Violent games now treated like pornography in Oklahoma

[Gig-O-Ram]

So how long will it be before the news only reports happy stories? I'm dreading the day when the only shows on TV are the Carebears, Barney and Mr. Rogers Neighborhood.

Why is it we vote for the people in office, but not on the bills or laws that flow across their desks, especially when they impact us directly? Oh well! Good thing I'm old enough to play whatever I want.

I love that last point you made. I never thought about it that way - about voting for a law myself.

Anyway, there may come a day when all there is to watch is Barney and CareBears...the Government now wants to slap heavy fines - not only on radio, for use of foul language - but on TV shows that make use of raw language as well. Something like $300,000 for each offending word. And I hear it's even heavier for radio personalities. I know some shows on FX that will go bankrupt from fines if this goes through.
Welcome to the Theocratic States of Haliburton.

 

[CCUABIDExORxDIE]

Wait a minute ... since when was porn bad ?

never ever.

 

[Oni]

While I think this new law is a bit of a strech (shelf blinders?), on the whole I think it's actually a good idea. Is this bill slated for any further readings or alterations before becoming law, or is that process finished? If so, it's unfortunate, because there are quite a few things that should be clarified, or flat-out removed.

The OP's quoted text is far, far too broad I think. It's a good baseline, but it certainly isn't finished by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[Shadowhawk109]

ooooh! I love getting involved in this kind of conversation! I can always tick off at least one person!

Well, to start with, I'm 15, and I play UT2K4, CS:S, Halo 1 and 2, and I love my mature video games. Sure, the content can be kind of graphic (namely in CS:S with extreme levels of gore) or in UT2K4 (with all the swearing), but its tolerable. The swearing and gore can be turned off in Halo and UT2K4, and that really negates the entire M thing.
In the end, it doesnt matter how old you are. Maturity is what really counts. That's why the game rating is called "Mature" and not "Not For Minors".
My kid brother is 11 years old, and he plays all these games with me. He's not some porn-addicted nut, who plans on taking guns to school in real life or something. He's a gamer, just like me, who, just like me, enjoys the gameplay that mature games offer. Halo 2, UT2K4, and CS:S are some of the best games of all time-but so are Mario and Zelda.

The Mature games dont destroy minds-to quote Kristian Wilson: "Computer games don't affect kids; I mean, if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive eletonic dance music..."

Its the maturity level of the player that matters. Some 5 year old spoiled brat shouldnt be playing Halo 2-you guys know the kind I'm talking about. The kind who screams "Headshot!" or "Pwned" everytime he shoots you, but goes to tears because you sniped him or assasinated him with a shottie. However, a 5 year old who actually knows how to behave has no reason to not play. If they can handle the game, and play responsibly, not being an A$$ about it, play away.

My brother and I have a blast playing our Mature games. We also love our old-school games like Mario or Goldeneye 007. Content doesnt matter, just like alcohol, you have to be responsible when using games, and if your not, you will have to deal with the consequenses.

All this law is really doing is protecting the stupid 5 year old brats that seem to control Halo 2 these days (very prejudiced, I know, but I've had my experiances). Kids like that are really just being put in the spotlight, a spotlight they don't deserve. Gamers like us have to show the world that games like CS:S and Halo 2 don't warp minds-its sheer hatred of immature gamers in Mature games that tick us off.

Here's a closing thought: Any kid with the smallest of talents and a PS2 with a network adapter can mod his games to put naked chicks in. The game could be rated Teen, but that kid would be changing its content. Is it really fair to make EVERY game "Mature" only because immature idiots ruin the game?

Go ahead and rant back-I eagerly await replies!

 

[soulfly1448]

That's friggin' stoopid. Too many fields out in OK. Messes with thier minds evidently. Damn uptight fools.

 

[Chixofnix]

I have a perspective that has changed radically over the years as I'm approaching the point where I'm looking into being a dad myself...

It's one thing for someone like myself to say "hey, I'm a gamer, I've grown up around violent games all my life, and look at me now!" But that wouldn't really be true. "Violent" games only really first appeared in the mid-90's (I'll tag the first mortal-kombat as the beginning).

From there, violence in video games became a fad - mortal kombat sold many copies, mainly because it was shocking (and thereby, "different", "new", "interesting"). After that, many game developers seemed to start thinking: if i throw in blood, we'll sell more copies... that worked until the whole MSRB rating system came in to take control. Frankly, I'm glad that system got established, because the gaming industry (still, to me, mainly consoles) in the late 90s was in a real rut... the rating system initially, i think, forced some developers to focus on fun a little more than shock-value, and that overall created a positive effect.

It seems now that the industry is sliding again towards shock-over-fun, and I'm in favor of another jolt to move the focus back to the other side.

Now, I enjoy many video games, some of them certainly violent, and some of them definitely not (not a drop of blood in DOTA ^_^). I think many games WITH violence don't need it to be interesting.

Also, I agree that violent games do not result in violent kids. HOWEVER, it is equally silly to fall on the polar opposite position, that they have no effect on a kid's development. As a father-to-be (in the next few years), I can't say that the time my kid may spend developing a large knowledge base of the fighting tactics with AK-47s when hunting counterterroists and planting bombs wouldn't be better spent playing some soccer with his friends...

 

[Angry]

When they first get the ideas to make these kinda of laws, and then actulay get them passed, the world is a totaly differnet place. Or should I say the public that matters isnt quiet the same...

 

[ps2cho]

I'm tired of all the people saying that those video games promote thigns

/end rant

There is no correlation between violence and people who play violent video games. Although there is the few idiots, as with everything in life.

 

[Celeron_Phreak]

This revolution against video games is starting to get ridicules.

How about I go and say that most of the art in our museums is offensive because it contains nudity and violence? Oh wait, they're expressing their talent in this work of art.....Video games arn't works of art because they're done on computers and not on paper....WTF??!?! GRRRRRRRR

 

[Enablingwolf]

(7) uses brutal weapons designed to inflict the maximum amount of pain and damage,

Since when do toons feel pain? A games 'super gun' is about the best fun you can get in a shootem up game. So don't use the best gun and your good to go.

 

[Celeron_Phreak]

My guess is that they were writing this law with Condemned: Criminal Origins in mind. It is brutal, but I must say that I've seen worse in movies. Time to attack the movie industry. Not that they ever will though, people watch movies more than games.

 

[Drinkyoghurt]

(7) uses brutal weapons designed to inflict the maximum amount of pain and damage,

eh lol? so what they want us to get a m4a1 rifle and go shoot people in rl? in games people cant get hurt. but if you forbid these games sooner or later some trigger happy ex-cs player is gonna get his awp and start sniping people

 

[Gig-O-Ram]

It's not exactly the same thing, but I just read an article that was talking about a couple a teenagers who made a suicide pact while listening to Judas Priest. And we all know there have been similar cases. It said something about subliminal backward messages in the music which told them to do it (I think the backward masking thing is a crock), so they got high - and drunk - and then went into a park and had some fun with a sawed off shotgun. One died, and the other somehow lived. The article sites the song "Beyond the Realms of Death", which I have heard many times (I love the guitar solo!)

The point is...whether it's heavy metal music or violent video games - or porn for that matter - If you are going to let these things influence you to do something bad, then there is something wrong with you in the first place! In which case you don't need a game or music to do something wrong, and the game and/or music is simply a justification for your actions. This is one of the biggest problems in society...no one wanting to take responsibility for their actions.

I have listened to heavy metal for most of my life (some of which may or may not be satanically influenced), played some fairly violent games, and I've looked at my share of porn, and NOT ONCE have I ever thought of doing something that would hurt myself or someone else. It's simply not in my nature to be that way. I'm mature enough to take something for what it is and not let it influence my actions.

 

[OC Noob]

Nudity/porn and violence are certainly not exactly the same, but for people with little kids and young teens, they might as well be the same. I don't have any problems with any of it, but I don't have any kids either.

It's an itchy subject...you don't want to say "No" to one and say the other is ok, and in fact you shouldn't because if you DO say "No" to one, then you HAVE to say "No" to the other, so as not to sound like a hypocrite.

Didn't it say that the law already got passed, and is just waiting to go into effect?

It depends if we are talking Pokemon violence or Natural Born Killers violence. Theres just too much Dukes of Hazard/A-Team violence out there that children can handle and understand just fine. The really bad/realistic stuff is pretty easy for parents to avoid and most normal (young) kids don't want to see that stuff anyway as the get freaked out.

 

[>HyperlogiK<]

ooooh! I love getting involved in this kind of conversation! I can always tick off at least one person!

Well, to start with, I'm 15, and I play UT2K4, CS:S, Halo 1 and 2, and I love my mature video games. Sure, the content can be kind of graphic (namely in CS:S with extreme levels of gore) or in UT2K4 (with all the swearing), but its tolerable. The swearing and gore can be turned off in Halo and UT2K4, and that really negates the entire M thing.
In the end, it doesnt matter how old you are. Maturity is what really counts. That's why the game rating is called "Mature" and not "Not For Minors".
My kid brother is 11 years old, and he plays all these games with me. He's not some porn-addicted nut, who plans on taking guns to school in real life or something. He's a gamer, just like me, who, just like me, enjoys the gameplay that mature games offer. Halo 2, UT2K4, and CS:S are some of the best games of all time-but so are Mario and Zelda.

The Mature games dont destroy minds-to quote Kristian Wilson: "Computer games don't affect kids; I mean, if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive eletonic dance music..."

Its the maturity level of the player that matters. Some 5 year old spoiled brat shouldnt be playing Halo 2-you guys know the kind I'm talking about. The kind who screams "Headshot!" or "Pwned" everytime he shoots you, but goes to tears because you sniped him or assasinated him with a shottie. However, a 5 year old who actually knows how to behave has no reason to not play. If they can handle the game, and play responsibly, not being an A$$ about it, play away.

My brother and I have a blast playing our Mature games. We also love our old-school games like Mario or Goldeneye 007. Content doesnt matter, just like alcohol, you have to be responsible when using games, and if your not, you will have to deal with the consequenses.

All this law is really doing is protecting the stupid 5 year old brats that seem to control Halo 2 these days (very prejudiced, I know, but I've had my experiances). Kids like that are really just being put in the spotlight, a spotlight they don't deserve. Gamers like us have to show the world that games like CS:S and Halo 2 don't warp minds-its sheer hatred of immature gamers in Mature games that tick us off.

Here's a closing thought: Any kid with the smallest of talents and a PS2 with a network adapter can mod his games to put naked chicks in. The game could be rated Teen, but that kid would be changing its content. Is it really fair to make EVERY game "Mature" only because immature idiots ruin the game?

Go ahead and rant back-I eagerly await replies!

I agree with you in principle, but lawmakers can't legislate based upon such principles, since there is not practical objective way to judge maturity other than by age. I doubt many stores would like the idea of having a trained psychologist on hand to vet their customers.

 

[Anjow]

When I saw the title of this thread I automatically thought "what, jacked off over?"

 

[SolidxSnake]

When I saw the title of this thread I automatically thought "what, jacked off over?"

LMFAOLMFAOLMFAO

This is rediculous. The govt. is taking place of the parents because if they don't, the ignorant parents will dislike the politicians not "taking action".

Damn hypocrites.

 

[-maddog-]

This really doesn't mean much if it is just for AO, but all depends on how it is enforced and which games.

"or political value", can mean a military shooter about killing Iraqis ok, jedi combat no.

 

[Hardin]

Thank God I
A. Don't live in Oklahoma
B. Turned 18 this year.
I grew up playing M rated games like Doom. Heck my dad and I had played Doom over the lan with my two brothers. Ah those were goods times especially because I always beat them in Quake 3. They are blowing this violence thing out of proportion. I grew up with these games and I'm not a mass murderer just a regular kid going to college in august.

 

[OC Noob]

Thank God I
A. Don't live in Oklahoma
B. Turned 18 this year.
I grew up playing M rated games like Doom. Heck my dad and I had played Doom over the lan with my two brothers. Ah those were goods times especially because I always beat them in Quake 3. They are blowing this violence thing out of proportion. I grew up with these games and I'm not a mass murderer just a regular kid going to college in august.

Was Doom really M-rated?

They didn't have ratings when it came out did they? Even if they did I would think it would be T for Teen or whatever.