Former Conservative Party leader and nondescript politician Iain Duncan Smith has spoken out against videogames with one of the more dramatic little bits of scaremongering we've seen. As well as mentioning the violence of games like Grand Theft Auto, the famously boring MP also stated that gaming can cause children to lose their childhoods.
"We are driving children to lose their childhood," states the grey man, "and some video games are incredibly violent, like Grand Theft Auto. They are meant to be 18 but nobody cares what it says on the label."
I'm guessing that by "losing their childhood," he means that children spend too much time playing videogames and not enough time playing outside where they can be abducted by pedophiles. If you ask me, and you didn't, going outside is overrated, especially with mad old Conservative MPS running around out there.
Politician Iain Duncan Smith on violent video games: 'We are driving children to lose their childhood' [Pocket Gamer]
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Contest:
1:40 PM on 01.25.2010
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at least now im sitting here actually doing something i like, and i can just call one of my mates to come round and play games with.
im not saying being outside is bad or anything, but ive taken all those hours i wasted just sitting around in a park to sitting in my rom having fun so now the only times i go out is when i actually have things to do i.e. work, college and social shit.
Yes i have to be a pedant. If you are British, spell it the British way ;)
On another note, Ian Duncan Smith: What a boring tosser.
of course when you start dropping GTA and 18 rated games into the argument willy nilly nobody is going to really take it seriously.
It's almost as if they don't trust parents to raise their kids properly and make good decisions on what games their kids play. Almost as if the State must step in and be a Nanny for all the children of the UK. If only there was a term for such an invasive and presumptuous government.
Same. Video games practically gave me my childhood just likes books, movies, and music. But I'm sure we all see that.
@LoopholeJumper
Stupid politicians.
Times are changing, and the vintage MP's need to understand that. Still, if I wanted to put a reason to why kids may not be getting out as much/live vastly different lifestyles to the previous generations, I'd look first to every child from the age of about eight having a mobile phone before my eyes were drawn towards video games.
And cases like him or our "beloved" lawyer from Florida always happens
Anyway, won't these ickle children need all those murderous, violent tendencies for when your Party sends them off to Iraq/Iran/Afghanistan (delete as applicable) in a few years? You foul, soulless Tory scumbag.
Do I think the government can do better? For the love of God, certainly not!
In fact I'm sure we can all safely agree that whatever harm parents might cause to their children through allowing video games the government will manage to cause harm ten times faster or on a level that is ten times worse through something else.
Step 1: Understand the rating before purchasing
Step 2: Turn the TV off after excessive play
Step 3: Take the controller away
Step 4: If above steps do not work, stop trying to blame video games for your failure as a parent.
That's quite a title, but I plan to do one better. I will be addressed as Senator Sir Dr.Benjamin Krieger IV Esquire, Honorary Globe Trotter.
What is more destructive to childhood and children than condemning them to ignorance, poverty and servility?
Conservative Christians = Satanists
It makes me sad to think how terrible the current conservative campaign is and knowing they will probably win. We can't carry on like this? Ok, how about voting for one of the other parties? What's the worst that could happen?
By the way, who can really define what a "normal" childhood is? As if "normalcy" is something that can be weighed and measured. :P
It really differs between individuals, some things effects others differently. I had known kids in my past that didn't care for video games or liked other forms of entertainment, yet I don't see people bitching about those other hobbies, some being a lot more harmful than video games could ever dream of being.
My parents taught me the values of life and what is and isn't acceptable/legal behaviour in our society.
I'm now 22 and I have a girlfriend and a great job. The first and only time I've ever hit anyone is when a crack addict tryed to mug me and my girlfriend when we went on holiday to New york. I punched him twice to get to back off and then we left.
THATS IT! So to you, Iain Duncan, I say fuck you.
There's at least 2 billion people on this fare planet that play games with the mature rating and about 3-10% of those people are violent and 0.3% of those people are violent due to video games. But overall, both of these groups are violent, first and foremost, because there was something already the matter with them.
THAT'S IT!!!!!! YOU MORON!
Like videogames are that gypsy machine he wished on. Kid one day, all grown up the next. Hey. you stole my childhood!
Now there's something for the back of the box with the next Grand Theft Auto. "It will drop your balls and gray your hair."
I'd buy a game claiming that...even if they're too late.
Yet even though they're the ones who wanted us outside in the first place, adults at the time would complain about "us kids" "lurking around" being up to no good. :/
in the end, is all about parents giving kids a good education.