No more GTA for the under 18's in Illinois!

[Zmid]

Then if the government can't run it, it can't be mandatory. I refuse to accept the idea of giving a private organization government powers.

 

Why not? Why is the government any more suited to rating games than a private organisation? As I've already pointed out, the government can be influenced. A private organisation that exists solely to give games age ratings can't be, and, as long as there is sufficient checks and balances and a sufficient level of transparancy, I can't see how it could get in any way biased.

 

I'm talking about just refusing to submit the game for rating.

 

...in which case, it is illegal to sell the game.

 

Fortunately in the US, you can still get away with ignoring the opinion of a private ratings organization.

 

You can in the UK as well. The only restriction that is placed on you is that if you are under 18 and want to buy an 18 rated game, you have to get your parents to buy it for you. Once they have bought it, if they give you permission to play that game, you can play it to your heart's content.

 

..unless, as I said, they have a group that is as independant and impartial as possible deciding if a game gets a rating and what rating it gets.

 

That's hopeless idealism. Giving an organization power and saying "please be impartial forever" is just asking for problems.

 

The entire existance and function of this organisation would be to rate games. Why wouldn't they be impartial?

 

If the parents care about what games their children are playing, it is their responsibility to pay attention and deal with it. Not the government's. If they don't want to reduce their kids' freedoms so much, then they can just accept the risk of playing violent games and quit whining about it.

 

But what if they want to have their kids have as much freedom as possible, yet not have them get their hands on unsuitable games without their permission? You're basically saying that they are not allowed to have this happen as it infringes on the child's freedom. What about the parents freedom to parent their child as they see fit? What about the parents freedom to peace of mind?

 

I'm not normally in support of laws that restrict people's freedoms, but, in this case, I would simply not like to think that my nieces and nephews, who are all under 10, would be able to get their hands on games like Manhunt, so I am in support of this one. It isn't perfect, but I can't think of a better workable system.

 

Then deal with it. Lock up the consoles and only let them be used with supervision, give them a non-admin computer account so they can't install games. The better system is for parents to take some responsibility instead of expecting the government to protect them from everything they don't want to see.

 

What about at school with their friends who have Gameboys/DSs/PSPs? At their friend's house? When playing with their own Gameboy/DS/PSP? Should my brother and/or his wife literally be following their kids around, looking over their shoulders every minute of every day? Unless your answer is 'yes', in which case these kids get zero privacy (and, of course, ignoring the fact that, as there are four of them, even then, my brother and his wife would literally have to split in two to do this, as well as my brother giving up his job), then the law has to slightly restrict their freedom in another way to help parents out.

 

Also, remember this is a relatively minor restriction in their freedom. If their parents say it's OK to play them (by buying it and giving it to them), they can play these games all they want. Come to think of it, you're banging on about 'it's the parents responsibility'. Well, this law would, in a very real way, force parents to take responsibility. No longer could you blame a kid being violent purely on him playing violent games. Why? Because if he's playing violent games, his parents would have bought them for him, so, even if you try the tired old excuse of 'it was the games causing the violence', it's still the parents' fault.

[CLB1110]

I think Ill butt in right about here to comment on something you said White Wolf. Sure the kids friends could have M rated games, but then it is the parents fault of letting their kid hang out with another kid that has M rated games. Im saying if they let their kid go over to a friends house, mabey ask the parents of the friend if they own any M rated games, and if they do tell them to not let their child play those games. Sure you cant really help it at school, mabey ask the teachers at your school to watch out for kids with bad games and take them away.

[Zmid]

I think Ill butt in right about here to comment on something you said White Wolf. Sure the kids friends could have M rated games, but then it is the parents fault of letting their kid hang out with another kid that has M rated games.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

And how would a kids parents know if any of their kids friends has M rated games?

 

Im saying if they let their kid go over to a friends house, mabey ask the parents of the friend if they own any M rated games, and if they do tell them to not let their child play those games.

 

And what if the response is 'that's none of your business'? Should the parents not let their child 'hang out' with certain kids, or be friends with them, simply because there's a possibility that those kids might have M rated games? Plus, of course, this assumes that the parents of their child's friend even know he has M rated games. They might be convinced their 'little darlings' would never in a million years play such games.

 

Sure you cant really help it at school, mabey ask the teachers at your school to watch out for kids with bad games and take them away.

 

There, you run into the same problem - schools would simply be unable to follow every single kid around, literally looking over their shoulder, even if you disregard the fact this would be a blatent invasion of the kids' privacy.

[Chaosmaker]

I'm ok with violent games but racial and secimistic (however you spell it) games are not cool. If they pass a law only on those areas I'll be ok.

[Stanhead]

There, you run into the same problem - schools would simply be unable to follow every single kid around, literally looking over their shoulder, even if you disregard the fact this would be a blatent invasion of the kids' privacy.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I completely agree, I had my mobile (cell phone) taken off me after my bag was searched. The phone wasn't on or visible. My bag was checked after a knife scare... :/

[CLB1110]

All Im saying is that teachers COULD watch out for kids with bad games. Or they could make a new rule at the school that anyone caught with bad games will have them taken away. We recently had a new rules put into action at my school. Anyone with a cell-phone that is on will have it taken away. I have to say it worked pretty well, I've only seen a couple kids trying to talk on their cell-phones in school.

[blakmaglc]

I myself am not even fond of GTA even though I am 19. So it bothers me not.

[KzinistZerg]

You say there are good examples to be learned in plays. Truly, so there are: if you will learn falsehood; if you will learn cozenage; if you will learn to deceive ; if you learn to play the hypocrite, to cog, to lie, and falsify; if you will learn to jest, laugh, and leer, to grin, nod, and mow; if you will learn to play the vice, to swear, tear, and blaspheme both Heaven and Earth; if you will learn to become a bawd, unclean, and to devirgiate maids, to deflower honest wives; if you will learn to murder, flay, kill, pick, steal, rob, and row; if you will learn to rebel against princes, to commit treason, to consume treasures, to practice idleness, to sing and talk of bawdy love and venery; if you will learn to play the whoremaster, the glutton, drunkard, or incestuous person; if you will learn to become pound, haughty, and arrogant; and finally, if you will learn to condemn God and all his laws, to care neither for heaven or hell, and to commit all kinds of sin and mischief, you need to go to no other school, for all these good examples you may see painted before your eyes in interludes and plays.

And you thought television, rock 'n roll, and video games corrupted youth. They cannot hold a candle to the deadly effects of the theater.

 

 

Tee hee, english class does come in handy. Quote from an english packet quoting from a tirade against the evils of the theater.

[Btcc22]

Game ratings have always been UK law as far as I can remember.

 

Count yourselves lucky.

 

Doom since I was 6...still not old enough. :D

[andrus]

under 18s shouldnt play games that depict prostitution gang violance and any other crime you can get you mits on, its good that a country like america that as its foundations built on money making has decided to not sell to children a game that could bread violance into there already violant citys, it maybe that only one stae has put the bill forward but it wont take long for the rest of the states to jump on the band wagon.

I have children of my own and i wouldnt let them play games like gta, because of its high amount of violant activity in it.

Games like that should be restricted to adults and i think even adults should be supervised lol, its good to escape for a while into a world were you can do anything you like even if that is stealing a car shooting a cop loving a prostitute for a long time and blowing away your competition with an uzi.

call me a john strieght if you want but games like that arent for children.

Well you wouldnt let them watch a porn movie would you so why let them kill in a game.