I just played Doom, so I want to shoot someone...um, no, not really
I'm an avid gamer. Most people who read this blog know that. I play PC games, XBOX games, PSP games...you name it. That is one of my hobbies. For me, it's fun and usually far more entertaining than watching movies or television, where you are not an active participant in the storyline.
Anyway, I have a point... (so get through the next few paragraphs and you'll find it)
So much controversy surrounds gaming. Everyone it seems (including Hilary Clinton) is seeking legislation against games - specifically, violence and sexual content in video games. People sued id Software after Columbine saying that games like Doom contributed to the violent shooting spree of Klebold and Harris. People have sued Take Two Interactive for their Grand Theft Auto Games for violence and "hidden" sexual content.
As a gamer, I'll be the first to say that programmers/distributers of games need to be more responsible. They don't need to hide hidden nudity mods in their software. They need to make sure that kids don't get ahold of games designed for adults. Parents, too, should make sure this doesn't happen.
Eric was in EBgames once, and he witnessed a mom buy her son a PS2 and a copy of Grand Theft Auto (the "poster game" for violence in video games). When she asked her son if it was a good game, he said, "Yeah, it's the best one..." Oblivious to the "Mature" rating plastered all over the box, the mother proceeded to buy her the game.
-sigh-
So, it's true, there's a need for responsibility. Just as kids shouldn't be sitting through gore/sex-fest rated-R movies, they shouldn't be playing a game that casts you as a street thug violently trying to avenge his mother's death (GTA: San Andreas). Adults, on the other hand, have better mental tools from separating the reality of the 'real' world from the fantasy world in-game. At least, they should.
**Anyway, why this rant?**
Heh. I just read a headline on GameSpot.com that prostitutes (through some organization called the Sex Workers Outreach Project USA...LOL!) are now calling for a ban of the Grand Theft Auto games because violent acts can be committed against prostitues. Prostitutes...taking a stand...against the immorality of a video game. They even state that though they are (obviously) against any forms of censorship, that games like GTA should be censored. Hmm...
First, I laughed. Hahahaha. (choke and catch breath). Hahahahaha.
Second, I laughed some more.
Third, I thought...it is just a game.
Fourth, (after laughing some more) I found myself sitting here in disbelief that an organization/institution SOAKED in immorality would be calling for the ban on something they deem immoral. Alas, the double-standard has me speechless. Furthermore, it's amazing how groups that cry for freedom from any moral standard suddenly want a moral standard when a lack of it has come back to bite them in the a$$ (just not for them).
...
For me, the real issue begins and ends with parents and teaching our kids the difference between right and wrong. Having lavished in the false comfort of relatavism over the past few years, I think it's time to wake up and realize that there are things that are right and there are thigns that are wrong. This doesn't mean I'm going to grab the Christian flag and march down the street condemning things. This simply means that in a world where "one wrong" stands up to condemn another "wrong" is messed up. And if prostitutes are trying to pick up the ball dropped by parents, then the world is truly a sad place indeed.
A game, however, is just a game. A movie is just a movie. And like any source of entertainment/information, it's up to us to be responsible how we use it.
Suddenly I feel like firing up Call of Duty 2 on the XBOX 360.
Anyway, I have a point... (so get through the next few paragraphs and you'll find it)
So much controversy surrounds gaming. Everyone it seems (including Hilary Clinton) is seeking legislation against games - specifically, violence and sexual content in video games. People sued id Software after Columbine saying that games like Doom contributed to the violent shooting spree of Klebold and Harris. People have sued Take Two Interactive for their Grand Theft Auto Games for violence and "hidden" sexual content.
As a gamer, I'll be the first to say that programmers/distributers of games need to be more responsible. They don't need to hide hidden nudity mods in their software. They need to make sure that kids don't get ahold of games designed for adults. Parents, too, should make sure this doesn't happen.
Eric was in EBgames once, and he witnessed a mom buy her son a PS2 and a copy of Grand Theft Auto (the "poster game" for violence in video games). When she asked her son if it was a good game, he said, "Yeah, it's the best one..." Oblivious to the "Mature" rating plastered all over the box, the mother proceeded to buy her the game.
-sigh-
So, it's true, there's a need for responsibility. Just as kids shouldn't be sitting through gore/sex-fest rated-R movies, they shouldn't be playing a game that casts you as a street thug violently trying to avenge his mother's death (GTA: San Andreas). Adults, on the other hand, have better mental tools from separating the reality of the 'real' world from the fantasy world in-game. At least, they should.
**Anyway, why this rant?**
Heh. I just read a headline on GameSpot.com that prostitutes (through some organization called the Sex Workers Outreach Project USA...LOL!) are now calling for a ban of the Grand Theft Auto games because violent acts can be committed against prostitues. Prostitutes...taking a stand...against the immorality of a video game. They even state that though they are (obviously) against any forms of censorship, that games like GTA should be censored. Hmm...
First, I laughed. Hahahaha. (choke and catch breath). Hahahahaha.
Second, I laughed some more.
Third, I thought...it is just a game.
Fourth, (after laughing some more) I found myself sitting here in disbelief that an organization/institution SOAKED in immorality would be calling for the ban on something they deem immoral. Alas, the double-standard has me speechless. Furthermore, it's amazing how groups that cry for freedom from any moral standard suddenly want a moral standard when a lack of it has come back to bite them in the a$$ (just not for them).
...
For me, the real issue begins and ends with parents and teaching our kids the difference between right and wrong. Having lavished in the false comfort of relatavism over the past few years, I think it's time to wake up and realize that there are things that are right and there are thigns that are wrong. This doesn't mean I'm going to grab the Christian flag and march down the street condemning things. This simply means that in a world where "one wrong" stands up to condemn another "wrong" is messed up. And if prostitutes are trying to pick up the ball dropped by parents, then the world is truly a sad place indeed.
A game, however, is just a game. A movie is just a movie. And like any source of entertainment/information, it's up to us to be responsible how we use it.
Suddenly I feel like firing up Call of Duty 2 on the XBOX 360.
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