WARNING: Offensive sample material/videos within this article not suitable for children.
In 2009, Utah State Representative Mike Morley sponsored a bill to protect children from violent and pornographic video games. It passed overwhelmingly, but Governor Huntsman vetoed it. Recently, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff sided with the ACLU and joined nine other states to challenge the constitutionality of California’s law prohibiting the sale of violent and pornographic video games to children, asserting it violates First Amendment “free speech.” But this is not about speech. It’s about images. Using the AG’s rationale, one might also logically argue that it is free speech to allow minors to purchase cigarettes or drugs. After all, isn’t freedom of expression a type of speech? Because of this irrational thinking that donimates law schools and legal decision-making, Utah is now sadly one of only 10 states on record favoring the sale of harmful materials to minors as the case proceeds to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Founders’ original intent correctly asserted that the people must promote “public virtue” if a nation is to remain free and safe. Under the “Miller Test,” the States’ constitutional 10th Amendment protection to establish an obscenity “community standard” separate from a national standard was recognized. Notwithstanding, the States are not bound to stare decisis – or precedent/case law, which is the legal slippery slope that has typically departed incrementally from original intent and perverted the meaning of the Supreme Law of our land.
Have our elected officials, attorneys and judges become so lost in deconstructionist thought that they have also lost all common sense and reason? Over the past 30 years more than 3,000 peer-reviewed scientific studies have been conducted, each conclusively documenting the negative effects of violence on screen and in video games. These studies show that aggression increases and, in at least one study, can linger long after the game has been turned off. So conclusive is the evidence that the Pentagon uses much less violent video games to market to and desensitize new recruits so they will find it easier to kill. (See On Killing by Colonel David Grossman). Prosecutors also testify to the strong correlation between playing violent video games and committing violent crimes.
Parents can preview a sampling of these grotesquely violent games on YouTube. Demonstrating such images has not been the practice of those who have opposed pornography/violence in media for many years. However, because some continue to take a naive stance that parents ought to be the decision-makers, not government, without really knowing what this violence is and why the sale to children must be prohibited, two samples are included here. (WARNING: This material is not suitable for children and may not be suitable for you either.)
“Violent Video Games Blood and Gore”
“Most Violent Video Games Executions: Manhunt”
If you are among those who did not have an intensely nauseated feeling or a repulsed emotional reaction to viewing this violence, then most likely you have already been desensitized by the violence you have been viewing in your media choices over time. Alexander Pope, a contemporary poet to the Founding of America, once penned these immortal words:
Essay on Man (ep. II, l. 217) (1733)
Vice is a monster of so frightful mien,
As to be hated need but to be seen;
Yet seen too oft familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity, then embrace.
Some things never change. And so goes the decline of all civilizations.
No doubt parents must assume primary responsibility for managing their children’s media exposure. The Entertainment Software Association and other “gamer” advocates cite research showing the value of video games. If parents believe it is beneficial for their children to learn eye-hand coordination by controlling the joy sticks that teach them how to viciously vivisect and decapitate prostitutes with chain saws or how to sodomize their victims with broom sticks; if they believe it’s good sport to allow their children to terrorize victims by pushing them toward large rotating saws, controlling the torture time and agonizing reactions before being sliced in half; and if they believe their children will sleep better at night by controlling large drills that bore holes through heads or meat hooks that rip through abdomens while delighting in the victims’ horrified reactions to their guts spilling out, I would question parental judgment, but that is their prerogative.
Responsible citizens support the Founding Fathers’ Constitutional original intent and understand that good laws must be built upon “Natural Law.” They understand the importance of protecting and nurturing the rising generation. Therefore, parents should have the support of laws that prohibit the sale of violent/pornographic video games to children under 18.
Ironically, during his campaign for U.S. Senate, AG Shurtleff waved both the Constitution, and a foremost summary of the Founders’ original intent The 5,000 Year Leap, pledging allegiance to those principles. Just five years ago, he received an award from the Lighted Candle Society for his excellent work protecting children from Internet pornography. He commended the group’s work in establishing the “cause and effect” of viewing images and behavior. Now, he says he has studied violent video games research and claims there is no evidence of “cause and effect.” Some cite declining crime rates accompanying the rise in violent video games, conveniently omitting obvious factors such as the influence of more sophisticated technology and better law enforcement. Why the contradiction? Campaign finance records show that the Entertainment Software Association contributed $3,000 to his campaign. One might reasonably conclude a definite cause and effect between Mr. Shurtleff, ESA and his current position on images children watch.
Utah Representative Mike Morley correctly stated, “Children do not have a constitutional right to play pornographic and violent video games.” This is not a matter of “free speech” but rather an ethical and moral societal decision. We encourage Morley and his colleagues at the Utah State Legislature to protect our children and support their parents in the next legislative session. We also urge Utah’s attorney general to withdraw his amicus brief. He is misrepresenting the People. And the children.
Yes, I think our children need to be protected from this type of violence. This type of thing is what causes some of these kids to become phycho. Every parent needs to be responsible for that protection of their child. If we don’t protect our little ones…no one else will either.
We need to think of the children, but how does this help. Yes there are violent evil games out there, but this battle isn’t about them.
It is about our rights, and our children’s rights.
Are films banned?
Are books banned?
Yes, keep them the violence and pornography away from my children, but don’t abuse their rights. We need to be strong and force our children not to see these games. If my child buys [name of game], I will break the disc and throw it away. They learn a lesson that what they have done is wasted their money, and Free Speech is protected.
If however they buy a game that is M-Rated, but they are mature enough to understand what they are playing, I will research the game, and if it is suitable let them play it. Each child develops at different rates and each parent must help guide their child to games that are suitable.
What we must do is think of the children, not blindly ignore them.
Wait. You are actually saying it is the job of the government and not the parents to monitor and control your children’s media choices? Why have kids if you are not willing to be a parent?
Let me ask you, Have you done any research into the tools provided to you a parent in helping you decide which games are appropriate for your children? Do know what the ESRB ratings are on games, what they mean and what it takes for a game to get a certain rating? Are you aware and do you use the parental controls on the video game consoles your children play on in order to prevent them from playing games you disapprove? Do you watch your children play games or play with them?
If you answered no to any of those questions, it is not a law you need but more involvement in your children’s media choices.
So you want people to go to jail for a minor buying a M-rated game? You don’t relize that their are no laws sending people to jail for mature movies, DVDs, music, and books. This is a battle of free speech because the only thing that is close to what video games really are is the movies, and film is consided free speech. You are just like the rest of this ignorant society when it comes to video games. The same point is done by you whin all people do is show the violence without showing what the game is about, it will be like show all the violence of the films and none ot the story of flim, you only get have the picture of what they are doing.Those studies, HA, they are a joke on sicence. The American Psychological Association has discreated them because all of the studies that state their is a casual like between video game violence and real world violence is a joke they they all contant 12 critical flaws, a lot carry bias. In other words your studies you are praising is a load of junk science and the work is not even worth the paper it was printed on. If this law wins then soon you might see the government taking away your bibles because of the sex and violence in them.
Parents and society should GROW UP, stop thinking of video games as toys but as a new media for all ages, use the ESRB ratings and other review groups to find out the content of the game, use the parental controls in the console, and talk to their kids about want they want them to play and what they find uncomfortable.
It can be very easy to rationalize away the degrading effects these games can have on children, or anyone. The effect could easily be compared to fetal alchohol syndrome, severe brain injury, severe mental challenges etc… These games will break down the natural barriers human beings have against committing crimes against others around them. It will disrupt the regular workings of the mind. These videos and games are a far cry from Bugs Bunny and Looney Tunes cartoons that were taken off the air for similar reasons.
The most important thing is that Parents need to take their families back and parent. We need to bring our families back to sincere, honest, old fashioned values to create a home and a refuge for our families. The family is the most basic unit of society and anything that will break up the family, introduce chaos and otherwise needs to be removed from the home. Fathers and Mothers should not be bringing these games home to play themselves and need to be aware of the things their kids buy.
One of the most destructive forces I’ve noticed in many parents is indifference, feelings that they they should let kids experience new things, afraid to parent in favor of being buddies, or actively using their children for their own selfish wants.
We should not be afraid of parenting and be willing to put in the effort to take back our families. Take a proactive roll in our children’s lives and development. If our children do not observe and learn to do what is right then how will they be capable to choosing on their own?
As a person, I find your remarks even more disgusting than the youtube links you provided. Why is it that whenever a new medium is developed, people w decide that this is the cancer that is killing society? It happened to TV, Movies, Comic books, REGULAR books, and who knows what else.
Not all video games are what you seem to think they are, For every [names of games], there are six Mario’s and Legend of Zelda’s. The games that you’re talking about are not intended for children! That’s why we have the ERSB ratings system in the first place! So that parents can make an informed decision when buying video games for their children. Did you know that you need valid identification of your age in order to buy video games that have been rated M (Mature)? If you don’t meet the age requirements, then you dont get the game, simple as that.
If children are geting these games, which I stress is only one part of a large industry, then it is because the parents are not paying attention to the ratings. Instead of trying to regulate the industry, why don’t you run a campaign to spread some awareness of the ratings system. Doesn’t that seem more sensible?
wait… why would you want to sensor the names of the more violent games I mentioned? Oh I know why, BECAUSE YOU WANT TO MAKE IT SEEM LIKE ALL GAMES ARE SUPER VIOLENT. Well seeing as how I’m not the only one on here debunking your ridiculous claims, I’d say you failed.
“I would question parental judgment, but that is their prerogative.”
Thanks for making the gamers’ case for them. If new laws get passed, at best, nothing would change and much tax money would be wasted. Parents would still have to be responsible, there would still be moral panics over the parents who are NOT responsible, and the average gamer who is in their 30′s sits on the sidelines shaking their heads.
It goes without saying that many games are not meant for kids, but the average gamer is 34 years old.
Furthermore, there are no laws against kids seeing violent movies, and in fact, game ratings are enforced even better than any other medium.
[names of sites]
Also, there are plenty of resources for parents such as content review sites [names of sites] and all the game systems have built in parental controls.
I have played video games since I was about 5, many were violent. I do not shoot up schools, do not torture people and have recently become a vegetarian because I respect animals and their right to live. I do not believe myself to be desensitized by violent games. I actually find it very shallow minded to say that if someone does not agree with your sense of horror, that they are simply desensitized and unable to think logically about this issue. That is like saying anyone who supports welfare is a poor and lazy person. I also strongly disagree with your position on video game censorship because, as history has taught us with jazz music, dancing, comic books and other forms of media or entertainment, people who do not experience said forms of entertainment often fear them. There is no true scientific proof that violent video games cause violent behavior and that is why laws trying to restrict the sales of video games are constantly turned down. Also the fact that they are considered unconstitutional. Also, kids can not just go into a store and buy any game they want because of the rating system. Thank you for reading this.
A few points you neglected to mention (which isn’t surprising, since your position doesn’t stand up to real evidence):
1) The ESRB is self-regulating and does a better job than any other industry at enforcing those age restrictions. As a matter of fact, they do just as well at enforcing the age restrictions on video games VOLUNTARILY as government does at restricting the sale of alcoholic beverages to minors.
2) The law has nothing to do with pornographic video games – those are already restricted both by existing law (the Miller test you cited) and by ESRB ratings.
3) The law in California is incredibly vague and interpretive, to the point where not even the organizations that filed on behalf of the law were willing to state that their single example (Postal2 – rated M by the ESRB) would definitely fit within the definition of the law.
4) As you are no doubt aware, the $3,000 donation (in 2008) to Shurtleff’s campaign amounts to less than 1% of total campaign donations. If such stiff opposition can be bought for such trifling amounts of money, why did the Eagle Forum donate so much to other Republican candidates both on a state and federal level? Is your agenda so much harder to swallow that you need such an incredible amount of honey to force it down?
5) I couldn’t help but notice that your “demonstration video” included mostly foreign games that would be exempt from any governmental regulation.
6) Could you please give the title of just one pornographic violent video game sold to a minor?
7) You neglected to mention that only 11 states (including California) actively supported the law, versus 10 states rejecting it. You also neglected to mention that even in California, the majority of the people and industries (movies, books, music, radio, even comic books) filed independent amicus briefs rejecting the law’s attempt to carve out new government interference with parental rights.
Hy Lady
Pick up a videogame box, any will do, now look at the bottom left corner of the front of the box. (where the big words for the name of the game are)
Notice the magical number there? It signifies the age of the intended audience for the game,. Now ifparents are etting their kids play 18+ age rating games they are notvery good parents are they?
But, I kid you will probably ignore this post as it goes against your flimsy and ill researched view on the subject.
Since it seems even polite, civilized comments disagreeing with this c*** are being blocked, I feel absolutely no shame in telling that c*** (and you biased, moderator f*****s) to go eat a q***** b*****.
As a concerned parent of three, I have been brought forth into this debate with family members and fellow co-workers, and friends. The unfortunate truth is this type of violence in media has been available since books were printed, comic books inked, and movies being displayed in theaters. I dare say the Roman Empire had a far more brutal approach to entertainment. In all generations it has always, and should be, the parents decision to deem what is appropriate for their children. Not an attorney, a mayor, a senator, or president. That is freedom of speech and expression, ladies and gentlemen.
To the comment above by Rod, I agree with everything except the first paragraph…. I dare say, I challenge your statements in the first paragraph. Do you have any evidence, findings, or studies that prove that comment? I can cite dozens of sources that do conflict with your comment. I am a gamer and a parent. I have been gaming for nearly 30+ years, yet my inner workings are not disrupted nor am I a professional criminal. Same with hundreds of millions of gamers around the continent.
I was born in the 1970′s. I was one of the first to be exposed to a new media in my generation (video games). I have played even the violent ones (yes the video link that is being displayed is a very violent game, [name of game] I believe. Played it…didn’t like it but that is neither here nor there.) to which are rated appropriately. To this day I have never committed a crime, other than getting a speeding ticket, and I am at best a pacifist. Crime has gone down since video games were mainstream in the 1980′s to now, not up. That can be found on the FBI website and many studies.
My wife and I agree that indifference is the enemy. If our son and daughter want a video game, we actually download the demo. We play through it. We check the rating on the box. IF we feel it is appropriate, we will consider buying it for them. That is a job of a parent. If we feel they are mature enough to handle something greater than a PG-13 film or a T or M rated videogame…that is OUR choice as parents, not the government. That is how it has been for centuries. To encourage banning media to protect children is no more protective as telling a little girl that men do not exist until she is 20 years old. One way or the other, they will be exposed to this. I believe we should choose how that is, not the government. Thank you.
On a different note: Those games shown in the video are all mature rated and marketed purely for adults. Not for children. So to say these are being solely sold to children is quite a false statement. Also citing Col David Grossman as a source for military using video games is quite false. We in the military know of David. He is a very disturbed man who is not very honest in many things. If by video games, you mean a flight or tank simulators to allow a pilot/driver get accustomed to their vehicle before taking it out on the first drive/flight, then you are correct. Never once have we used ‘video-games’ for actual training FYI. Please check your sources for such false and radical accusations.
You blog moderator j**** don’t seem to grasp the difference between “moderation” and outright suppression and censorship.
You’ll never be taken seriously in this kind of debate if you arbitrarily block polite comments that disagree with the main thesis of the blog.
Were do I even begin to describe how wrong this article is. Let’s start with the big one. Video games SHOULD be a form of free speech. As some one who doesn’t play video games and seems to not care to understand them, you might not know why I say this. But the reason I do is very simple. Video games are able to convey an idea, tell a story, and even may change the way you look at your self and the world. Just like books, video games of today have strong narratives, story lines, character development, plot lines, etc. Why do you seem to feel the need to throw that all away and focus only on the violence?
Video games are so much more than just the violence you can just hand pick and throw into a youtube video. Take the game [name of game] for example. A violent game indeed but also very well written. This game can have you looking at the world in a very different way by the end then you did before playing it. For example, in a part of the chapter [name of chapter], you are given a choice. Looking at it at first it may not seem like a big choice but once I break it down you’ll see what impact it could have. In the chapter you must decide the fate of a faction …, a sentient robot like race, that was initially a unified group. But over time separated because of religious and ideological differences. One group … believes that it is the will of god to destroy … (that’s your character). Another group believe that they should protect you. It’s your task to decide what happens to this group that wants to destroy you. You are given two choices, Reprogram the sect that wants you dead, instead to help you, essentially brain washing them. But do it in such a way they would never know it even happened. Your second choice is to just kill them all.
So yes, there is a clear story line question being asked here. But what does it mean? What’s really being asked of the player? On the surface it’s how you deal with religious fundamentalism, It’s meant to make us consider current world affairs and ask our selves “are these the only two options? To destroy a whole culture or the fundamental undermining of belief? are these the only solutions?” But there is a more serious question being asked here. As serious as any other question about modern life. It asks, what does it mean to be human. What is at the core of being a sentient being. This a question philosophers asked throughout time. Is our collection of ideas and thoughts that make us human or is it that fact that we are simply alive? To be asked these questions, to confront them, and understand them, can teach you something about your self. Teach you where your value on life and free will stands.
This is just a small section of a 30 hour game that is filled with other introspective questions just like this. To boil it down simply to just mindless violence is an insult to the medium. It would be the equivalent of me taking the movie The Godfather and just saying it’s just another movie about the mafia where a bunch of people die. Why is it just video games that get stigmatized as this violence filled entertainment that has no intellectual or social value?
I’m not saying all games are like this. Sure we have our [names of games]. But what medium doesn’t have it’s black sheep? Just look at the … movies. Those games or few and far between, to say every game is like [name of game] is just wrong. But still, games like this are NOT for children, I totally agree with you on that. But we don’t need a law to enforce that. Stores that sell video games are very good at not selling M rated games to minors. Even me, at 22 years old, I still get carded at stores like Game Stop and Wal-Mart when I go to buy an M rated game.
It’s not like parents have no resources to keep their kids from playing mature games. All current gen consoles (Wii, PS3, Xbox 360) have parental controls that keep children from playing games out of their age range. Parents can also use the internet to find out what is in a game before they buy it for their children. Ratings assigned by groups such as the ESRB and PEGI are very well implemented and are widely recognized. All this law would do is scare retailers into not selling mature games at all. Think about it, it would just bring about something like in the 1950 during the comic book era. Games are being treated the same way comic books were then. Demonized and seen only as for children. Just read “The Ten-Cent Plague” you’ll see what I mean, and it’s happening today.
So to sum up, do we need this law? No, we don’t. It’s just another “protect the children” issue like so many others before it. Like rock and roll, comic books, TV, and Elvis, It’s the same song and dance. Have we learned nothing from history? Should we just ignore the book burnings and numerous lost legal battles and start this up all over again? Or can we come together and learn that we just have to deal with the changes in society. Every generation is going to have something that someone finds objectionable. The best we can do is teach our children about it the best we can.
If it’s ultimately the parents’ decision what their children plays, I do not understands how laws prohibiting the sales of violent games to children will help at all. If as you suggest some parents does indeed wants their children to play said violent games, then they would be the ones who buys it for them or allows their children to play those games in their home.
Parents should educate themselves on the games that their children are playing, which is easy enough since it seems that they can easily find videos of any video game on youtube. The problem here isn’t the lack of regulations, it’s parents who are too lazy to inform themselves about their children’s interest. They know that violent video games are harmful to their children with all readily available information, so why are they not actively keeping these evil games out of the reach of the children? It seems to me that all the support for this law is parents trying to push their responsibility to someone else. I would question any parents’ judgement in their support for this law, but I guess that’s their prerogative.
As usual, both conservatives and liberals want bigger government. I wish there were politicians who were primarily interested in retracting laws and deleting them, simplifying law and simplifying government.
First off, in case you didn’t know, no other form of media is restricted like this. Not movies. Not books. Not music. NOTHING! And despite what ignorant people such as yourself believe, video games are the same as those forms of media. They deserve the same protections as those media.
Second, the BBFC, which classifies movies and video games in Britain, wrote a report on many things, including video games. They discovered, among other interesting things, that the requirement of a game to keep interacting with it in order to progress makes it harder to become engrossed in it than film, and seems to serve as a reminder that games are NOT real life. Do you know what happens if you put down the controller after you start playing a game? Nothing. And that makes people quite aware that it is not real life.
Third, most of those “peer-reviewed studies” you mention were funded by groups like The Parent’s Television Council. Groups with something to prove. And remember the Columbine kids? The FBI filed a report that listed 20 factors that lead to that day. Guess what wasn’t on that list . Video games.
Fourth, something like 74% of American households have a game console. To try to link violent video games to crimes is like linking pork to crimes. So many people partake in it that to imply that it has an effect, implies that everyone is a mass murderer waiting to happen.
Fifth, how many 10 year olds have cars? Jobs? The kind of money to buy video games? I suspect the answer is very few. Most games cost $60. Add in the cost of most systems at around $300 and you can expect that very few children could actually buy these games on their own. If your child can somehow get to a store and buy anything without you knowing (especially something that costs $60), the problem is not the video game industry. It’s you. I find the idea that kids are buying games for themselves insulting to my intelligence. IF kids have this games, its because of the parents. Parents need to parent. Not the government.
This law is wrong. And one day, we will look back on it as the sad, pathetic thing it is. Just like people look on the push to regulate movies, comics, music, jazz, and a whole host of other things. Remember when people thought D&D was of the devil?
But I do have a question: As a republican, why do you support this law? It takes away from the citizens rights of free choice. It creates a unnecessary head ache for the government. Is pretty much impossible to enforce. And a waste of tax payers time and money. Things you should hate more than anything else. One state supporting the industry is Georgia, which is a heavily republican state. Seems more like this article is politically motivated. If that is so, you make me sick.
Thanks for reading.
As an addendum, shouldn’t you let people know that the ESRB ratings are not limited to the letter ranges (EC,E,E10+,T,M,AO) but also includes content descriptors explaining why those games were given those ratings. On top of that, most games also have summaries further explaining the descriptors! That seems like an awful lot of information available to parents looking to be a part of their child’s entertainment. Are you a lazy but responsible parent? Easy enough, pick the range for your child and it’s done. Are you so lazy you don’t want to look to see what game your child is playing? Enable the parental controls built into every modern console. On the flip side, if you’re a responsible parent looking out for your kids and would like to know more about a game before your child plays it then you can research more than enough information in almost no time. Your “highlight” game, [name of game], is rated M and available only for Windows. Why is it rated M? As stated on the ESRB’s website, “Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Strong Language, Use of Drugs”. Your other example, which I’m guessing is [name of game], is also rated M (for Mature) and is available on Linux, Macintosh, Windows PC. It is rated M for “Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Mature Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs”.
Let’s take a look at [name of game], another game with both sexual themes and violence (although not pornographic – there is a difference). It’s rated M and available for the Playstation 3 and XBox 360 (both of which have parental controls that enable parents to say no you can’t play an M rated game.) It’s rated M for “Blood, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs”. Want more information? Click on the summary just below and you get the following (long) description:
This is an “open-world” action-adventure game in which players assume the role of John Marston, a reformed criminal on a mission to capture the remnants of his old outlaw gang. Players roam Wild West environments and perform various missions for criminal figures and law enforcement: destroying bridges, helping individuals in distress, delivering packages of drugs (e.g., opium), capturing outlaws, and eliminating rival figures. Players use shotguns, pistols, and rifles to kill enemies in realistic gun battles. Players can engage in melee-style hand-to-hand combat and trigger slow-motion effects by shooting enemies at close-range or by targeted shooting (i.e., aiming for body parts). Blood often spurts out of characters when shot; head shots and knife attacks result in much larger sprays. In one sequence, a bloodied and mutilated corpse can be seen hanging from the rafters of a barn. Players have the ability to shoot pedestrians in the game; however, a “Wanted Level”-penalty system discourages these acts by triggering a law enforcement response. The game contains a scene in which two characters have sex on a table; there is a brief instance of female nudity. One sequence depicts a man injecting himself with a syringe filled with cocaine. Language such as “f***,” “c***,” and ‘s***” can be heard in the dialogue.
If THAT isn’t enough information you can look at a full host of reviews, talk to an employee at a game store, talk to other parents, and any of a host of information-gathering activities. As a responsible parent of a five year-old (in Utah, by the way) I have a rule of no M rated games. Looking at the summary above, I would easily have concluded that the game is not for my five year-old or my eight year-old. Incidentally, I have [name of game] and enjoyed the storyline for myself. However, there is no way I would let my child play it. As you said, that’s MY call to make. Not yours, not California’s, certainly not Arnold “The Terminator” Shwarzenegger.
This sounds like Socialism/Marxism in sheep’s clothing. If you believe it is the government’s job to be protecting children rather than parents, then that is the case. After all, there has never been any concrete evidence that violent media leads to violent crime. It is like the same tired leftist tripe that guns kill people even though that correlation can’t be proven. Why don’t you start focusing on something that matters, like getting us jobs?
The video game industry will not give up or give in!
You have attempted to suppress me. I will not tire!
Mrs Eager should know not all video games are bad.
Cherilyn,
Please let the parents do the parenting. Leave the government out of it.
I am the 19-year-old youngest of three children in our family. I started college this past August (Aug 2010). I played Doom and Wolfenstein 3D when I was about 5 or 6, and I played even alongside my brothers and father. My eldest brother, now 30 years old, is working in NORAD, and the middle, now 27 years old, left for the Navy this past March (March 2010). All three of us have played other violent video games since Doom and Wolf 3D, like GoldenEye 007, Halo, Metal Gear Solid, Half-Life, etc.
We have never killed another human being in our lives. I, myself, have never wanted to. I cannot speak for my brothers, but I am sure they have no wish to kill others unless they must.
So tell me, Cherilyn, do you think that my brothers and I should be locked up in an insane asylum since apparently we’re ticking time bombs who could, at any time, explode and kill other people in a shower of bullets?
I await your reply, Ms./Mrs. Eagar.
-Mugen Kagemaru