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US Supreme Court to Consider Law Limiting the Sale of Violent Video Games
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Well get ready for a blockbuster Supreme Court hearing. :( |
Yay! I <3 this law, even if it's not in my country.
Finally some sense :| |
Even if this thing goes through, it's not like it's going to work. Violent games will find their way into the hands of minors whether they like it or not, so they might as well just let the video game industry regulate itself in that regard. I doubt it'll pass, anyway. All their findings are based on obviously bogus studies, and that guy in the article is right about it being easier for a kid to obtain an R-rated movie than an M-rated game.
We the minor-gamers have nothing to worry about, not even the ones who live in California. |
It's always baffled me, the way things work in the U.S. (at least in this respect).
In South Africa, Europe, and most other parts of the world, openness about sex is generally accepted as a natural human impulse && process. Meanwhile, extreme violence in media is censored as unnatural, dangerous, && counterproductive. In the U.S., this seems to be reversed. That's not to say that everyone who plays Diablo is going to become an insane psychopathic murderer. But to deny that regular exposure to violence doesn't have a psychological affect on those who play these games extensively would be foolish. Good on the courts. Freedom of speech && expression don't equate to elimination of censorship in nessecary cases. Just as the civil liberties guaranteed in the Constitutions of the world are established to maintain free society, some forms of censorship && self-limitations for extreme cases are established for the maintenence of a stable society. |
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Sure, it will stop a 13 year old from walking into Game Stop and buying GTA with his allowance. It's not going to stop his older brother or his best friend's older brother or his own parents from going into Game Stop and buying the game for him. The whole nudity vs. violence exposure in the U.S. thing is a different can of worms, though. >_> |
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Violence, on the other hand, is pretty censored as well for the same reason(s) that this supposed law is coming up. It's definitely more prevalent than some cases of nudity, though. I see the root of most of this from society's insane paranoia that because a little kid sees a gun, he'll become a sociopath and run around murdering people, or because the same little kid sees somebody breastfeeding (as in, using a body part for what it's meant to be used for), he'll grow up confused and as an outsider. I'd get into it more since there's parts of it I feel strongly about, but I don't want to risk overstepping boundaries in the community here. |
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That's not the point I'm trying to make. They're not gonna go murdering people, but if a child sees graphic violence excessively during stages of development, it does have an effect on their personality, just as significant exposure to anything else detrimental would. Likewise, seeing breastfeeding or nudity in art or occasionally in media isn't going to turn a child into a twisted pervert, but if they're sitting in front of porn for seven hours a day, it's going to leave its impression. As with everything else in a consistently stable society, I believe moderation is the key. |
either way they can't go through with it- First amendment rights
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I'm curious to see what the court does with this. I hope it doesn't come down to a simple opinion poll of the justices on the seeing-violence-makes-you-violent vs. seeing-violence-has-no-effect-on-kids spectrum. |
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I go to an American International School where they actually have a semester-long course on the U.S. Constituion, comparing it with our own. It's surprising how many limitations there are on the Amendment that Americans tried to use to defend nearly every kind of action they've ever taken. The question isn't whether it violates the First Amendment, I think, as much as whether the Court will classify excessive video game violence as obscene. Lower courts have set the precedent at "no", but in global history, the higher courts don't necessarily follow lower courts' precedents. Regrettably though, I have to agree that even if the Court rules in favour of censorship in certain cases, it'll be difficult to actually enforce. Quote:
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I think if they rule in favor of the state of California, they're going to completely mess up the very well designed ESRB rating system (which, in my opinion is far more balanced, fair, and a better guideline that the movie rating system employed in the US - they even explain individual ratings rulings, iirc, and consistently re-evaluate games and include locked content on the game disc in their ratings, whereas movies can get away with "unrated" content on their DVD/VHS/Blu-Ray releases D; ).
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@Hamilton: Won't stop the biased against video games older generation that inhabits the Supreme Court, though. D; And this wouldn't stop kids from getting violent games... it'd just put the decision in the hands of the majority of parents who have no idea what's what in video games because they don't do their research before buying a game. D; |
Dear Government,
Please stop making dumb laws that do nothing and try to focus on more important stuff like unemployment and how we are in debt up past our eyeballs to China. Thanks, The Rest of America Quote:
Law is bad, They shouldn't be allowed to tell you what you can/cannot buy just because "OMG IT VIOLENT!" They have age-related ratings on the games for a reason. :| |
I like any law that reduces the chance of children becoming exposed to violent (and sexual) media.
The law itself may not help all that much, but it's an effort. I'm sure a few thousands kids won't be exposed to these bad influences if this law were to pass, and I find that that's a success. |
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@Yusshin: Would you feel the same way if the law was passed in your country? |
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See, there's that First Amendment thing again. =\\ The. First. Amendment. has. restrictions. in. regards. to. obscenity. Please. understand. your. rights. before. invoking. them. Quote:
As a matter of fact, her country, my country, the European Union, && many others have passed laws restricting or censoring excessively violent video games. Oddly enough, we're still getting by. Quote:
I think though, that what this will do is provide more incentive for stores to make sure they're checking IDs, and for that matter, verifying that they aren't fake IDs. There's nothing that can be done to prevent parents, siblings, or friends from buying M-rated games for minors. That I won't deny. But there is much that can be done to ensure that stores are honouring ESRB ratings which, as donavannj pointed out, are well devised. As an added benefit, revenue collected from the fines can be used to fund financially-strapped local governments, as the money collected would likely go to them. I don't see why everyone's in such an uproar about this. All it really does is give government an ability to actually enforce the law. |
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That's what I feel is the core issue about violence in video games and teens getting their hands on violent games. Lack of a parent doing research before buying a game for their teen/kids. D; |
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Thats true. But they cannot tell companies what they can and cannot sell. The companies are a free entity can produce whatever they want as long as there are proper labels attatched and/or warnings applied. Please. Understand. What. You. Are. Typing. Before. You. Type. It. Also, agreeing with donovannj, if a parent is willing to buy a game for their child that is excessively violent/sexual/has goatse references, don't worry about it, its not your job, nor the governments job, nor anyone but the parent's job to worry about what goes on with that child and what video games he does/does not play. I personally don't care if kids buy violent/sexual video games. I mean, they are going to see it sooner or later. Sheltering them only makes them turn out worse imo. They are more sheltered and more naive. People who blame their violent actions on video games are just crazy nutjobs who should be kept out of society anyway. Parents are responsible for the actions of their children. If they aren't willing ot accept that responsibility, then they ought not be parenting. |
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That has nothing to do with the first ammendment though lol
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I meant they can't in regards to the first ammendment, however regarding non-speech related products they can.
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A game in no way will provoke violence in a stable citizen and that's why theirs a rating on it. Please believe I understand my right completely, please don't insult my intelligence. Your government obviously isn't charging 1000 euros for not following this law. |
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Case and point. Quote:
In a perfect world I would agree with you; I'm quite the Libertarian. But here's the catch: In many states, it's already illegal to sell M-rated games to minors without parental consent. Many other large firms have a company-wide policy that extend that rule, even to states that don't have the requirement in law. That being said, enforcing laws && policies that are already in place doesn't seem too outrageous. There's more critical aspects of the private sector under risk of government encroachment that need to be focused upon. Regulation of sales of certain goods to minors is just a matter of commerce. Quote:
Most sane people wouldn't the censorship of throwing a set of ninja stars at a zombie to cripple it, then running up to it, cutting open its chest with a knife && ripping out its intestines "sheltering" of a child. Those who do probably shouldn't be parenting. Quote:
I agree with you on fundamentals, but I'm a realist. Many parents of the 21st Century shouldn't be parenting to begin with, && several either won't be informed enough to or won't care to research the video games they allow their children to purchase. For the same reason drugs, alcohol, R-rated movies, sex-related products, tobbaco, lottery cards, and a variety of other goods have limitations on their avalibility to minors, so should excessively violent or profane video games. Quote:
Why is it such a big deal? Parents who still approve of or believe their children are mature enough to play such video games can still purchase the games for their children. All this does is fine companies that sell M-rated games to children directly, which is against the laws of several states && policies of even more companies to begin with. |
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