Illinois Seeks to Curb Explicit Video Games

[chimpy2121]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...licitvideogames

 

Wow...I hate Rod Blagojevich :fyou

[AngelasDaddy0427]

In my opinion it's about damn time.

You need to have limits. You need to have these games behind the counter much like they do with playboys. No 12 year old kid needs to be playing GTA. I like the way Wal-Mart does it with the computer prompting the clerk to ask for ID. However we need to go further. We need harsher penalties for clerks who ignore the rules and sell to kids.

[Purdue129]

I grew up on Mortal Kombat and turned out just fine

[BobDylan]

In my opinion it's about damn time.

You need to have limits. You need to have these games behind the counter much like they do with playboys. No 12 year old kid needs to be playing GTA. I like the way Wal-Mart does it with the computer prompting the clerk to ask for ID. However we need to go further. We need harsher penalties for clerks who ignore the rules and sell to kids.

Shut up mom.

[The Beast]

They don't sell San Andreas to people under 18...

[HighHeat45]

They don't sell San Andreas to people under 18...

They arent supposed to, but they still do.

 

But i dont really get it. I have played all 3 recent GTA Games alot and it doesnt make me wanna go out and kill people and steal cars like they make it seem like these games do. :rolly

[Flash Tizzle]

How about parents do some damn parenting of their children and regulate rentals themselves? If it isn't violent movies, or inappropriate content on TV, people are always complaining about trivial bulls***.

 

Past generations, including my own, grew up playing ultra-violent video games such as Doom and Mortal Kombat. Only people effected by the violence portrayed in these games are those dumb enough to reinact them in real-life. Some dumbass in rural Kansas sets his brother on fire because 'Beavis and Butthead did it' is obviously suffering some emotional imbalance. Unfortunately, its usually the acts of a few which influence nationwide reform.

 

Feminist Nazi organizations, usually uniting mothers, ruins the lives of others because of their own indiscretions. It won't be long until every violent video game, movie, magazine, book, TV show is blocked because of its "influence" on young children. Governor Blago should worry about the state budget instead of what young children are renting. Now I understand 5 year old children shouldn't be playing GTA: San Andreas, but a 10 year old is responsible enough to realize a video game is NOT reality. Tell them not to rent it, and they'll only find other methods of obtaining the game.

[Soxy]

I definitely understand that most people that play these games DON'T end up murderers or violent people.

 

But what kind of message do some of thees send? Beat up a hooker for cash? Steal cars and at the end get a reward? Aren't there more age appropriete things for kids to play? I'm not saying 16 and 17 year olds shouldn''t be allowed to play them. But I babysat for an 8 year old who played shoot 'em up games...(Well, until I saw them, then he played outside....).

 

I think a better question is really why SHOULD people play these games? What's the benefit of them?

[Texsox]

If your parents every morning woke you up and said you're stupid, you will never amount to anything, you are an idiot, do you think that would affect you? Some kids will feed their brain on nothing but this for hours a day. You cannot be exposed to those messages for that amount of time and not be affected. Same thing, only worse for kids that grow up in that environment. You are what you think about, train the mind and the body follows. Feed your brain with crap and become crap.

 

But hey, I'm sitting here on death row, what do I know?

[SnB]

I played mortal kombat when i was 8 or so......but you know what? my parents taught me values.

I agree not everyone should be playing gta, but don't blame things on videogames.

[Flash Tizzle]

But what kind of message do some of thees send? Beat up a hooker for cash? Steal cars and at the end get a reward? Aren't there more age appropriete things for kids to play? I'm not saying 16 and 17 year olds shouldn''t be allowed to play them. But I babysat for an 8 year old who played shoot 'em up games...(Well, until I saw them, then he played outside....).

 

I think a better question is really why SHOULD people play these games? What's the benefit of them?

Look no further than current generations, many of which post on this board.

 

I'm 19 years old: 1993 (perhaps 94') was the release of Mortal Kombat. A violent video game which pitted two opponents against each other. Objective? Fight until till the death. Violence mounts when the winner has the ability of performing a gruesome fatality on their opponent. I was 8-9 years old, and can attest to my own proper development.

 

GTA may be more realistic, and depict far more interacting scenarios than Mortal Kombat, but a young child should still be aware these games are not real. Unless young children are joining drug cartells and hijacking cars I find no fault in their distribution.

 

There are no noticeable benefits to playing video games, Chisox. They're simply used for entertainment value. Stimulating the mind, reinacting events which shouldn't occur in real life. Whether Madden 2004 or GTA is the video game of choice, the purpose of these games are to place yourself in an unique environment in which control rests on your decisions.

 

Movies follow a similar format. No one views horror movies because they're studying the stalking methods of Jason Vorhees. It's an escape from reality. If I was a parent, I'd be more concerned with the realism in which Hollywood deaths are portrayed.

[Flash Tizzle]

I played mortal kombat when i was 8 or so......but you know what? my parents taught me values.

I agree not everyone should be playing gta, but don't blame things on videogames.

Atleast two people weren't effected by the violent decapitation of Sub Zero.

[LowerCaseRepublican]

If people talk about seeing violent movies/video games and those having a detrimental affect on the growth of children and they will obviously follow the old adage "Monkey see, Monkey do." did anybody notice that they never mention movies like "The Passion of the Christ" -- some kids I know saw it and nobody went out trying to crucify Jews.

[Soxy]

Look no further than current

GTA may be more realistic, and depict far more interacting scenarios than Mortal Kombat, but a young child should still be aware these games are not real.  Unless young children are joining drug cartells and hijacking cars I find no fault in their distribution. 

 

There are no noticeable benefits to playing video games, Chisox.  They're simply used for entertainment value.  Stimulating the mind, reinacting events which shouldn't occur in real life.  Whether Madden 2004 or GTA is the video game of choice, the purpose of these games are to place yourself in an unique environment in which control rests on your decisions.

 

Movies follow a similar format.  No one views horror movies because they're studying the stalking methods of Jason Vorhees.  It's an escape from reality.  If I was a parent, I'd be more concerned with the realism in which Hollywood deaths are portrayed.

But when do Children know what is or isn't real or acceptable? My main objection to these games is that they are often used like a babysitter. Give a kid a video game and let them play--then no one has to take valuable time away from a busy schedule to read or play with them...

 

Again, I'm not saying these games shouldn't exist--I'm saying they are completely unbeneficial to kids that could be doing things that actually stimulate them (reading, playing outside, team sports, etc)....

 

And LCR, I would certainly NEVER let my kids watch The Passion or other pseudo-documentary crap either with that level of violence.

[chimpy2121]

They don't sell San Andreas to people under 18...

They sold it to me and im only 16, however they carded my friend who is the same age

[LowerCaseRepublican]

But when do Children know what is or isn't real or acceptable?  My main objection to these games is that they are often used like a babysitter. Give a kid a video game and let them play--then no one has to take valuable time away from a busy schedule to read or play with them...

 

Again, I'm not saying these games shouldn't exist--I'm saying they are completely unbeneficial to kids that could be doing things that actually stimulate them (reading, playing outside, team sports, etc)....

 

And LCR, I would certainly NEVER let my kids watch The Passion or other pseudo-documentary crap either with that level of violence.

I wasn't lumping you in there, just the moralist morons who try to say that anything violent movie/video game wise has to be banned etc. But they never ban movies like the Passion.

[Soxy]

I wasn't lumping you in there, just the moralist morons who try to say that anything violent movie/video game wise has to be banned etc.  But they never ban movies like the Passion.

Yeah, I figured that. I just don't buy into the idea of violence, "redemptive" or otherwise.

[Xero]

Michigan rules. I went to the store and bought San Andreas myself

[FlaSoxxJim]

I wasn't lumping you in there, just the moralist morons who try to say that anything violent movie/video game wise has to be banned etc.  But they never ban movies like the Passion.

But "Passion" was an R- or NC-17 movie, so the safeguards to insure age-appropriate viewing are in place.

 

The GTA games and games like them should not be consumed by 10 year old kids. It has nothing to do with inability to tell reality from fantasy and everything to do with exposing minds that are way too young to murder, rape, drug abuse, disregard for society and law, violence, and just about every other abscene thing that you would never in a million years want your oen 10 year old exposed to.

 

And a parent can be the best, on-top-of-things parent in the world, but that doesn't mean that your kid isn't getting exposed to the stuff at their friend's house or wherever. There is no reason these games should not be age-restricted.

[Texsox]

Another fact is the realism in today's games are many magnitudes more realistic than even 5 years ago. Soon, it will be very difficult to separate fiction from reality. Place VR eyepieces in place, walk into a 3D environment, and your brain is unable to separate.

 

The key is the number of hours and judging each kid.

 

But everyone that sees absolutely no harm in these games is kidding themselves. You cannot tell me that a kid playing these games 4-6 hours per day, which many, many kids do, isn't going to be affected by them. Take the same kid at 10 years old. Scenario one, he plays violent video games 5 hours a day. Scenario two he reads classic books for the same time. Are you really going to tell me the kid would wind up the same no matter how he spends his free time?

[DBAHO]

They've already done this down here. They banned Manhunt and Leisure Suit Larry, but you can just go to a market and pick up a pirated version for about $10. And there's no way to tell where technology could be 5 to 10 years from now, it could be virtual reality like Tex has suggested, and that could really affect younger kids with their experiences, memories etc.

[Wise Master Buehrle]

Doesn't bother me, I'll be 18 in a year.

[YASNY]

I don't believe they should be banned. Adults should be able to choose their own form of entertainment. But kids playing these games is a different matter.

[The Beast]

They arent supposed to, but they still do.

 

But i dont really get it. I have played all 3 recent GTA Games alot and it doesnt make me wanna go out and kill people and steal cars like they make it seem like these games do. :rolly

When I first got it, I had to come back and get my mom to pay for it because they needed someone who was 18.

[TheBlackSox8]

In my opinion it's about damn time.

You need to have limits. You need to have these games behind the counter much like they do with playboys. No 12 year old kid needs to be playing GTA. I like the way Wal-Mart does it with the computer prompting the clerk to ask for ID. However we need to go further. We need harsher penalties for clerks who ignore the rules and sell to kids.

lol....Walmart does like to card....I'm 20 and they carded me for buying The Matrix ...I don't look like i'm 16...but what the hell...card me anyway. They should card everyone who wants to buy age restricted movies/games/cd's. Isn't that the reason why there is age ristrictions on them.....so the kids that aren't supposed to get it don't get it...or why else put and MA rating or an R rating on something.