Yet another fear mongering newspaper article

[Sterlk]

This one courtesy of Australia's Sydney based Sunday edition of 'The Daily Telegraph'.

 

I'm in the mood for typing so here's the writeup:

 

 

Video game fans can buy cocaine, visit strip clubs, fire rocket-launchers and set enemies alight in a violent game that has triggered deep concern by family groups.

 

The latest edition of Grand Theft Auto, to be released worldwide on Tuesday, contains such graphic violence that it had to be modified to meet Australian standards.

 

The Film and Literature Classification Board gave Grand Theft Auto IV an MA15+ rating and warned consumers expect strong violence, coarse language and frequent drug and sexual references.

 

"Violence includes hand-to-hand combat and use of carious weapons, including knives, baseball bats, a nightstick, pistols, machine guns, shotguns, rifles, grenades and rocket-launchers," the board warned.

 

"As the violence is relatively frequent, causing blood spray and injury detail, the impact is strong."

 

Australian Family Association spokeswoman Angela Conway said such violence affect behavior more than a violent film.

 

"Research... indicates there's quite a distinct correlation showing up between between exposure to violence in media and increases in violent attitudes and behavior in young people," she said.

 

Child psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg said the game provided a good opportunity for parents to use a lock-out system on the gaming console to stop children playing it.

 

You don't have to tell me how stupid these people are, not only is the referenced research weak at best and the so-called expert opinions completely bias and fear mongering, but they haven't even seen the game nor is it meant for or advertised to the children that they are trying to supposedly protect.

 

I know its not a great parallel, but porn is easily accessible by minors and we don't see too many people trying to ban that do we? Nor do we see outrage whenever the next big Lesbian porn movie comes around.

 

Adults should be able to view what they want, that's what's going to happen. If you don't want your child to play the game then shut up about it and don't buy it for them.

 

I know people are entitled to their opinion, but so is the conspiracy theorist who sends the local newspaper pictures of UFOs. Bottom line is there's some pretty idiotic opinions out there, half of them held by Family First censorship nutjobs and the other half held by Jack Thompson.

 

I know you're reading this Thompson you self-Googling piece of crap! Know that you're opinions are outdated, morals immoral and general behavior appalling. Hence your future disbarment.

 

... and that's my rant

[GTA3Freak-2001]

I find it funny, the article goes nowhere really.

[Sterlk]

 

I find it funny, the article goes nowhere really.

I know, it appeared some pages in... makes me think they just put it in there as filler. The only people that will take notice are the over-sensitive mums of the nation, if they even see it that far in the paper.

 

Is it just me or are the arguments against GTA getting weaker? They've always repeated themselves though. Research-this and studies-that. If you don't want to see it, then don't play/watch. Let the rest of us enjoy.

 

Simple.

[Fuzzknuckles]

Whether it's targeted at kids or not, kids will always get hold of it.

 

There's been loads of discussions about this, which have basically resulted in loads of people too young to play whining about how they feel mature enough to play it and stating that they're going to play it anyway, because they're going to blag their parents into letting them.

 

My stance on this has always been "Please don't play if you're too young, as you're indirectly responsible for endangering future releases for ALL OF US".

 

They just don't get it. Until there are really strict guidelines for restricting games for minors, this will continue to happen.

 

The only logical step to limiting this impact, which won't completely work, but would be a step in the right direction is having a license to own a console, which must be shown when buying games. Of course, this will be abused by careless parents that just want their kids to stop whining, but it will reduce the effect that these kids have when getting hold of games they shouldn't.

 

I don't particularly support the idea of a console license, but I can see it would at least help a bit.

[completeidiot23]

My Grandad reads that paper and showed me the other day I was gonna post. Then I got into an argument how things get automatically organized. Like when ppl say cartoon they think kids shows, but no way is Happy Tree friends or Drawn Together for children. And is the same for video games. I agree that it goes nowhere and was used to cover blank space. Thanks for posting.

[SevenII]

Laughable, just like all the rest of the anti-GTA campains out there.

They are just chasing their own tails now. Nothing to worry about.

[Beider]

I don't mind fear mongering but lies I do mind.

 

"Research... indicates there's quite a distinct correlation showing up between between exposure to violence in media and increases in violent attitudes and behavior in young people," she said.

 

Pure lies, no research has ever proven any relation between real life violence and video games. If they had managed to actually prove it, well, video games would have been banned a long time ago.

 

Actually there is a state released report from Britain earlier this year, it's a huge report sponsored by the UK government just on this subject. Made by a TV psychiatrist as well. Guess what, she actually decided to do some real work instead of using it to get PR, she concluded that violence in video games have no relation to real world violence.

 

What did the report conclude with? There has never been proven a single relation between violence and video games.

 

Here are some links,

 

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/24/british-...rmful-than-mov/

 

http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2008_0060

[Loves2Spooge]

Is this article about banning the whole game or just to kids? I can't tell what the point is because it's already illegal to sell to kids