The European Parliament, in a stunning display of illogical thinking, has decided that what parents need to protect their children from MMOs is a “red button” to shut games down in the event of a crisis. Apparently computers in Europe don’t have off switches and keep children trapped in front of the screen with big metal arms or something, because there’s no way a parent could stop a kid playing a computer game before now, right?
“Parents should have a “red button” to disable a game they feel is inappropriate for their child,” claims the EP Internal Market Committee. “Until PEGI online is up and running, the report proposes fitting consoles, computers or other game devices with a “red button” to give parents the chance to disable a game or control access at certain times.”
This is akin to buying a brand new telephone just in case you get burgled and need to call the cops, even if you already have a phone. It seems like a rather arbitrary and useless idea. Still, considering how powerless parents seem to be when it comes to disciplining their little sh*tmunchers, they might need all the help they can get.
To be fair, the European Parliament is not being “anti-game,” it’s just being rather stupid. It recognizes that games can provide a whole host of benefits. It seems to me that the Euro Parliament just wanted to add something to make parents feel better, and this was the best placebo they could come up with.
