California Violent Gaming Bills Fail To Advance 48
Thanks to Reuters/Yahoo for its article discussing the failure to progress of two California violent videogame bills, since they "failed to clear a committee of California's state Assembly, killing them for 2004 unless the committee changes its mind." However, "One bill, which would expand the definition of 'harmful matter to children' to include certain types of violent games, received a favorable 5-1 vote, while the second, regulating how some games are displayed in stores, got a 3-1 vote" - but "both needed 7 votes in favor to be approved." Bill sponsor Leland Yee has released a statement claiming: "I am deeply disturbed that money ruled the day here in Sacramento... Rather than protecting our children and giving our parents a tool to help raise healthy kids, the multi-billion dollar entertainment industry was allowed to shoot down necessary legislation."
Let's hope that the entertainment industry... (Score:2, Informative)
Seriously, some happy news amidst the general gloom these days...
Re:yawn yawn - same old violence debate (Score:1)
This sounds familiar... (Score:5, Insightful)
How is this any different from other special interest groups? We see laws shot down by the movie industry, by the NRA, by Grandmothers Against Rubber Sheets, and no one says anything at all.
When the law concerns video games, however, it's "a tool to raise healthy kids" and "necessary legislation," and the media makes a big deal about the bill's failure to pass?
Heck, as far as I know, the video game industry wasn't even fighting the law. I haven't heard any stories about Nintendo and Microsoft sending lobbyists to the California legislature to tell people about the joys of gaming.
Seems a bit unfair to me...
Re:This sounds familiar... (Score:3, Insightful)
Heh, I was about to make the same point from the opposite direction -- I guess we won't be hearing any complaints about deep-pocketed lobbyist buying votes and depriving honest video game banning citizens of their democracy on this story!
I haven't heard any stories about Nintendo and Microsoft sending lobbyists to the
Re:This sounds familiar... (Score:5, Interesting)
If only I had Mod points left.... (Score:1)
thanks dude, you made me think some
Re:This sounds familiar...but! (Score:1)
I don't have kids myself and don't remember things well enough from that age to speak from my own experience, so I'll trust you.
Re:This sounds familiar... (Score:3, Interesting)
EVERY new form of media that appeals to kids has come under attack from confused parents who don't understand it and simply go by what someone else is saying about it, thinking (hoping) that they understand it. For example, when comics were first print
Re:This sounds familiar... (Score:1)
Being a fan of the old horror genre she certainly has no problems with screened gore/violence, and in her job as child health specialist she ggets to work with some of the worst children in the country.
So from her basis of child expert and fan of on screen gore she still believes that the participation element of the game was what made "manhunter" wron
Re:This sounds familiar... (Score:1)
I must say too that myself (still living out my childhood @ 30) find myself much more likely to walk down the street wishing i had my sniper scope to shoot folks through bedroom windows (not something i would do though) after playing an FPS than after watching a movie.......
Eh, you may be right, but I feel like (for me at least) the desire to act out movies right after I watch them is the same as the desire to act out games right after I play them. I wanted to leap throught the air and drop-kick peopl
Re:This sounds familiar... (Score:2)
My point was that people are more likely to be against videogame violence because they are unfamiliar and uncomfortable with videogames themselves. They then isolate the factor that sets it apart from things they are familiar with, namely interactivity and attribute their discomfort to that and use it as their argument.
I am interested in knowing if your par
Re:This sounds familiar... (Score:1)
Traditional slasher flicks, no way.. wouldnt let kids watch any of them.. me neither.. if anything i would think they are more harmful in some ways to children as nightmares are induced from a passive state.. at least in zombie related computer games you would be in control and killing the buggers...
Otherwise gory films though... wouldnt have a problem i dont think. I would though, i hate subjecting kids to strong
Re:This sounds familiar... (Score:2)
Some people think that passivity is worse, some think interactivity is worse. Personally, I think it all just comes down to whether the person watching/playing understands that it is fictitious. If you don't, it's a negati
Re: games more harmful than movies? (Score:2)
So that this is on-topic, I think that the re-defining bill sounds bad, but the bill forcing stores to segragate games by rating and putting up a sign about the ratings (which the indust
Re: games more harmful than movies? (Score:2)
Let's break it down, they lock people in cubicles and tell them to play Wolfenstein, Myst and a Tetris clone (Tetrix) in 15 minute intervals. Just comparing the games shows that the study is seriously flawed. Playing My
Re:This sounds familiar... (Score:1)
I found it very amusing that when I was home for the summer from college a few years ago that my parents would yell at me while I was playing Thief 2 on the computer, but if I sat down and watched TV for hours on end they wouldn't say anything. They weren't actually objecting to the violence of
Re:This sounds familiar... (Score:2)
Frankly, I've learned more from games (hand-eye, socializing online, coding, level/architectural design, game design theory) than I have from much more time in front of the
Re:This sounds familiar... (Score:5, Interesting)
It's not, really, and a quick check on Google will find that Leeland Yee is backed by a couple of special interests himself, in areas where much of the "what about the children?" and "violent media is corrupting our youth" comes from in the first place.
If lobbying groups working on behalf of the video game industry were responsible for this bill's failure, then it's probably more a story of one lobby against another than they'd like it to appear. On the other hand, if the failure was not the result of some lobby, it makes the whole comment that much more of a joke.
Re:This sounds familiar... (Score:2)
I'm 17 and still in high school...I know almost nothing about politics. Not that that stops me from pretending I do. :)
Take everything I say with a grain of salt...hell, take a whole pitcher.
Re:This sounds familiar... (Score:3, Insightful)
No legislation is "necessary", especially not legislation which overrides the choices a parent should be making.
Laws should require a 90% majority to be passed, not a simple (50%) majority. Then we'd see a lot less "mob rule."
Worthless legislation (Score:5, Insightful)
"Retailers would have also been responsible for clearly displaying signs explaining the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) ratings system."
Aren't they pretty self-explanatory already?
"In fact, the video game industry's own representative admitted she would not allow her child to play the games that the legislation targeted." (Leland Yee)
That shows that a *parent* already is deciding what to let her kids play. Isn't it supposed to be the parent who has the power to decide? If so, then what useful purpose does the legislation serve? If the legislature is hoping that lazy parents will somehow be "empowered" by the legislation, I think they'll be disappointed by the results. Then again, I suppose they can continue to use parental laziness to justify further legislation.
Another Victory.. (Score:5, Interesting)
Another Victory for us parents who want to raise our kids without endless regulations and laws. It is my job to make sure my son does not have access to games I think are not suitable for him, not the store. So far this has worked out quite well.
Well done legislators!!
Re:Another Victory.. (Score:1)
I let my son (3 years old) play The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker with me, I won't let him play Unreal Tournament 2004 with me.
And you can bet that when he does start playing games like that, he'll have a firm grasp of "reality" vs. "fantasy", that death is permanent, etc.
Re:Another Victory.. (Score:1)
Dear Leland, (Score:5, Interesting)
I wonder if this kind of thing will stop happenning in a few years, when most voters will have grown up with videogames. Or do people lose all sense of freedom when becoming parents?
P.S. It's such a shame money ruled the day. Let's all work together to make sure it never happens again. If it were up to me, I'd just outlaw it outright.
call me odd... (Score:4, Funny)
Maybe if he didn't use such violent language, games wouldn't be violent, and we wouldn't want to try and shoot *him* down....
my opinion only...
Just 7 favorable votes? (Score:1)
Re:Just 7 favorable votes? (Score:4, Informative)
It's not that the legislators are out on the golf course, but rather that on a "committee day," every committee meets. Not only are legislators members of more than one committee (which might meet concurrantly), but they also have to present the bills they are sponsoring to the other committees. In addition, there are the lobbyists, constituents, and other legislators all trying to meet with them to try and convince them in private to vote a certain way.
In short, it is utter chaos, and a miricle that anything gets done at all.
Re:Just 7 favorable votes? (Score:2)
At any rate, I am of the opinion that the fewer "important" things a government needs to do, the better. With a bill like this, if my 'critter were on the committee, unless the vote doesn't need a quorum I think I'd rather they be off golfing.
Personally Im glad.. although (Score:4, Insightful)
Ok muddy issues aside, if you are an actual conscerned parent heres a fact for you: The M rating is the equivalent of the R rating in movies and just like in movies There are a lot of titles that dont really desserve the rating and they are quite a few that actually desserve an stronger rating like A (Nc-18 X Adult only) rating (manhunt, gta3 in some cases , the suffering, doom 3) want to know which one is which? Easy! stick around and watch your kids playing! stablish as a rule that all games must be watched by the entire family (or at least by you), before you decide if is ok for them to play or buy. (if possible rent before you buy) problem solved! Read the manual, watch the game for at least half an hour, if after that theres something you find suspicious (the manual mentions hookers but you havent seen any) ask the store clerk they ussually know which games are really violent and which ones are not. EASY as that! You are the one who provides your kids money for buying games and therefore you are in charge of what they have, not CNN not the government YOU!
What a tool. (Score:3, Interesting)
For someone to be able to use a tool, they must have the knowledge on how it works and what to do with it. Lots of stupid parents still buy their ten year old games like Vice City or Manhunt because the kids beg and the parents say "Ok". I highly doubt this 'tool' would be used effectively (if passed,) it would just make parents bitch that they have to go to a different part of the store to buy their children the 'cool' games.
Re:What a tool. (Score:2, Informative)
Re:What a tool. (Score:1, Funny)
Well, if that's true, I think the voters know what they want. If the Gov. of California appeared at my door and said, "Come wuth me, if you wahnt to live." I *would* totally hide behind his bulletproof chassis and let him defend me from the bad guys.
what good will the laws do in the end ? (Score:3, Interesting)
And I have seen the manager answer the complaints when they return with this: "We sold the game to you, you gave it to your child."
Yes there is a need for responsibility in the industry to regulate itself, but parents need to do their job as well. And their job does include making sure their children's friends are not playing the wrong types of games when they visit (Parents and the community have to work together).
Re:what good will the laws do in the end ? (Score:3, Informative)
Thats nothing, I've seenen parents come in and buy M rated games for their kids without even bringing their kids along. Instead they just call their kid on the phone to confirm its the one they want. On top of that even after being warned by the clerk that its a M rated game and not for kids under the age of 17, they shrug it off and buy it anyway.
you just know that.... (Score:1)