By Any Legislative Means NecessaryThe state of Utah is attempting to equate violent video games with pornography. I don’t believe the bill will pass, however, I am amazed that a select few had the audacity to draft such a bill in the first place. Numerous other states have had bills introduced which would require four square inch stickers to be placed on M rated games. Oklahoma HB3004 was passed into law effectively preventing any parent or guardian from purchasing, loaning, or even showing a minor a game deemed inappropriately violent. Those games would also have to be displayed with blinder racks or racks that conceal the cover of the game cases. Bills similar to those in Oklahoma and Minnesota are popping up everywhere and it doesn’t appear they will stop anytime soon. The rejection of the Illinois Sexually Explicit Video Games Law has dealt a crippling blow to these politicians anti gaming agenda. However, if history is any indication of the future, these politicians are far from finished with the fight.
ConclusionThe ESRB has been the recipient of a considerable amount of criticism from both a political and social standpoint. At its root, I find myself preoccupied with an internal debate concerning the legitimacy of all the disparagement. What more is the ESRB honestly expected to do? Is it expected that they send an ESRB representative to hold the child or parents hand as they shop for the latest and greatest video game? The majority of the contention comes by way of accountability. Young adults are committing violent crimes and citing video games as the catalyst for their actions rather than taking responsibility for their abhorrent decisions. Doom was said to have played a significant roll in the Columbine shootings. The perpetrators of such a heinous crime were said to have honed their shooting skills playing video games. I am always reluctant to use antiquated clichés but guns do not kill people just as ink does not create poetry. Yes, the means are utilized to achieve the intended end but weapons and pens have no sense of moral clarity. They cannot distinguish right from wrong. To cite games, music, or movies as the cause of violent acts would be illogical and laughable. Rather than search in vein for an alternative explanation for ones actions let us hold these individuals solely accountable for what they have done. Leave the ESRB alone. They have been picked on more in recent years than Verne Troyer had been in high school. It is disappointing that all the entertainment mediums have become the scapegoat for the nation’s ills and that it is actually working.
The ESRB is doing its best but the information they provide are only recommendations. It is up to the parents, not the Government, to dictate what is appropriate and what is not appropriate for their children. Parental methods and beliefs are as varied and numerous as the stars in the sky. One method is not necessarily more productive or effective over the other. Some parents may decide that their 14, 15, or 16 year old teenager is mature enough to play M rated games. Some may refuse those very same teenagers T rated games such as Call of Duty because of the violent content. Is either of them wrong? Who is to know for sure but let’s leave the parenting to the parents and whatever the Government does to themselves.
The issues involved in this debate are extremely complex and extensive. One cannot thoroughly elucidate all aspects without investing an enormous amount of time. However, one can take information provided, and based on its content formulate an individual opinion. Perception is reality regardless if what has been observed becomes misconstrued into a fallacy. What can we do as gamers? For one, this is not solely a Sony issue or a Microsoft problem. It is a problem which affects all gamers casual and hardcore alike. Let’s drop the circle talk concerning which console is superior to the competing brand and unite as one unified front. It was once estimated 145 million people worldwide played games. Even a small percentage of those people, say 5 million, would be one loud and deafening voice which would demand to be heard. Rather than repine and yammer let’s be proactive and do something about it. I’m sure many of you have heard what has been going on in Germany. Unfortunate I know, but we cannot allow our Government to even consider following in Germany’s footsteps. Write your congressman, speak out, and continue supporting the gaming industry. In the meantime, game on people ..... Game on!
