Tom Benyon, a former Tory MP and now a member of the Church of England's Dr Who sounding 'Synod' has lashed out at video games."There is a bubbling sewer of gratuitously violent and sexual pornography and games all around us … I have seen [their] pernicious effect: a family member saw a so-called game and he had nightmares. The images remained with him for months", says the ex parliamentarian opening a debate on video games.
The debate ended, unsurprisingly, with the CofE calling for tighter regulation. Benyon, however, had veritable field day. According to
The Guardian, he came out with gems such as, "Why is it acceptable, indeed lawful, to portray the killing and burning of a woman in
Fatality, the sawing up of a woman in
Mortal Kombat, playing football with severed heads; the chainsaw killing of a man in
Saw III, rape, torture and so on? I have all these terrible games collected and if anyone has the courage to watch it, please do so."
You've got to wonder if they man has seen any movies in which people's heads are cut off at the behest of women called Salome? Or women are turned to pillars of salt? Or fathers are ordered to murder their own sons? Or people are blinded? Or sons kill each other? Or people are put to slow, tortured deaths by being nailed to bits of wood? Shocking stuff indeed.
"We are in a great muddle over regulation and the cost… can be seen in the rising crime statistics year by year. To control this material by expecting parents to control their children with warnings is like King Canute's performance with his waves. This is not just a matter of conscience and morality. It's a public health and an economic issue."
Thanks
@Gamerlaw!