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The Judiciary (The Best Branch of Government(tm)) ft. Videogames & the 1st Amendment

24

Posts

  • UbikUbik oh pete, that's later. maybe we'll be dead by then Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Dichotomy wrote: »
    and parents, the market and industry self-regulation are entirely trustworthy

    Don't know what trustworthiness of parents has to do with anything

    Ubik on
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  • SnowbeatSnowbeat i need something to kick this thing's ass over the lineRegistered User regular
    edited October 2010
    no 9/11 mosk

    Snowbeat on
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  • Calamity JaneCalamity Jane That Wrong Love Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Koshian wrote: »
    ahahahhaha, because over the last 10 years, we have certainly learned that businesses can certainly regulate themselves!!

    i'd recognize that crude approximation of critical thought anywhere

    Calamity Jane on
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  • EdcrabEdcrab Actually a hack Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Anjin-San wrote: »
    Koshian wrote: »
    ahahahhaha, because over the last 10 years, we have certainly learned that businesses can certainly regulate themselves!!

    i'd recognize that crude approximation of critical thought anywhere

    Karen...

    Edcrab on
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  • PiptheFairPiptheFair Frequently not in boats. Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    anjin

    what is the business son

    PiptheFair on
  • EdcrabEdcrab Actually a hack Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Antimatter wrote: »
    Edcrab wrote: »
    The UK system makes perfect sense to me

    Why can't you be more like us America

    we're utterly contrarian and it's not fair

    put us out of our misery, kthx

    I was playing Half-Life when I was 12 and yet I still think it's weird hearing all the 12 year olds in my classes go on about Call of Duty

    Guess I'm a hypocrite

    Edcrab on
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  • FalloutFallout GIRL'S DAY WAS PRETTY GOOD WHILE THEY LASTEDRegistered User regular
    edited October 2010
    just looking at the first two pictures alone, i hope my governor punches that dude in the fuckin face

    i dont think m-rated games should be sold to minors, really

    regardless of whether or not "oh, in this case it's okay for this 16 year old to purhcase this particular game", do we as a society want to condone violence as an acceptable means of entertainment, for youth in particular?

    Fallout on
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  • SnowbeatSnowbeat i need something to kick this thing's ass over the lineRegistered User regular
    edited October 2010
    i was murdering space pirates and genociding gaian freaks at age 12

    Snowbeat on
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  • Raiden333Raiden333 Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Edcrab wrote: »
    Antimatter wrote: »
    Edcrab wrote: »
    The UK system makes perfect sense to me

    Why can't you be more like us America

    we're utterly contrarian and it's not fair

    put us out of our misery, kthx

    I was playing Half-Life when I was 12 and yet I still think it's weird hearing all the 12 year olds in my classes go on about Call of Duty

    Guess I'm a hypocrite

    Yeah this pretty much sums me up.

    The other day I was with a friend in gamestop and this mom was buying Gears of War 2 for her kid, and arguing with the clerk when he tried to talk her out of it. I tell my friend "Dude, I can't believe she's getting that for her kid, what the hell is she thinking", and he says "yeah, because we totally weren't playing Counter Strike and Metal Gear Solid at his age."

    I didn't really have anything to say to that. What can you say? "Games were different then"? "We were more mature"?

    Raiden333 on
    There was a steam sig here. It's gone now.
  • SnowbeatSnowbeat i need something to kick this thing's ass over the lineRegistered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Koshian wrote: »
    Snowbeat wrote: »
    i was murdering space pirates and genociding gaian freaks at age 12

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lva8L-J8x04

    fucking mind worms

    Snowbeat on
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  • QuirkQuirk Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    So in the US, if the store doesn't have a policy against it, you can sell any sort of violent shit to children and whatnot? If I've got the wrong end of the stick here, feel free to correct me.

    I know over here if you get caught selling things to people underage you can be fined a hefty amount
    How do the age ratings there work? Here we have U (Universal - Suitable for all) PG (Parental Guidance - Might not be suitable for younger/more sensitive viewers) 12A (Not suitable for under 12s without parents consent), then 15, and 18 which aren't allowed for sale to anyone under that age

    Quirk on
  • PiptheFairPiptheFair Frequently not in boats. Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Quirk wrote: »
    So in the US, if the store doesn't have a policy against it, you can sell any sort of violent shit to children and whatnot? If I've got the wrong end of the stick here, feel free to correct me.

    I know over here if you get caught selling things to people underage you can be fined a hefty amount
    How do the age ratings there work? Here we have U (Universal - Suitable for all) PG (Parental Guidance - Might not be suitable for younger/more sensitive viewers) 12A (Not suitable for under 12s without parents consent), then 15, and 18 which aren't allowed for sale to anyone under that age

    http://www.esrb.org/index-js.jsp

    PiptheFair on
  • QuirkQuirk Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Excellent stuff, thanks Pip

    Quirk on
  • MrMonroeMrMonroe passed out on the floor nowRegistered User regular
    edited October 2010
    You know what would be great?

    If retailers refused to sell sexually or violently explicit games to children without their parent's permission, and if there was some way for parents to go online and actually examine the description of the content of the game, so that if, say, they had a real problem with fucking hookers and then killing them to get your money back but didn't have so much of a problem with killing digital Nazis, they could evaluate the content without having to actually play it and make an informed decision as to whether to allow their children to play the game.

    that would be a great way of doing things

    If this law said "no retailer may sell games rated by the ESRB to persons who do not meet the suggested age requirements for the title without a parent or legal guardian present" I would be totally, absolutely fine with it.

    I just think it's a terrible fucking idea to let politics dictate what counts as obscene or not in this medium, or you're going to end up with games getting rated "M" because it has fags in it.

    MrMonroe on
  • BugBoyBugBoy boy.EXE has stopped functioning. only bugs remainRegistered User regular
    edited October 2010
    the esrb does have online descriptions of game content, if parents want to check that out

    BugBoy on
  • MrMonroeMrMonroe passed out on the floor nowRegistered User regular
    edited October 2010
    bugboy



    damnit

    you don't have to click it

    just hover over the link in that post

    also turn on your irony detector

    MrMonroe on
  • BugBoyBugBoy boy.EXE has stopped functioning. only bugs remainRegistered User regular
    edited October 2010
    I've been missing my irony detector for years

    BugBoy on
  • UbikUbik oh pete, that's later. maybe we'll be dead by then Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    MrMonroe wrote: »
    You know what would be great?

    If retailers refused to sell sexually or violently explicit games to children without their parent's permission, and if there was some way for parents to go online and actually examine the description of the content of the game, so that if, say, they had a real problem with fucking hookers and then killing them to get your money back but didn't have so much of a problem with killing digital Nazis, they could evaluate the content without having to actually play it and make an informed decision as to whether to allow their children to play the game.

    that would be a great way of doing things

    If this law said "no retailer may sell games rated by the ESRB to persons who do not meet the suggested age requirements for the title without a parent or legal guardian present" I would be totally, absolutely fine with it.

    I just think it's a terrible fucking idea to let politics dictate what counts as obscene or not in this medium, or you're going to end up with games getting rated "M" because it has fags in it.

    Governments using the ESRB ratings as the standard for what is legal/illegal to sell has been held to be an unconstitutional delegation of power because the ESRB is a private entity so there is no government oversight and no way for the public to petition the ESRB or influence its regulations.

    They would have to make the ESRB an agency like the FCC or the FTC and I would not be in favor of that

    Ubik on
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  • MrMonroeMrMonroe passed out on the floor nowRegistered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Ubik wrote: »
    MrMonroe wrote: »
    You know what would be great?

    If retailers refused to sell sexually or violently explicit games to children without their parent's permission, and if there was some way for parents to go online and actually examine the description of the content of the game, so that if, say, they had a real problem with fucking hookers and then killing them to get your money back but didn't have so much of a problem with killing digital Nazis, they could evaluate the content without having to actually play it and make an informed decision as to whether to allow their children to play the game.

    that would be a great way of doing things

    If this law said "no retailer may sell games rated by the ESRB to persons who do not meet the suggested age requirements for the title without a parent or legal guardian present" I would be totally, absolutely fine with it.

    I just think it's a terrible fucking idea to let politics dictate what counts as obscene or not in this medium, or you're going to end up with games getting rated "M" because it has fags in it.

    Governments using the ESRB ratings as the standard for what is legal/illegal to sell has been held to be an unconstitutional delegation of power because the ESRB is a private entity so there is no government oversight and no way for the public to petition the ESRB or influence its regulations.

    They would have to make the ESRB an agency like the FCC or the FTC and I would not be in favor of that

    huh

    didn't think about that at first

    but honestly I'm fairly satisfied with the job the ESRB is doing

    I would gladly sign on to a petition to refuse to patronize retail establishments that violated their warnings

    seems like it would be just as effective as this legislation

    which I suppose brings us back to the piece you cited in the OP demonstrating that good policy is usually trumped by good campaigning

    MrMonroe on
  • BYToadyBYToady Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Or maybe parents could actually pay attention to the media their kids consume and be god damn parents.

    BYToady on
    Battletag BYToady#1454
  • AntimatterAntimatter Devo Was Right Gates of SteelRegistered User regular
    edited October 2010
    what you ask is too much, Toady

    Antimatter on
  • DichotomyDichotomy Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    where the hell do you get the nerve to think like that

    Dichotomy on
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  • BYToadyBYToady Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Video games have eroded all sense of decency, so I can suggest anything. Like that parents should take interest in their kid's school work, because if you don't give a shit, why should the people that look up to you care?

    BYToady on
    Battletag BYToady#1454
  • UbikUbik oh pete, that's later. maybe we'll be dead by then Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    MrMonroe wrote: »
    Ubik wrote: »
    MrMonroe wrote: »
    You know what would be great?

    If retailers refused to sell sexually or violently explicit games to children without their parent's permission, and if there was some way for parents to go online and actually examine the description of the content of the game, so that if, say, they had a real problem with fucking hookers and then killing them to get your money back but didn't have so much of a problem with killing digital Nazis, they could evaluate the content without having to actually play it and make an informed decision as to whether to allow their children to play the game.

    that would be a great way of doing things

    If this law said "no retailer may sell games rated by the ESRB to persons who do not meet the suggested age requirements for the title without a parent or legal guardian present" I would be totally, absolutely fine with it.

    I just think it's a terrible fucking idea to let politics dictate what counts as obscene or not in this medium, or you're going to end up with games getting rated "M" because it has fags in it.

    Governments using the ESRB ratings as the standard for what is legal/illegal to sell has been held to be an unconstitutional delegation of power because the ESRB is a private entity so there is no government oversight and no way for the public to petition the ESRB or influence its regulations.

    They would have to make the ESRB an agency like the FCC or the FTC and I would not be in favor of that

    huh

    didn't think about that at first

    but honestly I'm fairly satisfied with the job the ESRB is doing

    I would gladly sign on to a petition to refuse to patronize retail establishments that violated their warnings

    seems like it would be just as effective as this legislation

    which I suppose brings us back to the piece you cited in the OP demonstrating that good policy is usually trumped by good campaigning

    Exactly. I am satisfied with the ESRB so I do not see why government needs to be involved when they just want to duplicate the ESRB

    Parents should know what their kids are buying/playing. It takes 2 seconds to check what your kid is doing in the basement/living room/their room

    If parents are paying for the games, don't support establishments that don't follow the ESRB.

    Also, all the consoles have parental controls and I'm fairly certain you can find some for PCs too

    But politicians need that "CORRUPTING OUR YOUTH" platform to run on (see Comic books, "slasher movies," rap, rock and roll, Elvis's hips, "crime stories" and crime trading cards)

    Ubik on
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  • MrMonroeMrMonroe passed out on the floor nowRegistered User regular
    edited October 2010
    personally I would let my twelve year old child play bioshock

    just because I don't have a problem with my children learning to shoot objectivists

    (I'm not serious)






    (I'm serious)

    MrMonroe on
  • UbikUbik oh pete, that's later. maybe we'll be dead by then Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    I'd let my child play games when I know he or she is mature enough to handle them

    That's another problem with enforcing arbitrary lines based on age; not all kids develop at the same rate

    Guess who would know best what children can handle?
    Their parents

    Ubik on
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  • existexist Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    hal halpin has the most stereotypical movie corporation villain face i have ever seen

    exist on
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  • FerrusFerrus Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Some parents don't give a shit about what their kids do, either because they don't care or because they believe their kids "know best". The issue doesn't lie with games, or movies, or guns or sharp objects or fire it lies with the parents.

    And really, if a little kid who can barely reach the top of the counter wants to buy GTAIV or whatever, common sense should tell the clerk not to sell it.

    Except maybe when they're working at Gamestop.

    Ferrus on
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    My penis is like a toddler. A toddler—who is a perfectly normal size for his age—on a long road trip to what he thinks is Disney World. My penis is excited because he hasn’t been to Disney World in a long, long time, but remembers a time when he used to go every day. So now the penis toddler is constantly fidgeting, whining “Are we there yet? Are we there yet? How about now? Now? How about... now?”
    And Disney World is nowhere in sight.
  • StaleghotiStaleghoti Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Man I played Wolfenstien and Doom before I was twelve


    if only there had been some sort of rating system to warn me.

    Instead my friends showed me a game where you could actually shoot guys and there was blood and in Doom there was a chainsaw and it was totally fucking awesome.

    Now I'm a murderer

    Staleghoti on
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  • EdcrabEdcrab Actually a hack Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    When I played Doom and saw those red pixels for the first time my immediate response was to kill myself and everyone around me

    Edcrab on
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  • UbikUbik oh pete, that's later. maybe we'll be dead by then Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    If you guys want to play along with all the fun this Term:

    http://www.fantasyscotus.net/

    Ubik on
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  • Brett SchenkerBrett Schenker Registered User new member
    edited October 2010
    For those that are interested. The Entertainment Consumers Association has put together the Gamer Petition to refute the claim these politicians speak for the people. If you care about free speech and the First Amendment, I encourage everyone to sign the petition. You can learn more about it, and sign it at http://action.theeca.com/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1781

    Brett Schenker
    Online Advocacy Manager
    Entertainment Consumers Association
    www.theeca.com

    Brett Schenker on
  • The Lovely BastardThe Lovely Bastard Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Gamer petition you say

    The Lovely Bastard on
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  • Calamity JaneCalamity Jane That Wrong Love Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    to whom would it be sent

    Calamity Jane on
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  • MrMonroeMrMonroe passed out on the floor nowRegistered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Ubik wrote: »
    If you guys want to play along with all the fun this Term:

    http://www.fantasyscotus.net/

    are you in a league?

    MrMonroe on
  • JAKJAK Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Karl wrote: »
    Edcrab wrote: »
    To my understanding part of the controversy is that in the States, it's not actually against the law to sell age-restricted content to minors (it just tends to go against store policy)

    In the UK it is illegal to supply both games and films to underage consumers, but in the States it currently isn't, so making such a law apply to games alone is pretty skewed

    Shit its actually illegal to do that here? So if a parent buys a game for a child who's underage they're breaking the law?
    Retailers can't sell them to children. Parents can buy them for their kids if they want.

    JAK on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • DouglasDangerDouglasDanger PennsylvaniaRegistered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Gamer petition you say

    As a gamer, I

    DouglasDanger on
  • JoeUserJoeUser Forum Santa Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    When will the governor of California apologize for this?

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    JoeUser on
  • ZombiemamboZombiemambo Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    I boil kids in a vat of virgin's blood

    Zombiemambo on
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  • PolecatPolecat What does the polecat say? Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    When I worked for G.S. two co-workers got fired for selling m-rated games underage. So at least in our district its relatively strict.

    That being said, I dealt with so many moronic parents that bought their little brats whatever the hell they wanted, regardless of me saying "This game is rated mature for intense violence, sexual themes, nudity, language, drug use, blah blah blah..." Very rarely did a warning from one of us stop a parent from buying a game.

    It's like parents today don't want to deal with their kids being cry babies so they give them w.e. they want. Now one of the very first games I ever played was wolfenstein 3-d so my parents didn't really seem to care either... well I did have to take doom 2 back :(

    I'm fine with a law requiring an adult to be there to buy an M-rated game because things wouldn't change much in terms of service around me. However it's not going to fix lazy ignorant parents that don't give a damn about what their kids do.

    Polecat on
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This discussion has been closed.