In gun debate, video game industry defends itself

I wonder, if gun-grabbers here at PF would support censoring the graphic violence out of video games and movies/music? They want to force gun owners to go through even more background checks and pay huge taxes on ammunition. How about making violent videos games cost $5000? That would likely keep them out of the hands of many teens and pre-teens.

 

Meh, regarding gun control and media violence, I'm perfectly comfortable with the way things are now.

 

it wont work they just get the games
off the web on torrent forums for free as lots of them do now. go for the ..............................source is the production of them like. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_development

 

ANy parent who doesn't know what games their kids are playing or movies, watching, has no one to blame but themselves if anything ever happens.

Media has zippo impact on most people. The only ones effected are those with mental disorders. You don't punish everyone because of the nuts....ever. Grew up playing games and watching violent movies. Still do it weekly. Never any incidents for me, because I'm not crazy. Now look at the nutcase kids who shoot people. What's the real problem? Meds, probably some bad genes and crappy families and depression from those crappy families.

Go after the real problem. Don't take away my entertainment.

 

Yeah I heard a blip this morning on the news. Someone, somewhere is talking about laws to outright ban violent video games. Did'nt pay much attention myself but the first amendment was brought up as sacred by the newscaster.
It did get a chuckle out of me. The First amendment is under fire even before they've willingly destroyed the second.
Why do so many have such a hard time understanding consequences?

 

Every year Joe Biden gives me new reasons to hate him.

 

As far as I'm concerned the first and second amendment are inextricably tied to each other. Our greatest and most effective weapon are our voices. By limiting one you may very well be limiting the other.

 

Ask Joe Biden, if banning them saves even one life it's worth it.

 

We need to add a VG to the ATF. It's for the children.

 

Maybe we should be running background checks on having a baby.

 

Same with guns. Mental health is what we should be focusing on, if Obama and Biden were serious. They are not serious. They are making political hay, while the sun is shining.

 

As pointed out several times, there is no well-established connection between violence in video games and violence in real life. So it would be utterly pointless.

As a side note, a few "pundits" (read: Z-list internet celebrities with some really great insight into gaming) that have useful things to say:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/jimquisition/6692-Desensitized-to-Violence
-> Jim Sterling talking about the difference between game violence and real-world violence, with the main thesis being that there is a considerable difference. To explain this, he brings up a clip of a real-world gun suicide, and the public (and personal) reaction to this, and compares to the reaction to game violence. He also brings up a very salient point: game violence does not resemble real-world violence. It creates a parody of that violence. It creates a gussied-up, beautified.

http://gameoverthinker.blogspot.de/2012/12/overbytes-episode-3.html#more
-> With regards to the American violence culture's effect on gaming, as well as a bit of statistical evidence. The main gist of it being that gaming hasn't influenced America's violence culture anywhere near as much as the reverse, primarily backed up by the fact that before the USA became the prime consumers and designers of video games, the majority AAA video games were not violent shoot-em-up gunwanks.

Also, as a side note, DonGlock, if I may... You should really, really check out the game "Spec Ops: The Line". You and everyone else who is anti-game. Not necessarily to change your mind on this issue, but more because it's an incredibly powerful deconstruction of violence in video games, as well as a much-needed look into many real issues of the military. If you don't have the time/hardware to play it, then watch a Let's Play of it or something. Seriously. It succeeded where so many posts failed: it made me feel bad about playing Modern Warfare 3.

I would actually totally support this.

 

Every other democracy on the planet has an analogy, usually equivalent to, the first amendment. Very few have something akin to the second. Free speech, and the maintenance thereof, is utterly fundamental to the existence of a democracy. You don't need guns for that, though, and beyond that, what's the point of them?

 

I would have to say that at this point it's more symbolic then anything. Once you remove the second amendment whose to say that won't remove or restrict some of the others later. It's a crumbling effect and if you don't look at the bigger picture then it's easy to miss the consequences of doing that. Do I believe that guns are going to be taken away from us? No, but in the off chance where the second amendment is infringed on then be prepared for other liberties to follow because in the end, anything can be rationalized away.

 

You know, this actually makes a lot of sense on a practical level. Were this somewhere like France, where riots in the streets over unpopular legislation and strikes over little things are commonplace, I would disagree... But this isn't it. This is the USA, a country where a large portion of the population thinks the president is a marxist manchurian candidate, from a foreign country inserted to destroy the country and convert it into a socialist, islamist country, and we still have nothing even resembling riots. You guys could hardly be more placid.

 

First, no one is suggesting your guns be "grabbed." What many people suggest is that we take some modest steps to make sure they don't fall into the hands of criminals and disturbed people.

Second, your suggestion of "censoring" games, movies and music tells me you really don't believe in the Constitution at all, since you're prepared to throw the First Amendment overboard.

 

Bears look lazy too.
Best not to poke them. They also have a right to bear arms.

 

Yeah, and, again, if having a marxist islamist manchurian candidate it's enough of a poke, nothing is.

 

Not a bad idea. More like a finance check. We already know what a baby costs generally to raise until they're 18. If a parent or parents can't afford it, I don't think they should be able to have a baby...sort of like how Sweden doesn't let you become a citizen unless you can support yourself.... I KNOW, what a concept, right=) Imagine the problems we wouldn't have if only people who can afford kids actually had them. Welfare would barely be a blip. Think of all the gang bangers that wouldn't be terrorizing people. What an effect on the inner cities it would have.

 

You are away that we already have regulations as to who can buy video games, and we can also ban games.

 

Incorrect. Most decent Americans would never attempt to overthrow a vote.
We have lines drawn but the outcome of an election is not one of them.

If you don't mind me asking. How far from Kirchenrohrbach?

 

But wait, it gets better! A lot of the same people who think that Obama is this Kenyan manchurian candidate also think that there was massive voter fraud perpetrated! I'd go so far as to assert that this bear is not napping, it's dead.

About 160 miles south. I'm in the Munich suburbs.

 

Oh dear. You conservative gun-nuts seem to be confused about the issue here.

The video game industry has nothing to answer for. Video games didn't cause the Sandy Hook shooting (which you right wingers are still so desperately trying to deflect over). Video games haven't caused any shooting. Video games haven't even caused someone to shoot others. Hell, video games haven't even been correlated regardless of causation TO the recent shootings in order to try and fallaciously use them as an anti-gun control argument.

Whereas those shootings were directly caused by firearms. Hence, you know, the word "shooting" in the incident.

If you remove video games we remove zero influence, since video games did not cause these shootings, from a problem that existed before video games did.

If you use gun-control and remove these types of weapons that have no use in civilian hands, the problem is a shadow of it's former self compared to what it was under conservative lack of gun-control.

 

Why are insights into gaming important, when discussing mass shootings and murders? We've seen two "Joker" attacks already. If this were random, where are the Sponge Bob mass murder attacks?

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You are right. The progressives seem to want to restrict gun ownership, but they do not want any restrictions on violent media. Well, how can they justify it?

 

No, we don't. The game industry polices itself. California's attempt to regulate video game sales was (rightly) ruled unconstitutional. The only media categories that are regulated are pornography and obscenity.