End Violent Videogames?!?

[IJoe]

Umm... What damage?

... to the reputation, I guess.

[pariah]

Yeah, all this controversy shit has indeed damaged videogames. I really don't know why everybody has to be hating on them.

[TacticalNuke]

Because we always need something to blame. It conveniently shelters people from the fact that maybe they're just bad parents, or maybe someones just a bad egg in the bunch.

[Xantor]

The best way what to do is civil disobedience- You could buy violent video games in Mexico/Canada/Cuba/Japan/Russia(not sure about Canada- since they banNed Dire Straits "Money for Nothing" I could expect that there is a restriction of destribution of "immoral games"), then go into middle of your city with a huge banner I'M SELLING VIOLENT, IMMORAL AND BANNED GAMES. Probably most of teenagers would buy something and if cops arrives and they will arrest you, you can go to court and say, that authority limits your law to dispose of your property.

[Analpirat]

The best way what to do is civil disobedience- You could buy violent video games in Mexico/Canada/Cuba/Japan/Russia(not sure about Canada- since they banNed Dire Straits "Money for Nothing" I could expect that there is a restriction of destribution of "immoral games"), then go into middle of your city with a huge banner I'M SELLING VIOLENT, IMMORAL AND BANNED GAMES. Probably most of teenagers would buy something and if cops arrives and they will arrest you, you can go to court and say, that authority limits your law to dispose of your property.

And then? You know, they can limit your "right to dispose of your property"(don't think that's legally correct). Even more so if you want to dispose of property you illegally obtained. Just think about, if what you said would be a proper legal defence all the drug dealers or people dumping waste in rivers etc. could do it too.

[Xantor]

Well, you can't have any drugs with you, not only you can't selling them. But there:

As most people know, the state of California has already passed a law that bans the sale of violent videogames to minors.

There's nothing about having violent games, only distribution is restricted. As far as I know, C&C Generals was banned in Germany, so Germans buy it in UK/France/Poland etc. There was also a lot of internet auctions at german e-bay(or something similiar) where you could buy this game.

About banning violent video games- yes, games such as Manhunt/Postal are dangerous to all people, like cocaine or alcohol. Even if you are 18+ you don't know what is real and what is fiction. You can buy beer, smokes or vote in elections(you are adult, so you can), but you aren't enough adult to realize that video game isn't real. Well, it's just stupid. Better way is punishing shops for selling games 18+ to childs- seriously, did you ever hear about police that give a ticket to shopkeeper for selling brutal game to child?

[Analpirat]

There may be language problem here, but I'm not sure what you're going on about? You're saying the government should crack down on selling violent games but you're for being able to own them?
Anyway, I think it isn't mainly about people not being able to tell fiction from reality but more about how much and what kind of display of violence you do tolerate in your society.
So I think the German system somewhat makes sense, that only people over 18 may buy the really violent games and that they mustn't be advertised. After all, excessively violent movies also have to be cut.
The US approach I however find fairly contradictory. There's almost unrestricted access to firearms and no real censoring in the movie industry but yet they want it in the game industry?

[cephalos]

There may be language problem here, but I'm not sure what you're going on about? You're saying the government should crack down on selling violent games but you're for being able to own them?
Anyway, I think it isn't mainly about people not being able to tell fiction from reality but more about how much and what kind of display of violence you do tolerate in your society.
So I think the German system somewhat makes sense, that only people over 18 may buy the really violent games and that they mustn't be advertised. After all, excessively violent movies also have to be cut.
The US approach I however find fairly contradictory. There's almost unrestricted access to firearms and no real censoring in the movie industry but yet they want it in the game industry?

Answer is simple. Games are interactive, movies not. That's why they try to limit violence ingames.

[Analpirat]

That answer is as simple as it's insufficient. Sure in games you do the killing, still I doubt that scars you(or a child for that matter) more then some of the torture orgies like the SAW movies or Hostel for example. Violence in such movies is by far more explicit and disturbing than in any game I've ever come across. In both genres (movies and videogames) theres some extreme stuff that shouldn't be accessible to minors.

[pariah]

Yes, it's a most terribly stupid excuse, but it is nonetheless how the government thinks. They like to think that because videogames are an interactive medium, people are far more likely to copy the acts of the characters in-game than those in films, books, any other medium. It's totally illogical, but they do what they want...

[Analpirat]

I guess it's rather what the majority wants. Most voters are too old to be playing games, and therefore the games appear strange and weird to them. That or they don't care if they're banned because they don't have an opinion on them.
And I think there's also the issue of lazy parenting, parents expecting the government to do their job so they don't have to look out for what their child does since all things bad for children have been banned  (or so they'd imagine it to be)

[Xantor]

There may be language problem here, but I'm not sure what you're going on about? You're saying the government should crack down on selling violent games but you're for being able to own them?

Well, I just want that stores with video games would abide by the law, so they wouldn't sell games 18+ to childs and I want that goverment wouldn't ban violent games, only give them rating 18+.

[Seeme]

No one ever listens to rating....

The problem is everyone in the Government Voting for this is , nonetheless, old. They all maybe never touched a video game in their life, so they have to listen to what the Parents say, and not the people playing it! That leads to a little Exaggerating problems and lies as well. 

[Analpirat]

Ah politics, nothing good will ever come out of it 
Still, you can always bitch about it and that's what people love most of all.

[Hawk_Silk]

Well the other problem is that some developers/publishers will actually go out of their way to be controversial, the most recent one that I can recall would be Call Of Duty : Modern Warfare 2 with it's "No Russian" level. So I will just focus on this one as an example but before I do.

I am not having a go at COD fans and have not played the game myself as I prefer more how can I put this... 'challenging' games such as ARMA II, but I have looked into the MW2 issue.

Why is Infinity Ward's No Russian level controversial? The simple answer to that question would be, that it didn't need to be there.

What it did not do : Further the plot in a substantial way.

What it did do : Provided extra publicity for the product. Due to human nature because it was controversial and gained more publicity more profits where made as it was like the "car crash"* effect. More younger people will have bought it just because it was controversial.

The level was also skippable further proof if you will that it was put in just for controversy, as if it was significant to the game plot it would not have been skippable.

* Car Crash Effect : When you go past a road traffic accident (RTA) you can't help but look basically.

Now what does all that above have to do with this thread? I'm just trying to point out that some developers/publishers are not exactly helping their corner with stuff like that.

Regards Hawk (Silk)