Topic: Are Video Games A Bad Influence On Kids?

[Rocko]

All the parents have to do is say it's for them...

...and scanning the parent's card would show that they don't own that system.

And if they do, and they want to buy GTA:Vice City for themselves, and they let their kids play THEIR game, and their kids go on a shooting spree, then the parents would be held accountable, not game designers.

Basically, to buy anything game related, you would need this card, no matter the age.

Unless the parent bought the system...

....

If the parents bought the system, it would go on the parent's card. Therefore, if the parents let the kid use their system, they're legally out of luck. It would also not allow kids to buy their own games rated M until after 16 (cause they don't own a system). The system would become a "guest system" on their card at 16. Games would also be available for pickup by parents 2 days before his 16th birthday for gift wrapping.

If the parents tried to buy the game for an underage kid with the system, they wouldn't be told no at the register.

The only problem is that the gov't would have to fund this and send card making machines to every video game retailer.

They don't do the same thing for music, or R rated movies, and R is the same as M. Maybe it's just me but your idea sounds like nannystateish.

[VulturEMaN]

It's certainly gonna be better than what Congress comes up with.

And 99.9% of all movies/music have less of an impact on teenage violence than video games do....

That number doesn't include Fight Club, one of my all time favorite movies

did you know they wanted to ban selling it in walmarts in the 'bargain movie' section, for fear that kids might look at the cover and get ideas?

[carterhawk]

The only kids who go out imitating Grand Theft Auto are fracked up in the head already. The only real and verifiable effect video games are having is plumping up our youth.

[Rocko]

It's certainly gonna be better than what Congress comes up with.

And 99.9% of all movies/music have less of an impact on teenage violence than video games do....

That number doesn't include Fight Club, one of my all time favorite movies

did you know they wanted to ban selling it in walmarts in the 'bargain movie' section, for fear that kids might look at the cover and get ideas?

What if the game someone it buying is a gift? I might buy a game for a friend who has an Xbox 360, but I don't own one, would I be denied purchase?

[Thomas]

The correct answer for why kids immitate GTA: Poor education.

[VulturEMaN]

It's certainly gonna be better than what Congress comes up with.

And 99.9% of all movies/music have less of an impact on teenage violence than video games do....

That number doesn't include Fight Club, one of my all time favorite movies

did you know they wanted to ban selling it in walmarts in the 'bargain movie' section, for fear that kids might look at the cover and get ideas?

What if the game someone it buying is a gift? I might buy a game for a friend who has an Xbox 360, but I don't own one, would I be denied purchase?

Nope. Cause you couldn't play it anyways.

You'd only be denied purchase if your friend was underage and not allowed to get it.

Stop nitpicking at my idea and make a better one

[DiE HaRrD PuNk]

It's certainly gonna be better than what Congress comes up with.

And 99.9% of all movies/music have less of an impact on teenage violence than video games do....

That number doesn't include Fight Club, one of my all time favorite movies

did you know they wanted to ban selling it in walmarts in the 'bargain movie' section, for fear that kids might look at the cover and get ideas?

What if the game someone it buying is a gift? I might buy a game for a friend who has an Xbox 360, but I don't own one, would I be denied purchase?

No because you tell them your friends name and they can look it up and see whether the person is underage or not.

[IceFox]

It's certainly gonna be better than what Congress comes up with.

And 99.9% of all movies/music have less of an impact on teenage violence than video games do....

That number doesn't include Fight Club, one of my all time favorite movies

did you know they wanted to ban selling it in walmarts in the 'bargain movie' section, for fear that kids might look at the cover and get ideas?

That number is 99.9% bull.

[DiE HaRrD PuNk]

It's certainly gonna be better than what Congress comes up with.

And 99.9% of all movies/music have less of an impact on teenage violence than video games do....

That number doesn't include Fight Club, one of my all time favorite movies

did you know they wanted to ban selling it in walmarts in the 'bargain movie' section, for fear that kids might look at the cover and get ideas?

That number is 99.9% bull.

I have to agree on that.

Drug related/sexual songs still influence kids just as much as a video game. Although music cant be seen, music is a very strong thing and can get to a person. And movies are bad, maybe even worse than video games, because it displays what a character would do, not what the gamer would do, and its still very much of an impact on them.

[VulturEMaN]

When was the last time you watched a movie with someone and they were like "omg let's go shoot up on herion!" or "let's go ambush a japanese resturaunt with glocks and waste the owner".

No.

Movies are re-enactments of a writer's script. They create characters that you might be able to relate to. In most movies, you can spot someone who is bad, and know that they are bad. And you know that bad = wrong. And if you don't know that, then you shouldn't be watching movies.

Movies are an expression of one's feelings into words with instruments and voices. It's a form of entertainment that has been around forever.

When was the last time there was a murder that was publicized that "murderer was influenced by a movie"? I've heard of maybe 2 of these, and 1 was a reenactment of "Murder on the Orient Express", which was a book originally (Agatha Christie FTW!) and another where a guy reenacted an episode of "Murder She Wrote" to kill his wife who was blackmailing him.

[DiE HaRrD PuNk]

It still is influencial and should be treated as so.

[VulturEMaN]

....If nobody's ever reacted to a movie or music, then how is it influencial....

Right now, video games are MORE influencial than movies are music. So something must be done to curb that influence onto other kids. Whatever the idea is, it will probably be good. My idea has a few flaws, but I'm sure that the gov't could fix that up.

[carterhawk]

The only idea we need here is personal responsibility. Keep the gov't out of the market as much as possible. Any time a disturbed kid goes nuts, its 99% the parents fault.

[VulturEMaN]

Yea, but how do we pin that decision on the parents if the kid bought the game?

I know that they let him play it, but the gov't would rather just ban M games instead of trying to fix the idiotic parents.

That's why I thought up that 'card' idea...

[carterhawk]

Where did the kid get money for a $50 game? how did he get to the store on his own? why arent his parents teaching him its wrong to lie? Where are they when he is playing the game? Why dont they talk to the parents of friends when he goes to a friends house? How come they arent doing the occasional check between the matresses for contraband like M rated games?

Shall I continue?
This is all about parental responsibility. The ratings are there, there reviews are all over the internet, and the back of the box will have a description of exactly what is being bought. Its the parents who just buy whatever their kid asks for without investigating ,and lets their kid play alone in their room for hours on end, never checking on them, that is to blame for the behavior of their offspring.

When a child commits a crime, its the fault of the parents for not being there and for not raising their kid right.