What is Digg?110 Comments
- flamingmb, on 10/12/2007, -4/+38I think we should ban dumb parents who buy M rated games for their 12 year old kid, then bitch that its not suitable for kids.
- chris9902, on 10/12/2007, -20/+52hey, there, ***** ***** blogspam, ***** ***** blogspam we hate you.
- EatingPie, on 10/12/2007, -3/+29EVERY parent I know uses the rating system. EVERY SINGLE ONE! Why don't we -- and Congress -- ever hear about them?
For Christmas, my aunt bought me Gears of War from Target, along with a batch of kids games for her grandchildren like Super Monkey Ball. Target Employee held up gears, pointed at the M, and said "You know this game is for adults?" (It did kinda stand out beside Super Monkey Ball.) My aunt said it was for someone over 18.
Cousin, for Christmas, got his son an XBox 360. First words out of my mouth were something about Halo. "Nope, he's not allowed to play those types of games" was the response. And when my neice and nephew visit my house, they have to show every game they want to play to their parents before they're allowed to play it. (A few times, my wife and I have said the content is much tamer than the rating indicates, and so they've allowed their kids to play them.)
C'mon, Press. C'mon Congress. Damn right ratings are there -- and they are being used! Get on it.
-Pie - Inverno, on 10/12/2007, -2/+27@flernk
A friend of mine used to be an avid gamer, and his kid is coming of age. He doesn't really keep tabs on video games anymore, but when Billy wants a new game my friend checks the rating. If he's not sure about the game for some reason he'll ask one of his friends that still play games. So..yeah, I've seen game ratings work, the key is to have a parent that's aware of them. - floridiot2, on 10/12/2007, -3/+22What a novel idea.. parents actually parenting..
- Inverno, on 10/12/2007, -0/+16@flernk
Well, that's another question. The rating system isn't there to prevent kids from buying games. If a child has $50-$60 to spend without parental supervision I would guess that's a problem by itself. A bag of great weed is $50, I've never shopped for crack/heroin/coke/etc but I assume $50 is enough to get off on.
Regardless kids will always find a way to get access to illicit content. My favorite method for watching R and X rated movies as a kid was to find a friend whose parents were not as scrupulous and watch it with them. That will happen no matter what restrictions are in place, and it's not really a rating's job to prevent it.
The ESRB's sole purpose is to notify parents of the game's content. IMO it works as well as any other rating system. - Stormwave0, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12Most of the legislation you hear about anyway isn't to ban violent games but rather to do what the author describes: enforce the ratings. The proposed laws make it illegal to sell video games to minors, which would be the equivalent of enforcing the Mature and Adults Only ratings.
Personally, I think they should be passed. Major retail stores have already begun training their employees not to sell mature games to children. The laws would just ensure that all the locally run shops would follow suit. Plus, it forces the parents to at least be aware that their children are purchasing a game. I can't see why anyone would oppose it unless they're under the age of 18 and want to buy a game. - XIUgraag, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Why is this "blogspam", it seems an original article on someone's blog and I don't even see ads...
- Beakerz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Or at least the parents that bitch about other parents letting their own kids play M rated games...
- willjc, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9why don't movies have the same problems? i.e. how to stores handle PG-13/14-A and NC-17/R movies when kids try to buy them?
- socalrob, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Eating Pie makes a point.
The ESRB system here is good but flawed. It generalizes games instead of being slightly more open and broad in what it covers.
My example is from about 6 years ago when I worked at Toys R Us for Xmas. A woman came up to me, just bought her kids a PS1 off the Internets and wanted to get them a game. I asked what kind of games do they like and she told me. I showed her Tony Hawk 1 and she said No. I said why? She pointed to the rating which was a T. I said that you need to do more research than just looking at the ESRB rating. While the rating is good, Tony Hawk Pro Skater is in no way a T rating compared to Tekken which was an E rating. Tekken, you beat each other up. Tony Hawk, you skate board. You tell me which should be which rating.
Anyhow she got mad at me because I told her that she wasn't going to find anything for her kids on the PS1 if she wanted kid type games, and that she should have bought an N64. She walked out pissed because I told her to do a little research instead of just handing her a game and say buy this. Most parents don't want to think. Hell most people don't want to think. That's whats wrong with gaming today, parents not thinking, which makes the government want to think for them which screws us all over.
GTA and GoW and all that is fun, I don't want to kill anyone after playing them though. Thats like saying Katamari Damacy made me want to roll people over with a giant bowling ball. Morons.... - SnowPuffKing, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9Why shouldn't it, Loup? We expect it with alcohol, cigarettes, porn, etc? If a retailer is going to sell adult material, they should be held accountable for selling it to underage kids. Seems logical to me.
- towca, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8A article from a MUCH more reputable source: http://economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_RVVQSVD
EDIT: (On the same matter) - BobsYourUncle, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6@ flernk
It is entirely the responsibility of the parents to regulate the games that children play in _their_ house. Of course it's unrealistic to assume you'll know what your kids do every moment of the day. But just like you don't know if your kid smokes/drinks away from home, you don't know if he plays violent games away from home. This has never been the responsibility of the game (or alcohol/tobacco) manufacturers. Parents can control what occurs inside the house, and it's their responsibility to police that to their standards.
And equating a videogame to alcohol/tobacco seems a bit of a stretch. No one suggests that R-rated movies are as dangerous as a cigarette. To imply games are is _irresponsible_.
And I hope you're not diluted in any way. Deluded, maybe... ;) - pdxa4, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7sorry I meant @flernk
- pdxa4, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8@inverno
How can you not blame the parents? I'm getting pretty sick of the parenting, or lack thereof, in this world. How hard is it to keep tabs on what your kids are doing? I just don't get it. I have kids and I know what games they play. Maybe it helps that I to play games but still everything out there has a rating. Look at the box, its not that hard. I for one really don't want the government telling me what video games, movies, and TV shows I can and cant play and watch. This really frustrates me. - Inverno, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7tell that to Germany.
- Inverno, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5@sleepwalkers
User created/hacked content =/= equal the game's intended content. GTA originally had warnings for sexual content and violence, the users found content that was locked out of the original game, a big hoopla was created forcing the ESRB's hand to rerate the game. I still call BS on the Oblivion rating, especially considering the warning that states something like 'Game content may change during on-line play.' Again the user has to actively seek out content that the developers did not enable in the game. I could probably create skins for Mario Teaches Typing to make Princess Peach nude and offer it for download, does that mean Mario Teaches Typing a M or AO game? - loup, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6"Why shouldn't it, Loup? We expect it with alcohol, cigarettes, porn, etc?"
Alcohol and cigarettes can actually be harmful to minors (other people as well.) In truth, I don't see what harm porn actually has on kids, though I understand that some (if not most) parents don't want their kids looking at porn, watching violent or sexually explicit movies or playing violent or sexually explicit video games. In the case of the porn, movies and video games, I think that's really in the realm of the parents' responsibility and should not be a legislated part of our culture. This is especially true for the movies and video games because the rating are assigned by the movie and video game industries and not by the government. - HalFTW, on 10/12/2007, -4/+9"sung to the tune of "mary had a little lamb"
It would work quite well to the tune of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K3wQMWqZKI
Obviously replace chitty chitty bang bang with ***** ***** blog spam. - Optimistic, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Why banning Video Games would be wrong:
I'm an adult (in my 30s) and I don't need a government telling me what kinds of entertainment I'm allowed to buy. So long as I'm not hurting anyone, the gov can piss off.
"But the kids might get it!"
Yea, they might also get beer, and we shouldn't ban that either. - postal21, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6I blame the DIGG comment system for making me want to DIGG DOWN AND BURY SOCIETY!!!!!
- flernk, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4@pdxa4
Do you honestly not remember your teenage years? You know you went behind your parents back to break some rule and they probably still don't know about it to this day. Don't act all huffy because you think you know what your kids do/have done/will do. I have kids myself and will protect them with every ounce of strength I have, but I'm not diluted enough to think they won't sneak around every once in a while. The point is to teach them correct principles.
The point here (and inverno gets it) is that the ratings system by itself does little and parents can only protect their kids so far.
I'm with so many others in this thread: the companies selling these games need to get a lot smarter. If the people who create/promote the rating system are serious about limiting the games by age, they need to take it more seriously. It's a lot harder for a 16 year old kid to buy cigarettes (and near impossible to by alcohol) than it is to pick up GTA. There's a disconnect somewhere and putting it all on the parents is unfair and ineffective. - KingBabi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3This is stupid and illogical. A rating should not dictate who gets to play the game, it should be used as a guide for parents who don't have the time or effort to get too involved. They should not blindly follow it, and they should base what they buy on how mature they think their child is. If a parent buys their 15 year old boy GTA, but they know about its content and are comfortable with him owning and playing it, then by all means it is a good idea. If they have a child will serious mental issues and aggressiveness, perhaps it is not the best idea. The ratings are seriously flawed and should be taken with a grain of salt. The best thing a parent can do is use their best judgment, and form opinions based on their own, particular child.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Reasons I won't vote for Hillary Clinton by TheLordOfCheese
Reason #1: She takes sides with Jack Thompson.
Thank you. - MrFlesh, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I won't vote for Hillary because I'm sick and tire of hearing the words "President Bush and President Clinton" for christ sakes we've had two ruling families for 20 frickin' years now.
- DangerMouse9, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5If we're going to ban violent video games, let's get rid of any music with any profanity, any movies above a PG rating, any magazines that are adult-oriented, any books that have any profanity in them.... we really shouldn't single out the video games and if we want to blame them we should blame the entertainment industry as a whole.
sarcasm
I mean, if we can't police our kids, then we may as well let those that don't have kids suffer.
/sarcasm - sirpwn4g3, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@sleepwalker
The Oblivion re-rating was on the PC only, and it was a mod, it's not part of the game code, it's entirely user created. That's not the ESRB's fault. If I felt like it I could go into Doom 3, play around for awhile, and create a nude mod, or make penis guns. I could do these things to virtually any game. The Hot Coffee was not accessible without a cheat device, with voids the End User License Agreement, and voids the product warranty. Sure that doesn't sound like much, but the content was locked away, and not intended to be found. Banning games is ignorant, the ESRB does a good job, it's parents and retailers that are not doing things right. My little cousin loves games, he ALWAYS wants to play Gears of War with me, but I won't let him, we play games much more suitable for his age, which is 11. - DarknessGP, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3The most ironic thing I find is that the ESRB has the best rating system of any medium.
- notredamegrad, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I read so many comments about how only parents that play video games will know the importance of the ratings system. I remember when I was a kid and my parents actually took the time to take an interest in what I was doing. It didn't matter if it meant video games, baseball, soccer, school work, or even girls. My parents didn't let me have street fighter or mortal combat and the reason they knew not to give them to me is because they cared enough to pay attention. Parents need to stop working so much to pay for these expensive video games and start paying attention to their own kids. It's not the media or gaming industry that should filter our TV shows or video games, it should be me, and my wife, and you and your own discretion. It's my job as a new parent to make sure my kids are watching and doing things that I find are acceptable...not corporate America.
- DenTPuzz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Makes a good point. Parents (and I am speaking as a parent) need to stop trying to shift the blame onto video games for their failings. They should know what their kids are doing on their computers. Stores should be required by law (if they are not already) to enforce the existing ratings on games, and the existing system should probably be expanded.
- flernk, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Point taken. Still, it's much easier for a 16 year old kid to get GTA than it is for him to get into a theater to see The Hills Have Eyes.
I'm not saying parents shouldn't take responsibility. Heaven's no. It IS parents' responsibility. But responsibility also rests with those who make mature content available to children behind parents' backs. Banning the games would be silly, but if companies don't step up and start taking parents seriously, they can't be surprised if legislation follows. - ts8lemonade, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3You want to know what's ***** retarded? I work at Gamestop (please don't hate me) and we are now enforcing a new policy regarding M-rated games. Basically, ANYONE who buys an M-rated game needs to provide a valid license and we have to put your name, ID number, and birthday into a log book. While this doesn't seem so bad, it is most definitely is. Think of days when we will have hundreds of transactions for M-rated games, like God of War 2, Halo 3, etc. So while there is a 20 person line we have to sit there and log information on all customers. Legislation has really gotten out of hand for laws concerning video games.
- DorkmasterFlek, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3File this under the "No Sh*t Dick Tracey!" column and bury it. They stopped trying to actually ban video games a while ago. Now they're focusing on legal enforcement of the ESRB ratings instead.
- ODSTKuk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Personally, I think the rating system should be more depicted of what the game contains. If you bring age restrictions into the rating system, all that does is attract the younger kids to want to play those games. Also children younger then 16 should not be receiving money to go and buy video games for themselves.
- MeatBiProduct, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4its a political selling point for politicians. most stores do follow the rules. but just like when i was 15 and could rent R rated videos at blockbuster (my mom ok'd it on my card) - some 15 year olds get 18+ games.
for the record - i've watched tons of violent movies, played hundred of violent games, and have never once been in trouble for reproducing anything I ever watched or played.
saying that i would use violence to protect myself if pushed to it. - reefinyateef, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Why don't game stores just require ID when buying mature games? Hell, I had to hand over my license to use the Wiimote because there were worried I would run out with one. Sure, there would be fake IDs and what not, but that's another problem entirely.
- tommycai, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2i use digg so I'm digging holes everywhere even when i'm at work. I shoot people all the time since I play Halo also I play Halo on MWF so I only shoot people on MWF...
- OwdenBowden, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Blogg YES - Is the meat of this right YES. Parents just go out and pick up whatever their kids want but they do not even know what they are buying. I was in EB Games and the sales person said load and clear )this game is M rated for blood , gore, violence, sexual content adult situations and content .... and with out even thinking about it the mother just kept saying that she will take it. Not a concern in the world. Mind you this is the same parent that will hop on the Ban train once their kid does something stupid.
How about we just create a licensed that is required before you can have children? Kind of like what they did in Starship troopers - and maybe we will finally get people to take responsibility for their actions and stop blaming others. - Just an Idea. - GabrielS, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Does this sound ridiculous?
If the games are rated by the ESRB then why not build that rating into the disc/device media. Then create a parental control on the consoles that prohibits the loading of a game that has a rating the parents do not want their children to play.
This would similar to the v-chip for television. I imagine this proposal is something that legislators would pass which would increase the cost of gaming due to the costs associated with compliance.
As I previously mentioned, the retailers are doing this to AVOID further regulation which would impact their sales by increasing their costs that they then pass on to the consumer. - GabrielS, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3The retail chains can avoid further regulation BY enforcing their own industry ratings prohibiting the sale of certain rated games to minors. Failure to enforce the industry voluntary rating program will ensure that legislators pass more stringent, restrictive regulation into law.
Stormwave0 is absolutely correct. The retailers ought to use the ratings to restrict sales. This is preferred because the regulations passed by legislators could be far worse. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The problem with preventing parents from buying violent 18+ video games for their children is that parents need to do their job and actually parent. Parents should be able to decide whether or not their child is mature enough to play the game. I'm 15 and a good portion of the games in my collection are rated M by the ESRB, but I have yet to kill anyone; the reason: My parents decided that I was mature enough at a point that they would get me an M rated game, it worked and i was not converted into the suicidal mass murderer that Jack Thompson predicted. If parents actually took into consideration the level of maturity that their child had, this would not be an issue.
- dagobah77, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2and Australia.
- prax, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1There is no difference.
- prax, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1What goes in is what comes out.
'nuf said. - prax, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Good grief, you feel the need to insult when you disagree? What does that say about you?
I worked in the video game industry for nearly a decade before dropping out to start up my own business from home so I could be here with my kiddos more. It's worked out nicely and know what? I have more time to play video games.
#1: I know the video game world quite well and I have a nice bit of schwag that any hard core gamer would drool over...
#2: This thread is about video games and only video games... not books, movies, music, etc.
#3: I don't care to argue with a child. - xkrwlng, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2doesn't hillbillary clinton have a thing against violent video games? like she wants to ban them or something
if she does, there's no way I'm voting for her
FYI action/violent video games are good for you: http://www.digg.com/gaming_news/Action_video_games_make_your_eyesight_better_2 - sleepwalkers, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1But that's exactly why the ESRB is *****. They've done some pretty stupid things and caved under pressure.
- LavaHot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11337 diggs, man. I'll make it 1338.
- seansshack, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1back in the '50's it was rock music. '80's movies. Today? video games. Always looking for an "easy excuse" to explain teen violence.
Yet we can turn on our news everyday and witness it in all its horrible "real" glory. With daily deaths in Iraq.
Perhaps we should lead by example, before pointing the finger!!! -
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