US Coalition Ban on "Urinating on People to Make Them Vomit" Games
Connecticut, California and seven other states restricting sale to minors.
The U.S. Attorney General for Connecticut, Richard Blumenthal, has signed on to a multi-state coalition that seeks to ban the sale of "the most violent video games."
Reports Headliner Watch: "California prohibited the sale of certain videogames to minors which feature violent content like players burning people alive with gasoline and urinating on people to make them vomit." We're curious as to just which video game allows players to do either of those things. Maybe it was that Wii Vomit title we missed?
The coalition currently consists of nine states, including California and Connecticut, but the restrictions are being challenged by the Entertainment Merchants Association. Blumenthal argues that some video games "show users simulated homicide and hate crimes, turning them into entertainment." It's Natural Born Killers all over again, isn't it?
"Protecting children from digital danger requires proactive parents but they need and deserve help, Blumenthal said. "The video game industry should act responsibly and agree to sensible self-imposed restrictions that block children from buying the most violent games. I am calling on the video game industry to follow the leadership of the motion picture industry, which sensibly stops unattended children from viewing violent or graphic movies."
What leadership did the motion picture industry take, then? According to Headline Watch, it "prohibited children from viewing R-rated movies without a guardian." Good role model? Let us know in the comments box below.
Reports Headliner Watch: "California prohibited the sale of certain videogames to minors which feature violent content like players burning people alive with gasoline and urinating on people to make them vomit." We're curious as to just which video game allows players to do either of those things. Maybe it was that Wii Vomit title we missed?
The coalition currently consists of nine states, including California and Connecticut, but the restrictions are being challenged by the Entertainment Merchants Association. Blumenthal argues that some video games "show users simulated homicide and hate crimes, turning them into entertainment." It's Natural Born Killers all over again, isn't it?
"Protecting children from digital danger requires proactive parents but they need and deserve help, Blumenthal said. "The video game industry should act responsibly and agree to sensible self-imposed restrictions that block children from buying the most violent games. I am calling on the video game industry to follow the leadership of the motion picture industry, which sensibly stops unattended children from viewing violent or graphic movies."
What leadership did the motion picture industry take, then? According to Headline Watch, it "prohibited children from viewing R-rated movies without a guardian." Good role model? Let us know in the comments box below.
Comments
JWS 20 Jul 2010 10:44
1/5
The game they're referring to is Postal 2 :-)
Dreadknux 20 Jul 2010 11:10
2/5
@JWS Haha, of course. The shoddiness of it all totally made it slip my mind. Good catch. :)
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Spongbobster 20 Jul 2010 13:06
3/5
I was once in Block buster browsing next to a kid who looked no younger than 11 accompanied by his Mum who was heard to say "oh, you already played "Dead Space" didn't you? That was the one you said was boring."
Call me a wuss, but at that age ( I am now 37) "Dead Space" would have terrified me.
Of course, back then I would have been playing Speccy games and the most scary film I would have seen up until then was "Jaws". So, it's probably not even a fair comparison to make, but nonetheless it did make me consider just at what age do kids lose their innocence these days?
I guess the answer to that is largely up to the parents who buy certificate 18 games for 11 year olds and leave them to roam the internet without restriction.
That said, even the most well-meaning protective parent is largely helpless to what their child can play or view at a less protected friend's house. So what's the answer?
I don't know, but hysterical rhetoric and measures like this certainly aren't going to help an industry stretched by an already fragile economy.
Maybe we should all sit our 5 year olds down and force them to play "Condemned 2" to its conclusion or until they start reaching for sharp implements to stab us with...
Call me a wuss, but at that age ( I am now 37) "Dead Space" would have terrified me.
Of course, back then I would have been playing Speccy games and the most scary film I would have seen up until then was "Jaws". So, it's probably not even a fair comparison to make, but nonetheless it did make me consider just at what age do kids lose their innocence these days?
I guess the answer to that is largely up to the parents who buy certificate 18 games for 11 year olds and leave them to roam the internet without restriction.
That said, even the most well-meaning protective parent is largely helpless to what their child can play or view at a less protected friend's house. So what's the answer?
I don't know, but hysterical rhetoric and measures like this certainly aren't going to help an industry stretched by an already fragile economy.
Maybe we should all sit our 5 year olds down and force them to play "Condemned 2" to its conclusion or until they start reaching for sharp implements to stab us with...
config 20 Jul 2010 13:45
4/5
I'm trying to picture the conceptual journey from burning people alive to pissing on people to make them throw up.
Nah. Can't do it.
Nah. Can't do it.
config 20 Jul 2010 13:52
5/5
@Spongbobster I'm 38, but Dead Space still scared the crap out of me. Not because of the gory visuals, but because of the tension and atmosphere. Still, I guess that atmosphere would have been lost if the creatures looked like Furbies.