Euro Parliament Wants "Red Button" For Shutting Down Games 167
GamePolitics writes "The European Parliament has actually requested that red, panic-style buttons be set up for use by parents whose children play online games. The buttons would allow the parents to quickly shut the game down should something inappropriate occur. Wouldn't the old-school on-off switch work just as well?"
To be fair, the report isn't entirely crazy; it says games "can also be used for educational and medical purposes," and acknowledges that the "presence of violence in video games does not automatically lead to violent behaviour."
I think the monitor has this covered. (Score:3, Insightful)
Or to be an ISO 9001-complaint "video game maker" you have to code in some kind of red button? In Soviet Europe, the switch kills you.
Simply the act of pushing your kid out of the way and commandeering the mouse to click said button pretty much takes care of the situation. From there, a little parenting and you are all set. Clicking on the button at that point seems a little silly. You could just close the application. In fact, the button always existed...it's part of the OS GUI API.
Sounds a bit useless (Score:5, Insightful)
So if you could rig this up to the equivalent of "Alt-F4" then you can avoid that.
As for why it's useless, if your child is not ready to see "stuff", and they see "stuff", and then you press the panic button, they won't _unsee_ stuff. In fact, they would probably remember it for a very long time.
If your child is not ready, just don't let them play such games, and perhaps you should work harder at getting them ready.
You don't send soldiers to battle untrained and unarmed.
Brainwash/domesticate your kids before the world does it for you (they want your kids to buy/believe their stuff without thinking too much or even at all).
Yes you may think brainwashing is wrong. But it's usually better to train them "fire = bad", and hopefully they survive long enough to figure out the complexities and subtleties.
Universal Remote (Score:5, Insightful)
They could employ the same system that the Xbox employs. Add an IR receiver.
I already have a button which turns off my Xbox 360 in one button press. It's on my Logitch Harmony. When I press "Off" it turns off my hometheater, including my 360.
If they want a quick "OMG boobs!" button then they just need a universal remote. Program it to the XBox's IR "Off" command and bam! Problem solved.
If people start swearing I could just press the "mute" button and it'll mute my receiver.
I guess the EU wants to legislate the ownership or at least education for parents to purchase a Universal Remote. PC games? Add an IR receiver. Again, mute is easy enough in windows. My keyboard has a mute button so there must be a hook. Also minimizing to desktop is a hotkey so that should be pretty easy to setup to an IR command as well.
On/Off Switch and Parenting (Score:3, Insightful)
Provided that the power switch is visible and easily accessible to parents, then yes. And hey, it doesn't even need to be red -- I think the "red button" idea is metaphorical.
But, think about it. Like many people on Slashdot, I'm an advocate of responsible parenting: know what your children are doing (within bounds of privacy, dependent on the child's maturity), set reasonable boundaries, and take opportunities to discuss things with your children (i.e., make things learning experiences where possible). Is it such a bad idea, if a parent sees a child exposed to inappropriate media (whether it be music, television, or video games, always taking into account the age and maturity of the child), to hit the power switch? What better time to have a discussion with your child?
I mean, you could try to have a discussion hours later. Or, you could turn off the inappropriate movie / video game / whatever, and have a discussion about, e.g., reality vs. fiction. If you, as a parent, are convinced that the child understands the implications of whatever media they were viewing, and that they are mature enough to view it / play with it, then turn it back on. Worst case, your child is pouty about having to go back to their last save point.
Sure as hell beats being one of those parents who doesn't understand why the government didn't stop them from purchasing GTA IV for their six-year-old.
Re:On/Off Switch and Parenting (Score:3, Insightful)
Like many people on Slashdot, I'm an advocate of responsible parenting: know what your children are doing (within bounds of privacy, dependent on the child's maturity), set reasonable boundaries, and take opportunities to discuss things with your children (i.e., make things learning experiences where possible).
Okay smart guy, how is a politician like me going to get re-elected on the nanny vote with a message like that, hmm??? Newsflash: personal responsibility only sells at the polls if you're talking responsibility of people who aren't voting for you! Yeah, you obviously didn't think that one through, did you? That's why I'm a senator and you aint!
(I know I don't need to point this out, but this was a joke)
Use a spoon. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:On/Off Switch and Parenting (Score:2, Insightful)
Despite being a tongue-in-cheek joke, your comment says so very much.
I'd love to enter politics, because I feel like I could make a difference, and because I would love to help solve some of the problems faced by the people in my country. That being said, I know that my voicemail would be filled with non-sarcastic versions of your post, 24/7.
I'm honestly curious how many people with a passion for solving problems were driven away from politics for this very reason. After all, an aspiration to genuinely confront issues is rarely compatible with appealing to the lowest common denominator (and thus being electable).
When I was about 8 (Score:5, Insightful)
Of COURSE, at this juncture, my mother entered the room. I don't remember the exact look on her face, as such, but attempting to recall it now, I envision Munch's "the Scream (
She told me to turn off the game, or I would be grounded, and would have no more access to the computer. That's it. No magic button was required. Her finger did not even have to touch some mundane "on/off switch". I took one last glance at the cardboard-pixel boobs dancing haltingly across my screen and decided that, whatever this was exactly, it wasn't worth the infinite punishments my mother seemed prepared to apply.
Considering that day now, I don't see much need for some sort of "red button". Setting aside the fact that various consoles and televisions already have remotes with buttons serving the mandated purpose, I lay before you this objection: parents already have (very nearly) absolute power over their children. Button or no button, you can stop them from participating in any leisure activity that you feel is inappropriate with little more than a threat and a stern tone of voice. You certainly have the power to take away any consoles or computers which might allow them to defy your violence/profanity/digital-titty embargo.
A button makes it easier, less personal, more secret. It also puts an additional burden on the video game industry, to the glee of family values groups everywhere. It is not a necessarily solution. It is at best a crutch used to control your offspring, and at worst a lie used to manipulate them.
Should you ever see your children looking at something that you don't think they should see, then tell them that they can either stop, or lose some privileges.
a thought... (Score:2, Insightful)
Try parenting!
Check the PG rating, it's even on the package in EU, read up on the game?.
think about it, what would make your kid hate you more,
not letting them buying the game,
or letting them buy the game, and then take it away after a few minutes?
"Red Button" - I like it; but we need more (Score:4, Insightful)
So many other things could also do with a panic button to shut things down "should something inappropriate occur"; the list is endless, but we could start with:
- The international banking system, (too late)
- The North Korean politburo
- The Australian parliament
- The Canadian parliament and,
- The European parliament!
Re:Sounds a bit useless (Score:5, Insightful)
Why let a little common-sense get in the way of a perfectly good law that lets parents blame everyone else but themselves for bad parenting decisions?
I'm now a father and although he's only nine months old I'll probably do the same as my parents did: determine the suitability of the game based on the maturity of my son and let him play the GTA/Carmageddon equivalents before he hits the age rating if he can take it as it's meant - a game in a virtual world that has different rules to the real-world.
Also, what's the betting that this is mainly a "for the sake of the children, hide the tiny, brief flashes of flesh" idea (which you're less likely to know about) rather than a "for the sake of the children, stop the massed bloodshed" idea (which generally tends to be obvious from the format of the game).
Re:No IR needed to toggle power switch (Score:5, Insightful)
I've got a better one. Tell your child to stop playing the game. If a parent can see what their child is doing in order to press a red button, then they can just as easily tell their child what not to do.
Relying on physical means to control your child's behaviour only sends the message that physical means are the only means to control their behaviour and if they can avoid or counter the physical means, they can behave as they wish. Are the people who proposed this bill afraid of their own children? Is physical control what they rely on?
Red Panic Button for Legislatures (Score:1, Insightful)
I want a Red Panic Button to shut down law making when Legislatures are being dipshits.
It's time to hit that panic button (Score:3, Insightful)
You know, it's time to hit whatever button will cause this unnecessary overreaction to halt.
The most harmful thing for kids is having controlling adults around them who can't prioritize actual dangers. The kids already know all the bad words and most likely they know more bad words than you.
If you want to keep your kids from hearing bad words, keep them isolated from their peers.
Re:Sounds a bit useless (Score:5, Insightful)
Probably not actually, since this is a proposal for a piece of misguided European legislation, rather than misguided US legislation.
The EU has many many faults, but thankfully over-regulating the human nipple isn't often one of them.
Re:No IR needed to toggle power switch (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:No IR needed to toggle power switch (Score:4, Insightful)
Er, no.
Someone doing what you say doesn't depend on physical means, it depends on respect.
Plenty of parents exert lots of control over their high school students - even though there's no physical advantage.
Otherwise I'd never be able to get the 6'4" kid I live with to do anything, cause I'm pretty sure I can't take him in a fight.
Re:Sounds a bit useless (Score:3, Insightful)
If its a "handheld" that you "need to shield your child from" take it from your child's hands.
If they are big enough to hold onto the device, you are obviously mistaken that they need to be shielded from it.
If you CAN hold onto the device long enough to hit the power button, then you might be correct, but will now have to "discuss it" with your child.
Re:No IR needed to toggle power switch (Score:4, Insightful)
That said, I know I'm going to be cursed with triplet girls when it's my time... Lol.
Re:2 girls, 1 cup, 9 years old (Score:3, Insightful)
Bluntly, most adults can remove something from the possession of a nine-year-old, either through brute force (rip it out of their hands), intimidation (threaten them with grounding), or reasoning (I'm your parent, you have to trust me to know what's right for you).
If none of these approaches work with a nine-year-old then you have problems.
On the other hand, if none of those methods work anymore then either your child has grown to the point those methods no longer work.
Depending on the actual age of the child, you might have failfailed as a parent and can no longer exert influence on your child, or you might have simply failed at recognizing when your child needs to make their own decisions, and that you can no longer shield them from all of their choices.
Re:Universal Remote (Score:5, Insightful)
I already have a button which turns off my Xbox 360 in one button press. It's on my Logitch Harmony. When I press "Off" it turns off my hometheater, including my 360.
If they want a quick "OMG boobs!" button then they just need a universal remote. Program it to the XBox's IR "Off" command and bam! Problem solved.
Too complicated. They need a device that is completely universal, works with all gaming consoles and computers now and in the future out-of-the-box, requires no programming, doesn't need batteries, and can be used without thinking at a moment's notice to disable the child-damaging violent games.
What they need is a shotgun. Nothing else sends a clearer signal to your impressionable children that violence is wrong than a shotgun blast to their gaming console.
Re:I love it (Score:3, Insightful)
As we know, the only way a child can get their hands on a game is when their parents buy it for them. Children never borrow inappropriate games from their friends to play when their parents aren't looking.
If you aren't looking, you can't use any means of filtering what your child sees. That is, other than raising them to understand and respect the reasonable boundaries that you set. Sorry if that just sounds like more magical non-parent mumbo jumbo to you.
As the saying goes "There are seldom good technological solutions to behavioral problems".