Video Game Violence?

Question

What type of laws should be made for video game violence when it comes to young children? I already know that there's the video game rating system and that parents are to blame for it. But I just want to know how it can be enforced.

Answer 1

The main type of VG violence that I have a problem with are the games that glorify criminal behavior, like Grand Theft Auto or Hitman. Those games could be seen as encouraging kids to actually break the law. As for the enforcement of the laws on the books (the rating system), it's sort of tough to find out if the parent buying the game is really buying it for a child that's old enough to play it. I suppose that you could always turn someone in if they bought a game for their child who was too young, but I'm not sure what the punishment would be for that parent, if any.

Answer 2

The most of a law I would say is do like they do with R ratings. If it is rated M(mature) or an R rated movie make the person show ID that they are 18 or older. If that person gives it to someone younger what is the store supposed to do?

Grand Theft Auto DOESN'T glorify violence for those of you who have clearly never played it. Fine the first one basically did. The point that it ended up in from GTA 3 and on was a STORY based game. Yeah you are a criminal, at least you have cops after you though and one of the main targets is other gangs. I could just imagine if most of you played GTA:San Andreas. You would be amazed at how it DOESN'T glorify violence or gang/thug life. If anything it would be more against gangs when you take the whole story into view. Heck the cops that are the major problem in that game, beyond ones you bring on yourself, are the corrupt ones.

Answer 3

It's difficult to control such things in a system as worthless as ours (especially when parents dont care). Just look how PG-13 movies work - they can show breasts, and say the F-word once per film, so every kid on the planet gets full access... and that's just PG-13. Remember Titanic, with its nude scene, and implied sex scene? Every kid on the planet saw that.

Going against video game violence would be difficult, because, like movies, even games that are rated T (teen, 13+), have full-blown violence (minus gore), some language, and implied sexual material. Getting the MPAA and ESRB to enforce better ratings would be like asking a snowboarder to snowboard uphill, because they only get more lenient every day.

As for a working solution, I would just recommend increasing 13+ ratings to 17+, and utterly banishing children from rated R movies and rated M games.

It probably wouldn't actually happen... until and unless there was a nationwide vote, which is long overdue. Some of these important things just never make it to the ballot, which is a shame, because voters would annihilate these issues.

By the way, I'm a developer of a violent game (see link below).

Answer 4

It is being enoforced just fine. You see, this subject is a political balance politicians use, there is no real issue about a video game epidemic of violent children. In fact the crime rate has decreased amongst youths since the recovery of the gameindustry collapse. Politicians sometimes fabricate an issue that can be believeable and throw bills at it to gain publicity to sway votes. This is no exception. There is no existing study that proves that video games alter a childs personality, However, studies do show that it effects their relative behavior (meaning that they take in whats shown to them for the time that they are only playing the games, not afterwards). Not every kid is the same though and some should be careful what they introduce children to (parents responsibility not the states). Be very careful what you read, there is alot of money put into state wide ban legislation of video games every year (there is a lobbying factor within all of this, who makes what buck, ya know?). 8 times out of ten the articles you will read online are fruadulant about this issue.

Answer 5

You as a parent have the power to choose what your child plays. If you don't like violent games then don't let your child play them. Or do your children have a big enough allowance to afford an $50-80 video game? Why should law makers have anything to do with this? As someone once said "Hitler didn't have cable" meaning take a look at some of the most violent of people throughout history and almost all of them did not have TV, cable, video games, suggestive music or movies.

Answer 6

one they could actually use it in the stores and two parents can actually care. Many modern parents assume it's the same as the sticker on thier maddona tapes in the 80's and often it is, so thiers no distinction between war violence which is ok to you and gang/ cop killing violence like Grand theft auto.

Young children especially don't get anything you don't give them and you have control over seeing presents and stuff. You should test the games out or ask the salesman about the game.

most parents may rather not but give in to the childs demands for the hot games. no laws are really needed for young children as they have zero buying power and should not be wandering wal mart by themselves.

Answer 7

It cant be enforced. A kid under 17 cant go buy a mature rated game. If you want to protect children from seeing this violence, the parents shouldnt buy the games for them. Why do we need laws for everything now a days? What ever happened to parenting? Dont let the government parent our kids, let the parents do the parenting.

Answer 8

Violence is a part of life. Of course you don't want your children to see horrible real life things if you can help it but video games are still cartoony.

The way you can prevent your children from seeing things you don't want them to see or do is to preview something or look at a website that describes the game that they want. You can't control what happens to other peoples children unless you want a fascist or totalitarian state.

What might be even better for you to do is to try to prevent children of the world seeing horrible real life violence by supporting whatever foreign policy you think will prevent that. Then when your children grow up they won't have to face them in war, hopefully.

Answer 9

For one, game sellers need to be more strict when it comes to selling games to minors. For the most part, most game stores don't even ask for an ID when someone is buying an M rated game. There should be a policy where any one who buys an M-rated game needs to show their ID . Enforce the law like tobacco and alcohol. If you buy tobacco or alcohol, you have to show your ID, no matter how old you are.

Answer 10

Well it's enforced since minors under the age of 17 can't purchase games rated M for mature, and it's really hard for parents not to notice their kids playing violent vidoe games in THEIR OWN HOMES. I mean seriously, do you need police officer standing next to your TV so you can be sure of what your kid is watching.