Democratic Congressman Joe Baca -- that's his smiling mug to the right -- would like to introduce a health warning label to video games. He introduced the "Video Game Health Labeling Act of 2011," that would mandates that "all video games with an Electronics Software Ratings Board rating of Teen or higher" must be sold with a health warning label that reads: "WARNING: Excessive exposure to violent video games and other violent media has been linked to aggressive behavior."
If you're a Republican who's firing up your comment finger to post something like: "See? Demo-RATS want to take ur gamez!!", don't bother. The bill is being co-signed by Rep. Frank Wolf, a Republican, who says...
"Just as we warn smokers of the health consequences of tobacco, we should warn parents – and children -- about the growing scientific evidence demonstrating a relationship between violent video games and violent behavior," Wolf said. "As a parent and grandparent, I think it is important people know everything they can about the extremely violent nature of some of these games."
...proving that dumb-osity is on all sides of the political spectrum.
I've been working on TheFeed for well over 56 years, so I've posted this response to any number of stories about politicians making laws to ban/limit-the-sale of video games very often, but, hey, here we go again:
- There are already very clear, easily understandable content ratings on all commercially released console video games, and just about all PC games. If you, as a parent (or grandparent) don't understand how the ESRB's ratings work, the problem is YOU. You are too dumb. Please stop being too dumb in the future.
- Smoking cigarettes is demonstrably, scientifically certain to cause health problems in some people, where studies on links between video game violence and actual violence are, at best, inconclusive. Determining what causes real-world behaviors in people is so complicated, it's impossible, for all serious intents. "What causes violence?" is a philosophical question as opposed to a scientific or political one. The most we're ever likely to prove is correlation, which we should all know by now doesn't equal causation.
- Barring the discovery of a definite link between "harm" and game-playing, the government should just stay out of the warning/censorship business.
- Most importantly: There are actual real-world problems that could use solutions, Congressmen. Please use our tax dollars to arrive at these solutions as opposed to spending your time solving imaginary problems that place among cartoon characters in the fake world of video games.
- In the real world, violent crime is at its lowest rate since the early 1970s. In the early 1970s, there were no violent video games. Now there are at least a bajillion. The rise of the most violent games correlates perfectly to the fall of actual crime rates. Therefore, video games prevent violence as opposed to cause it. (yeah, I know that's a stupid argument, but it has a chart! Look!)
Source: Game Politics
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vixensshadow
you know at this rate we'll have health warnings on food that state something along the lines of 'this could cause obesity', etc... really stop using games as a scapegoat. Or anything really.
BananakinSkygrrl
Video games will always be a scapegoat for violence. People, for some reason, just can't put the blame where it belongs: on the people who commit actual violence. Saying that video games cause violence is like me saying that Frogger makes me want to jump into traffic.
There are ratings on games for a reason. It's not rated M for Monkeys, parents!
SieOne
Does this mean that ww will also get these warnings for Films as well?
kapassikey
I think i finally understand why videogames are often targetted by politicians. since because most people who are in office are older, say 40+ years old for example, they didn't have the games and media content we have today and they likely came from more religious and/or higher class backgrounds, so because of this it would be rare for an older person present day like 50+ years old to even play videogames. just not something they were use to growing up. and because of this, because its something newer and something they likely have not ever related to, they will likely be quicker to reject it than to accept it.
i won't be surprised if say another 50 years go by and videogames are as accepted of a media as music but in that time we discover yet ANOTHER new form of media and we'll have to do this tango ALL over again lol as we did many times before
cleoandbuffy
ironically there was just a "study" linking first person shooter games to being benificial to ones hand eye coordination than just about anything else.. to the point of them talking to put them into nursing homes... so lets try to protect children of stupid parents that want to shelter their 16 year old children from seeing a gun... fake or not... and lets make the old people violent and bring up ptsd! government has way too many things to worry about than additionally labling OVIOUS video games!
LocoCabasa
Generational: These particular grandparent-aged politicians did not grow up with video games, so they do not understand them. What they do not understand, they fear. That is human nature, and gamers are human too, so we should not feel smug. One day soon we too will be old, and afraid of whatever kids and young adults of the future will be doing to entertain themselves. This brings up interesting speculation: What terrifying forms of entertainment remain to be invented? My guess would be 3D holographic suites, like Star Trek: The Next Generation. Those contraptions are evil! I bet kids in the future will be entering holo-decks to have sex, and then they will murder their computer sex partners. Sick!
firecloud42
this is starting to get old Politicians
jalapenowonmil
I wonder if these warning labels will cite the studies that prove video games cause aggressive behavior. Then again, even if they wanted to it would be a short list, consisting of none(yes none) studies. None with positive results anyway. I should note that people that have shown aggressive behavior after playing violent games are mostly people who already show aggressive behavior in everyday life. Mentally unstable types.
Way to go gov't, worrying about petty things like video game warnings instead of important issues like, I dunno, the ECONOMY, UNEMPLOYMENT RATES, HOMELESS FAMILIES, CANCER RESEARCH, AIDS CURES the list goes on. I am disappointed in the leaders of this country.
omegam16
Join the Video Game Voters Network!
AkaneTakada
I work in a game store and we always tell people with children at the register that a game is rated M and why it is rated M. But just the other day I tried to help a lady find a video game for her kid and she said He loved the Grand theft Auto series, then she turned around and told me he was 5 years old! Her exact words were
"I know I shouldn't be buying him these type of games but he likes them so oh well" I cant refuse a sale to a 30 something year old woman who is buying a clearly violent game for a 5 year old, I dont think a stupid health label on top of the clear M rating would have changed her mind, clearly she knew what she was giving her child was inappropriate and didn't care.
If I parent buys a game without bothering to find out that it might contain something they are uncomfortable with that is their own problem... All it takes is a quick 30 second question to any of the employees I work with maybe we should push that more than stupid laws about health warnings?
Nala1003
Blame is always going to be passed around for the delinquency of kids. "They" blamed Rock and Roll. "They" blamed comic books. Now they're blaming video games. It's a vicious cycle, that will never end. You can use junk science to "prove" almost anything. There is no scientific evidence that violent video games lead to violent behavior.
I don't know if anyone is familiar with the show "Penn and Teller's BS", but the premise is they take something that's BS and explain away the junk science. (Granted, their show is also very biased, but it makes the point clear). They did an episode on violent video games and how they (potentially) influence behavior in children. They showed how when people investigated kids involved in school shootings or other violent activities, they noticed that many of them had Xboxes or Playstations. Penn made a comment that was something along the lines of: "They all had game consoles? So many kids have consoles and play video games today, that it's not rare to find a console in anyone's house! That's like saying, 'Oh look! They all brush their teeth with the same brand of toothpaste! Therefore, it must be the toothpaste's fault!'" [Paraphrased...I don't recall the exact quote]
But that's exactly how ridiculous it is. Blame the toothpaste for the violent outbursts that kids have. It makes just about as much sense.
Lil Lotte
Honestly they are worried about spending money on this when 12yo's are having babies, the economy is not so great, our public school system is damn near the equivilant to that of a 3rd world country, drop out rates are sky rocketting, and they don't drug test for welfare?
They need to fix real problems before worrying about stupid stuff that is false and pointless at best. I have played games since I was old enough to hold a joystick back in the 80's. Always have helped me vent INSTEAD of hurting real people. My kid plays violent games and he's the most passive person you'll ever meet.
This is all a bunch of BS created to get people's thoughts off of real problems. As another poster said that line from "Who knew" by Eminem fits perfectly once again.
EKG
I agree with this. I am tired of being terrified to live in my own neighborhood. You can't walk outside anymore without having a child who just finished a round of Grand Theft Auto start shooting at you for no reason. Just yesterday little Jimmy from around the corner played a few matches of Halo, and spent the next 3 hours rounding up all the kittens in the neighborhood and setting them on fire.
Honestly, these violent video games need better warnings. Maybe parents don't understand that playing violent video games causes real world violence. When I was a kid, I had to be physically tied down and prevented from playing any violent games at all. It was OK for me to watch R rated movies and listen to explicit music, but something about violent games triggered a nasty response in me.
My parents had just about had it when, on the 4th of July after playing Conkers Bad Fur Day on the Nintendo 64, I went outside, stole a car, drove it to the local ice cream shop and crashed it through the window. I had jacked a police officer earlier in the day and used his weapon to shoot a few in the air. I had to scare the cashier though, right? I got the money and ran...All because of violent violent video games.
Don't be fooled about all this evidence that shows violence in the real world is on a decline in the same amount of time violence in video games in on the rise. They are all lies I tell ya!
Stellerman7
To all congressman, stay away from our video games. You have zero credidentials to determine what is endorsing violent crime in this world. It is not the video games per say, its the stupid parents that buy them.
EliteBAMF
Funny, I never read the part in the constitution giving congress the power to regulate the packaging of commercial products
ShaunBayview
Honestly, I feel a HELL of a lot better after going online and putting my chainsaw bayonet through some imaginary characters on Gears. Getting frustrated with life? Go blow some stuff up in a video game. Ex girlfriend get you in a tizzy? Some headshots and that 'high score' should make you feel better.
rly though, this guy is from Cali, I bet he wants to ban marijuana there too. Jus'saying.
FBinLA
Game publishers can't give up and just put a sticker on it, if they do everyone is going to believe that games do make children violence.
mrnyo
ummm... you photoshopped that chart with the covers of those videogames right??? *w*
SexyRyu28
I've seen/read/heard my share of stupid in my life time but this is absolutely retarded.
They base violent behavior with video games solely based on certain coincidences and I personally blame the media for sometimes taking things out of proportion.
If a person kills and it so happens he/she owns "violent" video games then of course that's where the blame is gonna go. No different than when they find music such as Heavy Metal or whatever.
I'm sorry but is such a pile of BS. An excuse to not pin the blame on parents for not picking up on behaviors or for not paying attention to their kids, and I speak as a gamer but as a parent and health care worker as well.
I read a news yesterday of a 65 year old granny that hanged and burned a dog cuz he chewed on the bible. Who is there to blame? Church? The bible? People do bad things because is in their nature. Let's stop wasting time on petty things and focus on important things.
Xeno_6891
This is just a bill to appease an already lazy society! Instead of blaming videogames for what your kids are doing, blame yourselves because:
1) You bought it for them
2) Didn't take the time to actually research what you were getting.
I swear, how about taking responsibility for once >.>
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