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• 6Nov 08

  Congress hates children, parents a close second

  Here are a few points that popped into my head upon listening to this weeks "The Hotspot" with State Senator Leland Yee as Gamespot's guest.

  1) The government has been trying for years to get involved in regulating entertainment media without violating the first amendment. Video games are an easy way to get into the regulation (read: censorship) business. And there are many watchdog groups like the PTC (parentstv.org – also known as the TV Gestapo) screaming for the government to be more involved (I guess because sacrificing a few liberties is worth having everyone see the world the way they see it.) Why can't parents be allowed to parent; to figure out what kids should and shouldn't be playing for themselves? Because it's much easier to censor than to actually take the time to teach people (read: non-gamer parents) what these video...'things' are all about.

  2) OK, I know kids have no legal say in their own lives until the age of 18, but why the hell are we treating all kids like morons? I was not a stupid kid growing up. I played video games, went to school, did my homework, didn't go out and kill anyone, and ended up graduating from college and working in the 'real' world. This is the norm, not the exception. And yet, the government wants to treat all kids like potential columbine-ers. What's the point of that? Why can't the politicians understand that kids don't just snap because of video games? Kids snap because of being called a **** at school, being beaten up by bigger kids, being told their worthless by fellow students, being ignored by their parents, being given an allowance rather than love. Those things make a kid snap. And while video games might make things worse for those emotionally strained kids, it is not, and cannot, be viewed as the only thing that causes violent behavior in kids.

  3) While the government is making kids look like morons, they're making the parents look even dumber. Instead of trying to inform parents what these videogames are all about, they are just trying to pass laws to sweep the whole thing under the rug and place people who play games in a quasi-deviant category. The reason: because we have no video gamers in the white house. Sure, you have the random senator or legislator who plays Civilization IV, but how many pictures have you seen of a state senator or representative holding an xbox 360 controller and/or playing Halo? Riiiiight…didn't think so.

  4) Lastly, I respect Senator Yee for coming on the show and talking about his point of view on this issue. But, really, legislators who don't play video games are the worst people to a) criticize them or b) propose legislation about them. My motivation for is simple: when legislators state that books, movies, and music don't illicit a response from people the way that video games do, I instantly assume that person must from Pluto. All media is produced to illicit some kind of response. To say that rap music, hip-hop, punk rock, metal, ska, death metal, grunge, etc. doesn't illicit and emotional and/or perceivable response is foolish. I just don't buy it. Congress is attacking video games because, unlike music or movies, its constituents don't play them or understand them. The video game industry, despite being a billion dollar industry, is still not an established media. And it won't be until we have gamers in the House or Senate; gamers who play Gears or Metal Gear or Resistance 2 instead of Minesweeper and Solitaire.

  • Posted Nov 6, 2008 12:15 pm PT
  • Category: Editorial
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• 30May 08

  The New Hotness - GameCrashers blog is now open

  

  ↑ Grab this Headline Animator

  I'll repost most blog posts from GameCrashers here. But I need a home base to blog from. A podcast or video cast may be in the works soon. Stay tuned and come check out my new blogging home.

  • Posted May 30, 2008 2:51 pm PT
  • Category: News
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• 22Jan 08

  5 Reasons...

  ...why Fox News should be ignored when it comes to how they report on video games and the industry.

  Please watch this video first: http://www.gametrailers.com/player/usermovies/163925.html

  Problem #1: For every study that comes out proving that video games desensitize kids to violence, sex, and whatever other nonsense, there is another study that comes out not a day later that disproves the previous study. Studies only prove one thing...people are putting too much effort into relying on studies to prove their point rather than learn more about what they're talking about.
  
  Problem #2: The opponents of the gaming industry don't play the games they rail against. No one in this panel, except Jeff, played the game. This is like "Make it up as you go along" journalism. How can anyone respect tactics like that?
  
  Problem #3: The nice lady they brought on got it wrong. The average age of a gamer today is 33...not 16. Yes, parents are playing video games, because the kids of the Pong and Pac-man generation are having kids now. This will continue to increase. And this foolish argument that gaming is "kid" oriented will go away.
  
  Problem #4: For some reason, when a M rated game is thrust into the media spot-light because of a 2 minute segment of bare ass being shown...the media get wide-spread amnesia and selectively 'forgets' that an M rated title is for ADULTS! Plus, these people also seem to constantly get amnesia about the existence of games that are rated E7, E10, and T.
  
  Problem #5: Fox is dated reporting. They are the political dinosaur of the journalist/publicist world. They are so right of center that almost anything they say should be taken with such a small grain of salt that it is only slightly above the level of being ignored. When people report something from a place of total and complete ignorance...it's not reporting. It's called libel. It's also called slander.
  
  If nothing else, it's just called "bad reporting".

  (While this article is primarily a response to the video above, it's also about promoting decent journalism and not reporting things from a position of ignorance and fear. How can a network talk about the impact of a video game on people when no one has played it? It's because Fox isn't interested in what video games really are. They are making political statements, not reporting the news. Don't let Fox News manipulate the truth.)

  • Posted Jan 22, 2008 5:49 pm PT
  • Category: Editorial
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