More US states target video game violence

They tried this crap with the music industry at one time, claiming that some songs glorified violence and death, blah blah.... Seems nobody can take respinsibilty for their own actions anymore. So quick to pass the blame.....

Of course! Blame computer game, not parents who have raised their kids to kill people.

I suppose that if this happens then kids at school who are 17-18 will start selling M rated games to minors for a price slightly higher than what they paid. Violent games will become "hot". They will then be sold the same way drugs are. Hell, I wouldn't mind making some cash this way. And if I get caught, I'm making a point that keeping these games away from minors is not fair. I'm almost 17 so I could almost do this sort of thing. On top of that, I'm 500% sure that game companies would hate this, just like cigarette companies hate that kids can't buy them. But unlike cigarettes, there is piracy for video games. And kids may find that their only way to truly play these games without paying a fee to get them from someone else is to (A) learn something and (B) download them. Not really a good idea.

I think that video games like the Grand Theift Auto Series should be banned or in the near future there should be idenification showing that your 17 or older to buy these games...After the movie 2Fast 2Furious two boys jorided around Washington D.C. and struck a building killing them selves instanly, why can't you think that they weren't influenced by the movie? There is to much violence in the world these days, more violent video games is not going to help!!!

lols this is crazy..

What happened to the responsibility of the parents? Is it the gaming industry's fault that some the child's parents bought him a game. Also, there ARE some children who are mentally unstable, and shouldn't be playing games like that. So why does it fall on the responsibility of the gaming industry to look out for them. That's the downfall of our society. We always look for someone to blame, when we really should just blame ourselves. If the parents wouldn't allow them to play the game, then this wouldn't happen.

You only as infulenced as you want to be. If you want to go joy riding around at unsafe speads cause you saw it in a staged production where everything is planned and nothing is real except the words then you have alot of growing up to do. No one other than your parents and close family would know this. Putting an age restiction on something isn't going to help when 21 year old has the mental age of 14. Parents have to teach there childeren about this "new" seciety so they will not be so subjective to peer and social pressures. "When noone/nothing tells you to stop you just keep going untill something stops you!" Ced

It ain't the videogames. It ain't the TV. It ain't the literature. It's us. Next time your friend goes and beats the living daylights out of another guy simply over the reason: "He stole my vodka and I don't want to buy another bottle because I am underaged.", maybe you should tell him to quit whining and beat the living daylights out of him.

I live in washington state and the laws about games here suck. The only store I know of were a minor can by a video game that is m rated is EB games. The people at the capital are all pussys.

I am sick of hearing this bullshit. it says right on the package M RATED, NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN <18 (or something to that effect) i like how it seems like nobody is trying to stop all the drinking and smoking underage children are being involved with.... in my high school of 1200 , i could easily say that half drink, and one third smoke pot and/or ciggeretes. video games are for sheer fun, they keep children content and if anything they prevent violence. any murderers who play video games were doomed to that when they were born, video games cant change that

(Dont MEAN to be racist) How come US are so parnoid about this stuff? In england if someone said to a cop (after killing someone) that GTA inspired them (you copied it) then he would tell you to shut the fuck up. We dont get this problem over here. Anyway most people in our country wouldnt be stupid enough to that anyway. At the moment no games have been banned, hope it stays this way.

Yes, it's the video games fault. I know after playing Super Mario Bros. I went out and smashed my head into bricks and jumped on turtles. I ate mushrooms that made me grow and added 30 years to my life. I just love how we don't want to let kids have access to video games deemed too violent, but we can go ahead and let them buy all the profanity laden music and violent movies they want. Once Congress realizes that video games aren't "a kid's toy" they may change... then again, the US loves to blame others for everything... The US society is just too quick tempered and has access to too many means for killing others, but damn it, it's our god given right to have that AK-47 for our protection (and who cares if it's used to kill other people we can just blame Seasame Street for that one, after all it has a mailman in it and everyone knows about mailmen going postal...)

Anyway, you can pick up any game for the age of 11 in britain, this is because we can have Solo Debit Cards (no cheque book etc.) so we can buy off the internet. So i can buy games of the internet without concent from my parents!

Actually, more adults play these games than children nowadays; but teens are a lot smarter than people think, they know that there is a difference between shooting a cop in the face in a video game, and doing it in real life; if they didn't, there would be far more cases to cite, than just three or four, there would be thousands! Lets stop giving a few murderous teens a way out, by allowing them to blame games for their actions. And anything that is outlawed automatically becomes absolutely neccesary, like Prohibition and outlawing drugs, also, there will be a coolness associated with being able to play "the latest banned (or restricted) video game", and more, not less teens will be playing them.

This who;e debate really pisses me off. Joe Lieberman, Tipper Gore, Hillary Clinton, you WA state Reps, I have a request.... SHUT THE F@#$ UP. I love how they want to blame the game maker. What the hell happened to personal responsibility? That young man who killed those cops, did the game make him pull the trigger? Did it stand there and hold his hand?? F$%^ no. The only person to blame for his actions is himself. He made the concious choice to do what he did. Was he influenced by the game? Maybe. But he's a dumbass for imitating it. There is an old argument that works for this, used for guns: Guns don't kill people... people kill people. Same with games.

We live in a world that likes to make excuses for our mistakes. Why isn't sports banned. Sports stars influence the youth of the world and drive inspiring athletes to persue a career in football & hockey, both a violent sport. The parents need to start acting like parents and stop blaming others for their childrens stupid choices. I have grown up playing Dungeon & Dragons and all sorts of violent games and watching violent movies but not once did I ever try to recreate anything I saw in a game or in a movie. I had REAL parents who monitored what I did and raised me to understand RIGHT from WRONG.

its the parent's fault, obviously if all parents tought their kids to be responsible and how to act, murder would be very minimal, my favorite part about this is how they train the army to kill people and its not at all thought of as wrong, but when we play games like these for fun, and some little crazy fuck kills a cop and real life, its the games fault. it was obviously a horrible parent's fault, and she/he doesnt want to be blamed for it, so they try to plant it on the games.

I think it's a great idea Because before Video Games and Television people were never killed and nobody ever went over the speed limit, especially not children. Game companies should definently be punished for its invention of joyriding and guns and murder.

im glad these said "video games and movies" have the same effect in canada and other countries without these problems. wow, the U.S. is so phucked up and we cant admit we dont know why, so we blame entertainment.

Seryu, the world has changed a lot since then, its not computers. its humans rights org. , they make fucking stupid rules which protect children from being punished for there behaviour. in britain kids can do what they like basically because parents arent allowed to hit there children. one guy in northern england got put in prison for grounding (putting in room) his teenage daughter for being a fucktard. then when he got out he told the solcial worker to take her with them because he had a enough. WHAT DOES THAT EXPLAIN ABOUT MODERN SOCIETY????? its not the companies, its the human rights bastards that prevent parents from punishing their children and brining them up correctly!

Personal responsibility is a lost concept these days.

so how about we start holding General Motors responsible for all the traffic accidents that happen every day?

What a fucked up idea this is. I take it as a personal insult to say that if I play a violent game or watch a violent movie or listen to "inappropriate" music, that I will go out and try to imitate what I see or hear. Do they really think America's youth is that stupid? Don't get me wrong, some are, but a humongous majority of us aren't fucking idiots. Those who say a ban will incite even more playing of the games are absolutely right. It didn't work with alcohol prohibition, it's not working with drugs, and it sure as hell won't work with violent video games. People just need to realize that it is a video game, not real life, and they need to realize the consequences of repeating the acts in real life. They need to stop blaming the video games, and start developing some common sense. If people are really this stupid, then why not just ban violence in movies or games completely

I think its the parents fault for all these younger kids imitating what they see, hear and play, because the parents go out and buy the game even though it has the rating stamped on it. My girlfriend's sister bought her 8 yr old son the new GTA:SA and she had no idea what it had until she sat with hit to watch. The parents have no clue what they buy their kids sometime, maybe if they payed a little more attention to them this wouldn't happen as offen, no offense to anyone. But I think they should try carding people like they do with alcohol, worth a try right?

this proably sounds wierd, but ratings wouldnt be nessisary if parents told their the children before they play the game that its game and that they should copy things they learn on it. if they do they would obviously receive punishment. Ive been playing (18) rated games since i was 7 and ive never tried to copying things of them (common sense) because my parents told me not to because it would end up in trouble. its all about the way parents bring their children!

Here we go again is right. All this can be basically taken down to it's base level. Some people are idiots. I just don't mean in the vague sense of the word we use everyday day. Like when the guy in front of of you has had his turn signal on for 6 miles, but real hardcore morons. I will agree that media in any from can be influential. It dictates how a lot of people talk and dress and what they do in their free time. And that is fine I guess for all the lemmings. That is a hinge of culture. But to absolve anyone from committing horrific acts by blaming music, TV or games is absurd. The people that say they did these things because of something like that are morons and we don't need then as a society anyway. They would have committed some other act act of random violence with or without "the game" as it seems to be in the is case. What happened to personal responsibility? What happened to a base set ideals that tell what is right and wrong? Don't these values start at home and in the community you grow up in? Let's sue the parents of these kids. That will send a message to every person out there who should have never had kids in the first place. I think it is just another way to turn a blind eye to a greater social ill, that has nothing to do with video games, TV, music or whatever else the "finger" gets pointed at. No one want to take personal responsibility for their actions. And for lack of any poetic way to say this, "That is bullshit!" Does anyone remember the phrase; "It you can't do the time, don't do the crime?" Oh wait I guess not since I can randomly go out and extinguish another human being and when I get caught just blame entertainment. Because I am incapable of thinking for myself"

blaming music, video games, tv shows, and everything else for the violence it's like blaming the gun or the bullet for the murder. If i hear a song telling me to kill somebody I would have to be a real idiot or psycho in order to do it. If my kid would commit suicide or a murder I would blame myself for being a bad parent instead of going to his bedroom looking for cds and dvds to blame.

It will NEVER cease to amaze me that certain individuals will blame anyone or anything for their actions.

there are alot of things that influnce kids today. I will agree that video games can be influnsing, but what it all boils down to is this. when I was a kid i did someting wrong I got a wopin. thats called DISIPLEN if half the people who do that stupid crap had received a little when they where kids that would know that if they do wrong then the get there butt bet if not by there parents then by a fellow inmate. Disiplen and a little thing I like to call "THE BIBLE" would solve a lot of problems today.

Not wish to get to argumentative, but I am a great believer in that religion has caused nearly all the problems in the world today. When people get self-righteous, it all goes wrong. When people cannot think for themselves & let other people do it, society can go into rack & ruin. History continues to teach us that. Past & present.

I think that the intelligence of children is always greatly under-estimated. 99.999% know right from wrong.

Wow, that was my 1000th post!!! I have far too much time on my hands!!

I agree with you that religion can go to far, but if you just use it as a guide. mabye take some of the advice. I also agree with you about the child think but what i think is that they need to be taught that there are punisments for doing the wrong.

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I am a great believer in that religion has caused nearly all the problems in the world today.

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I think that saying that religion is to blame is the same a saying that games are to blame. yes religion can be taken to far or to litteral if you look in to it too much it can cause problems. its not religion its people taking it to far. the same thing can be said about every thing else. if you take a Movie/game to litteral and go try to imitate it then you are the problem. Like though shall not kill, and though shall not comit adultry I think both of those are good ideas. but dont take it to far.

Just look at how screwed up the bible belt is in the States. We have major probs with the Catholics & Protestants in Ireland. I think that grown men screaming to 6 & 7 year old children that they are bastards, scum & filth is unbelievable. My parents kept me away from the church. I am eternally grateful. What with the amount of priests who have molested children, the church did NOTHING. They still have a very hard time in accepting that there is a problem. Christians appear to preach absolute intolerance to certain sections of the community, they very rarely forgive. The same absolute intolerance & unacceptance that others may wish to belong to another religious group, or alternate life style is the same in many religions. Religion is all about control & fear. So many religions use this as a tool.

"Like though shall not kill, and though shall not comit adultry I think both of those are good ideas. but dont take it to far." So you think it is acceptable to kill or cheat on your partner? I still think that you underestimate children. My friend has a 3 year old son. When he watches "Ice Age" there is a bit where Manny & the crew are in a cave. There are drawings which come to life, where we see Mannys' parents get killed. We hear only music, no words. My friends sons' face screws up when he watches it. You can see he is upset by the images. He can understand, without words, what is exactly going on. He always turns to his mum for a hug. She obviously reciprocates. To me, that shows intelligence & understanding of the emotions fear, love & the need for comfort. Children are light years ahead of us sometimes I think. I must admit that seeing him upset & his reactions provoked deep emotions in myself. To manipulate such a caring & thoughtful little mind with religion is the worst thing that you can do. Children sometimes do need disciplining. Telling them that they will rot in hell for not believing in Jesus is NOT the way to do it. If anyone tells him that, I will personally ram the bible down that persons throat & kick the shit out of them. Then set them on fire with a 5 gallons of petrol, whilst gaily throwing wood & paper on the bastard. Of course people can go too far. It is up to the religious leaders to correct them. Like that will ever happen! For me you can shove it.

no i think that it is not all right for you to say that playing a game is killing.

or going to watch a movie at the theater and there is a sex seen and you get a hard on. i dont think that is adultry but some people who take religion to far would.

People have corrupted what religion is truly about. They've turned the bible into the biggest book of excuses ever known. For the majority of "Christians" today religion is nothing more than a form of mental masturbation - a way for them to feel superior to everyone else. Here's why I say that: Have a prostitute off the street walk into any suburban church and see how many of them accept her as a fellow human being equal to themselves - not a damn one of them would. The ironic thing is that Jesus - the guy they're supposedly modeling their life after - knelt down and washed a prostitute's feet in front of his disciples. He treated her as a human being equal to him and everyone else.

The catholics have also been found out. Mary of Magdelene was NOT a prostitute. Again, the zealots twisted the story to suit their purposes. Neph, you speak many words of wisdom my friend.

"Let him who has not sinned, cast the first stone" Religion could learn a lot from that.

Yep. All they know how to do is point fingers.

A humourous read. http://www.gamespy.com/articles/593/593223p1.html

That was tops!!

Thought you all might want to read some of this that is going around my area... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38402-2005Mar15.html and this one... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38398-2005Mar15.html Would like to here what everyone thinks...

americans are retarded anyway so hows a little video game gonna make a differance?

Well, I don't know about you all, but I can say this...I really don't hear much about anything regarding video game violence happening across the water, like in countries like Africa, New Zeland, or even the UK. Kinda makes you wonder if we are supposedly the economic power house of the world, if we can't take a hint from other societies who are doing a good job at lessening the argument of violence in video games. Honestly speaking, I think that America is a backwards country in deed. We here, have WAY too many choices, but I guess that is a good thing in a way to promote freedom and equality. This whole stand against violent video games is ridiculous, just like saying that rap music is the cause for gangs. Oh please, yeah like I am really going to believe that. Alot of people here like to blame others for their non-responsible behavior. To say the least, it is the parents who need to keep a watchful eye on their kids. They are the key. You can't go around and blame video game makers for creating an outlet for people. As one grows up, you would hope that you were taught right from wrong...you do a crime, you go to jail. But in todays society, especially in America, we are a country poised by greed and corruption. We are lenient with youth, and give them a way out. If I were a judge, I wouldn't be lenient. Parents are the key. Governments, teachers, and all other adults, are NOT supposed to be watching your kids. It doesn't take much. All of us here have played games of all types of violence, but it doesn't mean we are going to go out there and start committing crimes. Case in point...http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42198-2005Mar16.html Now honestly, is this what we have been reduced too. I remember when I was growing up, we had violent games and had rap music, heavy metal, and so forth...yet nothing like this happened. The worst thing you got, was getting teased at school at the beginning of the year if you parents bought you BK's (British Knights) But I guess this statement is true, that I heard from a good friend of mine....

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Society in itself is not evolving.....it is devolving

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Hey folks, don't mean to add more fuel to the fire... But this just happened yesterday. Take a close look the one of the factors that says that drove him to do this...not the racial part, because this is also along the same lines as the video game controversy. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7259823/ It is only a matter of time, when they are going to say cause what he listened too and what he watched drove him to do this.

he was a paki what do you expect, im suprised he didnt do a suicide bomb instead!

Quote; "he was a paki what do you expect, im suprised he didnt do a suicide bomb instead!" If there were ever a bigoted remark, that was it. I am, quite honestly, disappointed with that point of view Pulsar.

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If there were ever a bigoted remark, that was it. I am, quite honestly, disappointed with that point of view Pulsar.

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@ otester You've been nothing but an ignorant moron the whole time you've been here. Anymore racial epithets and you're going bye bye.

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You've been nothing but an ignorant moron the whole time you've been here. Anymore racial epithets and you're going bye bye.

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otester, if you want to start a flame war, then go ahead. Just have a look at your posts, you will see why you are gaining a reputation. You ignorance to the worlds' problems is quite apparent. Your knowledge of religion is too, lacking somewhat. Your attitudes do not help people to be nice. Why are you bitter & offensive towards other people? Is that how you get your kicks? I really hope that neph will close this thread & consign it to the history books, rather like you should be. LOL!

I just went through quite a few of otester's posts and he should've been banned long ago.