(no subject)
There's one show (well actually two, but they're shown in different seasons) I really follow on TV. It's called 'de Laatste Show' (aka the Last Show). It's a funny talkshow with interviews and things. But that's not what I wanted to talk about. I was sitting in our living room nice and cosy to wait for de Laatste Show to come on. I usually follow the previous programme with one eye and half an ear (I know, it's an artform). On Thursday, this programme was 'Koppen' (it means 'heads' as well as 'headliners' in our language). This is an informative programme with a few items about the news or human interest and what not (for instance, the riots in Paris the last few days). But as I tuned in, I heard the host talk about games, and in particular, violence in games. This could be interesting, because Koppen usually has very objective documentaries. But they really screwed up this time...
Central in this item was the game 'Bully' in which you have to bully other kids in your school. Not my kind of game, and actually not very good for the violent games-discussion.
In the item they have interviewed both parties. Two teachers who are opposed to violence in games, and want to ban them, a game salesman, and two gamers.
First, the salesman. He made clear that the store do not sell games to customers who are younger than the allowed age on the box of the game, but that they can't do anything about parents who buy the games for them. He was against banning violent games, but he said that more sensibility could solve a lot of problems.
Kind of my opinion, and well stated.
Then, the two teachers. The 14-year old daughter of one of the teachers showed him a game magazine which showed Bully and several other (violent) games. The teachers want to ban these games because they're afraid the games are going to spark violence in their kids. Absolute nonsense of course. If you don't want your kids to play these games, DON'T BUY THEM. And if you catch them with games lent from other kids, punish them. This isn't rocket science, people. If you don't want your kid to watch violence, don't let it play games. Oh, don't let it watch the news either. In fact, just ban TV. They could show violent movies...
Maybe you should just put your kid in a steel cage until they are 18. That's going to be one dissappointed kid when he experiences the real world...
Then the gamers. This is where they really screwed up. They showed a 16-year old overweight kid with , frankly, a very dumb mother, and a 52-year old gaming dude who still lives with his parents... HELLO, could you go MORE stereotyping??? Fuck, what about those THOUSANDS of gamers who are healthy and have a busy social life, including girlfriend and stuff?? Jesus Christ, if these two represent the entire gaming community, we're heading for total meltdown... Sure, they don't go on a killing spree because they play violent games. Frankly, I don't think they're even ABLE to kill a goddamn FLY!
Ok, I understand some parents and teachers want to ban games such as Bully, but all games?? They just don't want their kids to become like the two nitwits I described above, which is very normal I guess.
Don't ban games!!
PS: I still think Jack Thompson is a douchebag.
Central in this item was the game 'Bully' in which you have to bully other kids in your school. Not my kind of game, and actually not very good for the violent games-discussion.
In the item they have interviewed both parties. Two teachers who are opposed to violence in games, and want to ban them, a game salesman, and two gamers.
First, the salesman. He made clear that the store do not sell games to customers who are younger than the allowed age on the box of the game, but that they can't do anything about parents who buy the games for them. He was against banning violent games, but he said that more sensibility could solve a lot of problems.
Kind of my opinion, and well stated.
Then, the two teachers. The 14-year old daughter of one of the teachers showed him a game magazine which showed Bully and several other (violent) games. The teachers want to ban these games because they're afraid the games are going to spark violence in their kids. Absolute nonsense of course. If you don't want your kids to play these games, DON'T BUY THEM. And if you catch them with games lent from other kids, punish them. This isn't rocket science, people. If you don't want your kid to watch violence, don't let it play games. Oh, don't let it watch the news either. In fact, just ban TV. They could show violent movies...
Maybe you should just put your kid in a steel cage until they are 18. That's going to be one dissappointed kid when he experiences the real world...
Then the gamers. This is where they really screwed up. They showed a 16-year old overweight kid with , frankly, a very dumb mother, and a 52-year old gaming dude who still lives with his parents... HELLO, could you go MORE stereotyping??? Fuck, what about those THOUSANDS of gamers who are healthy and have a busy social life, including girlfriend and stuff?? Jesus Christ, if these two represent the entire gaming community, we're heading for total meltdown... Sure, they don't go on a killing spree because they play violent games. Frankly, I don't think they're even ABLE to kill a goddamn FLY!
Ok, I understand some parents and teachers want to ban games such as Bully, but all games?? They just don't want their kids to become like the two nitwits I described above, which is very normal I guess.
Don't ban games!!
PS: I still think Jack Thompson is a douchebag.