Most of you have probably brushed by this on Penny Arcade already… but [URL=http://townhall.com/columnists/KevinMcCullough/2008/01/13/the_sex-box_race_for_president?page=full&comments=true]What The Fuck!?!?!?[/URL]. I’ve seen people drawing wrong conclusion upon false information before… I mean that’s how the War in Iraq started… but that wasn’t even half as completely blasphemous wrong as what this guy thinks about Mass Effect. The really sad thing is that [URL=http://www.cnsnews.com/news/viewstory.asp?Page=/Culture/archive/200801/CUL20080111a.html]he’s not alone[/URL]... Seriously…
Bob Waliszewki, media specialist with Focus on the Family, told Cybercast News Service, “We never shy away from sexuality in the media. It’s just a question of how is that sexuality portrayed. One can use the media to portray some very healthy forms of sexuality. And when done wisely with taste and age-appropriateness, it can be done well.”
“Unfortunately,” he said, “Mass Effect doesn’t do that and even goes so far as to allow homosexuality to be on par with heterosexuality and heterosexuality outside of its proper context of marriage.”
And I love:
She noted that “when you expose children, whose brains and personalities are still developing, to degrading and harmful material, you’ve got to believe that’s going to have an effect on the way that they view themselves, others, and the world.”
So shooting nazi’s in an explosion of blood and gore in a teen rated CoD 2 is better for a child’s development than seeing a barely visible character possibly nude in a dark room with another one? Or playing America’s Army to be trained to kill? OH MY GOD PEOPLE PROCREATE OUTSIDE OF A MARRIAGE!!!!!!!
Gah…
....at times I wonder how people actually voluntarily move to the US if this is the kind of people the politicians (and parents) listen to, or even are… Please tell me they’re actually a dying breed and will all be gone in a generation’s time…
I would honestly take politicians who would go “ZOMG I PWD UR BUTTCAKE U LOSER, U OLY GOTZ 25% VOTEZERS!!!!” over this.
So shooting nazi’s in an explosion of blood and gore in a teen rated CoD 2 is better for a child’s development than seeing a barely visible character possibly nude in a dark room with another one? Or playing America’s Army to be trained to kill? OH MY GOD PEOPLE PROCREATE OUTSIDE OF A MARRIAGE!!!!!!!
Technically, CoD2 wouldn’t be T rated if people exploded in blood and gore. That would definitely earn it an M.
All this is bullshit on so many levels. I think primarily it’s predicated on the assumption that video games are toys played by children, and some people just will not be convinced otherwise.
Technically, CoD2 wouldn’t be T rated if people exploded in blood and gore. That would definitely earn it an M.
Well, having played only the demo I remember it as somewhat bloody, and it does have an ESBR Teen Rating with “Violence,Blood”... and I’d much rather let my kids play Mass Effect with its M rating (rated 18+ over here too) over CoD 2… if I had any.
This guy is nuts. Focus on the Family is nuts. Nobody actually listens to either of them (aside from a handful of the extreme right). I don’t see any mentions of politicians doing anything about Mass Effect. I’m not trying to defend any politician, and none of them have any understanding of anything related to technology, I just don’t have a clue what you’re talking about in the title of the post.
These kinds of people really are a dying breed, I hope it will be a generation, but it’ll probably be a few more.
This little squabble over Mass Effect which I really haven’t heard about outside of PA is nothing compared to the true insanity of the ultra-conservatives. The Creation Museum is downright disgusting, and pisses me the fuck off, but it doesn’t make me hate the US, just some of the people in it.
The act of blaming video games is nothing new, neither is the flagrant misinformation. It’s par for the course. They stand on a soapbox, talking about fundamental things they don’t even understand, screaming to the heavens, all in hopes people will heed their brand of noise pollution in the human tradition of pushing an agenda, feeling like they’re +1 up on everyone else, or the act of just being flat out stupid.
As video games become more mainstream, more mature, more accepted, you’re only going to see more of these uphill battles against the ranks of close minded people - god knows they’re out there in droves - who still believe video games are for kids (or adults wasting away their lives) and hence we have to save our kids from themselves. If a politician doesn’t think this way himself, then he’s campaigning for these ultra conservative, easily spooked dim bulbs in a bid to be elected.
It all ties back into this warped North American culture where we shelter, censor the natural human body, a healthy definition of sex, but bathe night and day in violence without ever questioning if we’ve gotten our lines crossed somewheres along the way. There has to be systems in place, government controlled/run or not - the ESRB, the MPAA, etc, but beyond that it’s just common sense and good parenting - two things these fucktards are seriously short on.
who still believe video games are for kids (or adults wasting away their lives)
...but aren’t they?
Ok this one is ridiculous and inflammatory even for you Wes. What’s wrong with enjoying life? Do you have a problem with people watching movies? Sex without intent to procreate? I know we both love the outdoors, but the only things climbing or hiking has over video games are physical benefits. While I would pick a sunrise in the mountains over an xbox any day, who am I to judge someone else for making a different choice? It’s all about personal enjoyment. I’m not trying to condone people who lock themselves in their room playing WoW all day, of course that’s not good, but really Wes, I’m hoping that was just a joke because I don’t even know how to respond to it.
who still believe video games are for kids (or adults wasting away their lives)
...but aren’t they?
Ok this one is ridiculous and inflammatory even for you Wes. What’s wrong with enjoying life? Do you have a problem with people watching movies? Sex without intent to procreate? I know we both love the outdoors, but the only things climbing or hiking has over video games are physical benefits. While I would pick a sunrise in the mountains over an xbox any day, who am I to judge someone else for making a different choice? It’s all about personal enjoyment. I’m not trying to condone people who lock themselves in their room playing WoW all day, of course that’s not good, but really Wes, I’m hoping that was just a joke because I don’t even know how to respond to it.
Why can’t we do both as well? Engage in outdoor activities and play video games? (no I don’t mean at the same time). People seem to think that we should eliminate playing video games because that time will magically be replaced with some “healthy” activity.
Also, can someone please explain to the masses of stupid people out there that the freaking M on the box means you shouldn’t be buying the game for your kids!
Whenever I play videogames for any length of time, even though I enjoy them, I always get this feeling that I’ve just completely wasted my time… Maybe I’m just getting old.
I get the same feeling when watching TV (unless I’m doing something else at the same time). At least while playing video games my brain is doing something.
Whenever I play videogames for any length of time, even though I enjoy them, I always get this feeling that I’ve just completely wasted my time… Maybe I’m just getting old.
I get the same feeling when watching TV (unless I’m doing something else at the same time). At least while playing video games my brain is doing something.
Yeah, there’s not much TV I feel useful to watch… most games have some kind of problem solving, how low level it still might be, to still offer something of a brain exercise… while most TV shows today seem to be designed to make your brain cells grow redundant and die as fast as possible. With exceptions of course… but TV in general is such a damn waste of time.
I get the same feeling when watching TV (unless I’m doing something else at the same time). At least while playing video games my brain is doing something.
Yeah, there’s not much TV I feel useful to watch… most games have some kind of problem solving, how low level it still might be, to still offer something of a brain exercise… while most TV shows today seem to be designed to make your brain cells grow redundant and die as fast as possible. With exceptions of course… but TV in general is such a damn waste of time.
I prefer to stay active even when sitting down.
I play games and watch TV for the stories, usually. That’s why I love RPGs so much, and I don’t really watch too much reality TV.
I know we both love the outdoors, but the only things climbing or hiking has over video games are physical benefits.
Oh, come on now… You’re not honestly suggesting that real world accomplishments and gaming accomplishments are equivalent, are you? Is being mayor in Sim City no better or worse than being mayor in New York City?
Climbing, depending on the mountain, has the potential to be a huge undertaking. Sure, you need physical endurance to continue moving uphill… but it also takes the mental acuity and technical knowledge to make decisions when the wrong choice can be fatal. It takes social and organizational skills to keep the group functioning together. Most importantly, it takes desire and ambition.
Gaming requires you to press buttons. When you die, you reload your last save. When you get tired, you pause it. The two are hardly juxtapose.
I’m neither an accomplished climber nor an accomplished gamer. But when I look back at the things I did in 2007, climbing Mt. Hood ranks pretty high up there. Finally finishing GTA:SA does not.
If you want to be emo about it, I suppose you could say all activities are just ways to waste time until we die. I however do place varying values on different activities, and I’m happy to admit that I have a strong bias towards reality.
I liken this extremist nonsense about video games to when rock ‘n roll first became popular in the US back in the fifties. The States were a lot more conservative then than we are now, and it’s glaringly obvious how much more lenient we have become as a national and global society in sixty years. Judging by the seemingly exponential acceleration of this same trend of social and technological development, I’d reckon these buffoons will be out of our hair in the next week and a half or so.
Also, I can’t believe I have to remind you lunkheads of Wes’ sole purpose as a troll. Nothing he says actually comes from his soul (though that’s mostly because he doesn’t have one). He is absolutely programmed to do nothing but spur sparks and fan flames.
