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If the gaming industry is an automobile, and the game designers are the drivers, then that makes us, the players, backseat drivers, and we'll be damned if we're gonna let the industry keep on heading the way it's going (good or bad) without letting them know what we think. So buckle up, feel free to complain about there being no air in the back, and bring your most critical and analytical mind to the open air discussion of the current age, Backseat Gamers!
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Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Video Games Is tha Devil

http://themomblog.freedomblogging.com/2009/12/27/video-games-were-invented-by-the-devil/42149/
Posted by at 12:15 PM

4 comments:

  1. I 3N3MY IJanuary 6, 2010 at 5:04 PM

    Man I really hate people like that. I can't stop wanting to call her a hypocrite. She was just as much a loner about her reading and she's fat! People like this make me want to puke all over your head sir.

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  2. Lead SaladJanuary 6, 2010 at 7:50 PM

    Haha, that's awesome. I dislike reading articles like this, mainly because I feel like the problems "people like this" have with video games can be solved so easily. If you're concerned about your kids playing video games too much, put a time limit on how much they can play per day. If you don't want them playing games like Grand Theft Auto, don't buy them that game. And if they do get their hands on it somehow, take it away from them. That kid that she references in the article who plays GTA until 2 AM is 14. 14. Don't all parents know about GTA by now? I've never been concerned much with the game ratings myself, mainly because they weren't around when I was younger, but come on! Mainly it's just because I keep up with games that I know the kind of stuff that's in GTA, but armed with that knowledge of the content, I think I'd actually follow the ratings guide on that one and not let anyone under 17 play it. I'm sure Amateria will have more to say on this...."M for Mature, A for Apathy," right?? I can't really say for sure, because I'm about the farthest thing from a parent, but it seems like if you just set up some rules from the beginning it might work in your favor and your 14 year old son won't end up playing a game at 2 AM that he shouldn't even have in the first place.....

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  3. AmateriaJanuary 6, 2010 at 11:53 PM

    My mom put heavy restrictions on the media in our household when I was younger. Rated R movies were basically a ticket to Hell, and videogame time, regardless of content was pretty strictly regulated. This became an issue when I would spend time at friends' houses where there were no restrictions, because it would be all I would do.

    I will give this woman a small degree of credit though. Although her thoughts on my favorite entertainment medium might not be in alighnment with my own, at least she's got a plan and is sticking to it. Her philosophies might be misguided, but at least she has one - which is more than I can say for 90% of the parents I deal with in game retail. A for Apathy is right... apparently nudity isn't one of those words that raises any eyebrows anymore.

    Something really not understood about the ESRB system is how to use it. Almost everyone knows what the letters all mean, but how to apply those in a decision making situation (i.e. is this game appropriate, for me or my child) is completely missed. Saving Private Ryan and American Pie are both rated R, but you'd be hard pressed to find a parent out there who will tell you that they are the same thing in the end for their child's mind. Why can't the same approach be used in games?

    (we also were only allowed to drink soda when we ordered pizza every 2 or 3 weeks... which is probably why it's such a regular beverage of mine now)

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  4. JuniperRedJanuary 7, 2010 at 9:33 AM

    Yeah, very true. I would hands down let a child see Saving Private Ryan LONG before they saw American Pie. Watching a man stumble around holding his blown off arm makes you think about what our fellow Americans (like my grandpa, a WWII veteran) went through where as American Pie is just all about getting laid. So the ratings can definitely mean something differently.

    My gf does a great job of limiting her kids on their DSs or the Wii. She'll make them go outside and play or do something like draw or read or whatever. She actually tries to parent and doesn't place blame on the console itself or any single game. And the worst thing they are exposed to is Guitar Hero so she keeps a close eye on what they play.

    As for my childhood, I put a lot of time into SNES in high school. But my grades were high, I was heavily involved in church activities and went to Tae-Kwon-Do up to 6 times per week. I was in good physical shape and my parents didn't carefully monitor my video game time because my free time outside of school was spent in good, healthy activities. It really depends on the child...

    What bothered me about this woman was the fact that she was 1st: acting like the WHOLE area of video games was wrong and 2nd: that it was inherently EVIL in some way... I mean, come on. I HATE hearing people moan and complain about the GTA's and Manhunts but not a single word is uttered about the latest Saw movie and how children may get a hold of it.

    It just boils down to people actually parenting their kids...

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