatizing being exposed to a violent/pornographic video game or being ignored by your parents? Stop trying to blame one part of a larger issue for the problems of the world.
I use to play GTA 2 & 3 when I was 10 and it had some positive effects on me it helped release some pent up stress and it gave me something to talk about with my friends. Needless to say those games did not make me want to commit acts of violence in real life.
Sure theres some people who shouldn't play video games, because there not mentally stable. But they also shouldn't read books, watch movies, or do anything else that might inspire them to commit a crime.
It's up to the guardian to make sure that person doesn't get there hands on any media that could inspire them to do anything potentially dangerous. It's not the industries job to fucking babysit there customers.
And yeah, there will be some idiot who is old enough to buy whatever games he/she wants. Maybe they will commit a crime, and the game is what inspired them to do so. But if a video game inspires you to commit a crime, then you clearly have something wrong with you; and the person should be blamed. Not the game.
Anti-video game people can blow me.
Clearly, we should ban the Beatles. Or at least put age specific labels on all of their CD's.
Think about it people. It's for the children.