Monday, July 18, 2005

Video Game Sex Hack Puts Focus on Ratings

Video Game Sex Hack Puts Focus on Ratings - Yahoo! News
Shooting. Killing. Vehicular mayhem. Sexual conquests. Teenagers can experience it all through today's almost-anything-goes breed of video games, primarily among those rated "M" for mature.
"There is no doubting the fact that the widespread availability of sexually explicit and graphically violent video games makes the challenge of parenting much harder," said Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who asked the Federal Trade Commission last week to investigate one of the most violent titles, "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas."

Speaking of Hillary and Jeb. Looks like the evil video games are Hill's presidential platform. Having played GTA:San Andreas myself I have a few opinions (no surprise) on the subject. For starters, I almost agree (now that surprised ya). GTA is extremely violent and contains a whole bunch of negative social activities (murder, pimping, the list goes way on). Regardless of the sex mod I think GTA should have been rated Adults Only in the first place. Don't get me wrong, I think GTA is one of the best games I've played in years. But it sooooooo ain't for kids. No way, no how, are my kids playing that game. Which brings up where me and Hill disagree. "There is no doubting the fact that the widespread availability of sexually explicit and graphically violent video games makes the challenge of parenting much harder". Um, no. Hell, no. Let's apply my "sucks to be you" method (tm) I invented a while back.
Kid whines, "I want to play GTA".
Adult responds with "The operative word in that statement is want. Unfortunately for you, I want to be a good parent. So the answer is no.
Child whines, "But all my friends are playing it."
Adult responds "Sucks to be you."

GTA does not make parenting harder. Parents inability to say no makes it harder. Parents lack of involvement makes it harder. Parents not looking at the big fucking M 17+ stamped on the box makes it harder. For me!

Because you know what? When the kid says all her friends are playing it, she isn't lying. Twice I've had my daughters friends (11 years old) enter my computer room while I was playing (I hit the escape key to pause and hide the screen). And both times can you guess what they have said? "Are you playing GTA? That game is awesome!" No shit. After ascertaining that they have actually played the game (they had), I quietly fumed.

Fine, lets say a parent has missed all of the inflammatory newspaper articles, magazine articles, web articles, political opportunism, and TV reports about the first three GTA games. All it takes to realize that GTA is fucking inappropriate is to walk through the room for ,literally, one second. That's it. You don't even need to hear the game, just glancing at the game is enough to tell you this ain't made for children. Hell, GTA isn't even made for all adults! If some adults find it so offensive that they are willing to boycott and picket stores that sell it, why would you even think of letting your child play it? At least look at the damn thing. Yeah, I'm ranting. I know it. But is either this, or call up the parents of those kids and really lose it.

So back to Hill and Jeb. If those are the choices I have for President, I'm worse off than a mute 10 year old boy at Neverland when a priest convention is staying there. I sure as shit don't want another god-fearin' Republican in office and I refuse to support any campaign based on preying upon sorry ass parents trying to find something to blame thier fucked up kids on. News flash. If your kids are fucked up, it isn't becuase they played a video game. It's because you fucked up. And yes, I expect those words will come back and bite me on the ass. My kids will be fucked up. Everyone's kids have issues. Just like we adults do. The difference is at least I cared enough to look.

4 Comments:

At Wednesday, July 20, 2005 6:43:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Heather and I decided we're definitely borrowing your S2BU method of parenting. It totally fits in with the other methods I plan on employing....
"You don't have to like it, you just have to do it" ... "why, because I said so, that's why" ... "I am the adult, you are the child, you do what I tell you when I tell you how I tell you"..."you don't want to do it? TFB, do it anyway" ... "you sneaking out of the house is one step from being thrown out of this house" ..."go to your room" ... and one of my personal favorites, and a classic "this is my house, and these are my rules, and as long as you live here, you WILL follow them" ... we don't however plan on employing the Conrad Wheeler "push-ups" method, always seemed one degree too much for girls.

 
At Saturday, July 23, 2005 9:56:00 PM, Blogger Coherent Light said...

here's a quote I pulled out of a Yahoo news article on the rating change for GTA.
"Mill Valley, California, jewelry store owner Janet Alix wasn't aware of the rating change on the game, but said she had no plans to take it away from her 12-year-old son.

She branded government attempts to police the gaming industry as futile.

"It's like closing the door after the horse is out of the barn," Alix said. "

Yeah, cause its the video games that are the problem.

 
At Monday, July 25, 2005 8:55:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wasn't Hitler, and the rest of Germany, totally addicted to playing GTA-Rhineland during 36-39? and you know... then started all that unpleasantness... you know how bad those videogames are

 
At Saturday, July 30, 2005 10:13:00 PM, Blogger Coherent Light said...

GTA-Rhineland! Hahahahahahaha!

 

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