Video Game Violence on Cops - Decision

[BadgerFan]

The US District Court of Seattle ruled that a state law forbidding the sale of games showing violence against law enforcement officers violates the First Ammendent. I can't understand how the politicians cannot forsee the legal problems with laws like this..they already have an ESRB ratings system that is out there and being (further) worked into law. Banning a gameboy of bugs bunny shooting elmer fudd with a badge? Or one of the Duke boys taking it out on Boss Hog? C'mon....The long story of the state of Washington's controversial law banning the sale of violent games to minors came to an end today--with an important victory for the game industry. Judge Robert Lasnik of the US District Court in Seattle ruled the law unconstitutional under the First Amendment's protection of freedom of speech.

Rejecting the state's argument that violence in games should fall under the state's obscenity law, Judge Lasnik noted that similar portrayals of violence can be seen in literature, art, and the media and that "there is no indication that such expressions have ever been excluded from the protections of the First Amendment."

Passed by the Washington state legislature in March 2003 and signed by Governor Gary Locke that May, law HB1009 was immediately challenged on the grounds that it was unconstitutional by the Interactive Digital Software Association (now the Entertainment Software Association) and was subsequently blocked by Judge Lasnik. The law sought to ban the sale of games that showed violence against law enforcement officers to anyone under the age of 17. Retailers caught breaking the law would be fined $500.

Addressing the state's concern that violence against police officers in games translates to violence in real life, Judge Lasnik determined that "the...belief that video games cause violence, particularly violence against law enforcement officers, is not based on reasonable inferences drawn from substantial evidence." He also pointed out that the definition of violence against law enforcement officers was impossibly vague, citing such examples as the possessed cops in Freedom Force, enemy officers in Splinter Cell, or games built around Looney Toons, The Simpsons, or The Dukes of Hazzard.

Doug Lowenstein, president of the ESA, praised the ruling, saying that it is just another example of a number of rulings "that establish video games as constitutionally protected forms of expression." Lowenstein added that he hopes Washington and other state governments will now focus on further implementing the ESA's self-regulating Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB).

The Washington Retail Association, the Video Software Dealers Association, the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association, the International Game Developers Association, Hollywood Video, and the ESA jointly filed the lawsuit.http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/07/15/news_6102759.html

[ChrisF202]

Games in which people kill or harm LEO's are one of the reasons why my generation dosent have respect for LEO's, because they think all cops are like the cops in these games (evil, corrupt, etc). These games also teach kids that its ok to shoot cops and such. I belive we should make a series of games where the player plays a cop on road patrol, answering domestics, etc. Where the player chooses what he says does ex. have an option called shoot where you shoot the person, radio where u can talk to other players, CS for spraying people, etc And of course a talk to suspect option. I mean a game similar to 'SWAT', but along the lines of "The Sims" and with car chases and every law enforcement situation, etc

[heynow123]

i'd buy that game... i'd be almost as good as grand theif auto ;)

[That Guy]

I have to agree with the ruling. There are already ratings in place, they just need to be enforced. I play Grand Theft Auto: Vice city. Neat game, an dyes you can kill cops i it. I always feel bad when I do but the more you hurt/kill in the game, the harder they come back at you.
Every generation says people/kids do not respect LE. Granted parents today do not handle thier kids like the old days but there are many factors involved.

TGY

[SWATdude170]

I like all kinds of games,i play GTA San Andreas,that new game you are talkin bout' there is a game called SWAT4 which is really cool.plus the new game,id definatley buy it!

[LvNjPoles]

I have to agree with the decision, but the current system cannot be enforced. It

[Mraughh]

I wonder what the ruling would have been if it were about games where you could kill gays, blacks, hispanics, liberals, etc. etc. etc. would have been? Incidentally, this ruling would protect said games if they are created.

[retired]

I have no problem with the ruling. It upholds the 1st.

[Bart]

I wonder what the ruling would have been if it were about games where you could kill gays, blacks, hispanics, liberals, etc. etc. etc. would have been? Incidentally, this ruling would protect said games if they are created.

so what if it does? we all have a choice to buy games or not buy games, i say let the market decide what stays on shelves and what doesnt. we dont need the courts making our choices for us.

[Mraughh]

so what if it does? we all have a choice to buy games or not buy games, i say let the market decide what stays on shelves and what doesnt. we dont need the courts making our choices for us.

I think the political views of the judges would have played a different role if they were. I do not care what kind of games are out there frankly. I believe its the parents responsibilty to police their kids rather than have big brother stomp all over them.

Your statement about the market has already been proven. Postal was pulled off the shelves after 2 days due to the outcry of the game. The Govt didnt have to step in there, parents did.

[Welpe]

Postal wasn't pulled everywhere. You can still find it in the bargain bin at the electronics store around here.

[Bart]

Postal was pulled off the shelves after 2 days due to the outcry of the game.

the game sucked. it wasnt pulled because of outcry. it was pulled to make room for titles that are more popular with better revenue generating capabilities. thats how the market determines what stays on shelves. public outcry has nothing to do with it.

look at vice city...... minority groups cried that the game made latinos and blacks look like criminals. however, the game was so popular, nobody listened to them. again, thats the market determining whats good enough and whats not.

The Govt didnt have to step in there, parents did.

on issues like obscenity and the like, the government shouldnt be stepping in at all. do you remember tipper gore and her parental advisory stickers on CD's? now, you have this zell miller guy saying there should be more censorship on TV and radio. why the hell should politicians make the decision on what i watch and listen to?

[SWATdude170]

POSTAL 2 and Postal 2 Apocalpse weekend were great!

[Mraughh]

the game sucked. it wasnt pulled because of outcry. it was pulled to make room for titles that are more popular with better revenue generating capabilities. thats how the market determines what stays on shelves. public outcry has nothing to do with it.

look at vice city...... minority groups cried that the game made latinos and blacks look like criminals. however, the game was so popular, nobody listened to them. again, thats the market determining whats good enough and whats not.



on issues like obscenity and the like, the government shouldnt be stepping in at all. do you remember tipper gore and her parental advisory stickers on CD's? now, you have this zell miller guy saying there should be more censorship on TV and radio. why the hell should politicians make the decision on what i watch and listen to?

We agree, but with different mindsets I suppose. All I can tell you why postal was pulled was what the guys at EB told me way back when. I don't see how after 2 days the market would determine it would need to be pulled from the shelves. Very few PC games are released each month to warrant this, considering the time it takes to create them.

Yeah Postal 2 was pretty fun, I think I still have that one lying around here.

[tony.o]

I wonder what the ruling would have been if it were about games where you could kill gays, blacks, hispanics, liberals, etc. etc. etc. would have been? Incidentally, this ruling would protect said games if they are created.Its predictable, the video game company would be held responsible by civil court and a large amount of money would be awarded.

[toasterlocker]

............................

[Centurion44]

I thought this would be a good place to post this:

The other day I'm hanging out in a local video game store. In walks a man in his 40s and his son, about 8 years old I'd guess. He lets the kid pick out a game, which was sweet. The kid's choice? GTA: Vice City.

The merchant asked the father if he understood this game was rated "Mature" he said "Yeah, that's fine."

I hang out in that store a lot, so I didn't want to run off their paying customer, and the guy happened to be of a different ethnicity than I so I didn't want to get a complaint, so I bit my tongue. But I'm thinking "Job security".

I wanted to smack the dad and the kid just on principle. But there you have it, folks. That's the future of our country.

Good parenting, dad.

[ftlaudcop]

The massive amounts of time spent playing these games..is absurd....

bring back the days of when yr lucky to had a 13 inch B&w ty if you

had good grades.

what ever happened to sandlot football or baseball ?

my mom and dad were always on my case,, to achieve and do better,

now when the blu haired old ladies come over to play bridge,

mom and my retired Police Lt dad have braggin rt's on

all of us.... :D

[Mraughh]

The massive amounts of time spent playing these games..is absurd....

bring back the days of when yr lucky to had a 13 inch B&w ty if you

had good grades.

what ever happened to sandlot football or baseball ?

my mom and dad were always on my case,, to achieve and do better,

now when the blu haired old ladies come over to play bridge,

mom and my retired Police Lt dad have braggin rt's on

all of us.... :D

Lack of family vaules and morals. Which is constantly harped on by the left as evil.

[JML65]

The massive amounts of time spent playing these games..is absurd....

bring back the days of when yr lucky to had a 13 inch B&w ty if you

had good grades.

what ever happened to sandlot football or baseball ?

my mom and dad were always on my case,, to achieve and do better,

now when the blu haired old ladies come over to play bridge,

mom and my retired Police Lt dad have braggin rt's on

all of us.... :D

What happend is right?

I have a little brother in the Big Brother's program. I will be dammed if we play video games. I make his little butt hike South Mountain, or learn to lift weights, or whatever. He can play video games on his own time.

As far as what the games and other media do to kids, I think it is up in the air. It probably affects some kids though. There are many impressionable youth out there.

I don't think courts should rule our lives, so I am down with the decision.

[djack16]

I wonder what the ruling would have been if it were about games where you could kill gays, blacks, hispanics, liberals, etc. etc. etc. would have been? Incidentally, this ruling would protect said games if they are created.
In GTA you can kill obvious homosexual construction workers, blacks, hispanics, and hippes.

GTA is far from protected.

I love GTA too. Fun game. Guess what...I ALSO LIKE SWAT4! :eek:

Games aren't the problem, parenting is the problem. I played all sorts of violent games but my parents reminded me over and over that it was not how you conducted yourself in society. And they were alcoholics! Same went for my other friends. I look and see these kids using games as a scapegoat for their actions and then I see LEO's on this forum buying it. I'm surprised this hasn't been stamped "Lawyer Trash" and tossed out.

That being said...since the ESRB ratings are set, they should be enforced. Games are NOTHING compared to alcohol, smoking, and the plethora of other drugs out there. I can't believe our legislators are wasting time on this when there are so many more important issues at hand.

[djack16]

POSTAL 2 and Postal 2 Apocalpse weekend were great!
Postal 2 was sooooo gratuitously violent...and that is what made it hilarious. That game was mostly a slap in the face to morons like Jack Thompson.

[Mikis]

If you want a REAL police game (and is very old school so is probably hard to find) go with "Police Quest". Great game

[SWATdude170]

Sierra games makes so many great SWAT games.No disrespect to Sierra,but I think it is time for a game that lets you be a patrol officer,not SWAT officers doing raids and warrants.If Sierra made a game like that i would absolutley buy it,oh and Postal 2,that game was hilarious!

[Mraughh]

In GTA you can kill obvious homosexual construction workers, blacks, hispanics, and hippes.

GTA is far from protected.

I love GTA too. Fun game. Guess what...I ALSO LIKE SWAT4! :eek:

Games aren't the problem, parenting is the problem. I played all sorts of violent games but my parents reminded me over and over that it was not how you conducted yourself in society. And they were alcoholics! Same went for my other friends. I look and see these kids using games as a scapegoat for their actions and then I see LEO's on this forum buying it. I'm surprised this hasn't been stamped "Lawyer Trash" and tossed out.

That being said...since the ESRB ratings are set, they should be enforced. Games are NOTHING compared to alcohol, smoking, and the plethora of other drugs out there. I can't believe our legislators are wasting time on this when there are so many more important issues at hand.

looks like hilary will be leading the crusade against GTA. trying to get an adult only rating installed on it.

[IGrokIt]

I think they been there, dont that, and got the t-shirt. GTA is now rated AO. God damn I hate Hillary Clinton. How did a nice guy like Bill end up with her? :D

[Tony1081]

The US District Court of Seattle ruled that a state law forbidding the sale of games showing violence against law enforcement officers violates the First Ammendent. I can't understand how the politicians cannot forsee the legal problems with laws like this..they already have an ESRB ratings system that is out there and being (further) worked into law. Banning a gameboy of bugs bunny shooting elmer fudd with a badge? Or one of the Duke boys taking it out on Boss Hog? C'mon....http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/07/15/news_6102759.html

OHH....... It's not a parenting problem or anything. OHH F**K NO!!! Doesn't that tick you off? The court does this to try top solve a problem and that's not even the cause of the freaking problem

[Moosnuff]

I am sure that Police Officers are more aware than most of how completely ignorant and stupid people are as a collective in general. Politicians have shifted public view away from things that actually matter, such as the cost of living, the fact that the baby boom generation will retire in 2012 and will not have a sufficient working population to support them, to trite things that nobody intelligent gives a damn about.

Things like video games and porn. Honestly, who cares besides lazy parents, people jockeying hidden agendas, and insipid people who need something to be against to validate their worthless, boring lives.

Edit: Rephrased the tone of my message to be slightly less hostile. :)

[CitizenJoe]

I am sure that Police Officers are more aware than most of how completely ignorant and stupid people are as a collective in general. Politicians have shifted public view away from things that actually matter, such as the cost of living, the fact that the baby boom generation will retire in 2012 and will not have a sufficient working population to support them, to trite things that nobody intelligent gives a damn about.

Things like video games and porn. Honestly, who cares besides lazy parents, people jockeying hidden agendas, and insipid people who need something to be against to validate their worthless, boring lives.

Edit: Rephrased the tone of my message to be slightly less hostile. :)

That was the first intelligent thought I have seen in the entire thread.

Home come you don't see more children playing games like Monopoly?

Why is it you don't see more children playing video games like Flight Simulator?

There are good answers for these questions. My guess is there are few here with the correct answers.

[Bluntforcetraum]

I grew up in a household that did not allow Mature rated games. even when nothing looked real. Remember sega? lol anyways when we got older(17-18) we were aloud to play what we wanted. But we were raised with direction. Their is game time and when its turned off back to reality.

This whole problem is because nobody wants to take responsability. The parents dont care, just want to keep the kids busy. The child builds themself around a fantasy world. Eventually goes off and does something IE shootings ect. The parents blame the school or something stupid like that. so it is everyone elses fault.

[Centurion44]

There are good answers for these questions. My guess is there are few here with the correct answers.

If you don't think "parental responsibility" is the correct answer, you probably have children.

[Lawdogg]

Oh yeah, a VIDEO GAME endangers police officers, hmmm, lets see the gov't is trying to protect us from nieve individuals by trying to "censor" video games, oh wait heres an idea, lets not let the pieces of feces that actually break the law get away with it because some technicality in the law or some slick attorney or because the jails are full enough, let me guess, everyone in jail played video games and thier innocent.

[concon02]

Games are games, if you don't like a particular one or all games in general stay away. They aren't meant to be taken literally, and any sort of message displayed weather it be negative or positive shouldn't be anything to get riled up about. The obscene content is out there weather it be in games, movies or any other sort of media. It's nothing new. No one should be influenced in the real life by a fictitious game.

[RobSlig]

If you don't think "parental responsibility" is the correct answer, you probably have children.

While parental responsibility is important, it is not the underlying cause of the problems.

The real cause of the problems is that most parents both work and have little time for proper attention to the kids and when they do attempt to give proper attention to kids, the government has seen fit to regulate that attention.

The cost to live requires that both parents earn an income. This leave little time for the kids to be properly supervised.

Another cause is a lack of education on the parents part. But, this is really just another symptom of the real problem.

One of the problems is corporate greed. When the CEO and board of directors of large public companies take home millions of dollars in salaries while paying the people who do the work $40,000 a year, there is a problem. The employees resent it and the quality of work suffers. The company looses profits, people get laid off, the CEO gets a raise.

Here are the causes of todays problem children:
1) The real problem with todays kids is NOT "Parental Responsibility" but instead should be called "Parental Availability".
2) The government has seen fit to pass laws and regulations on raising our children. The government is now seeing the results of those laws.

When I was a child and misbehaving badly, my father would take the belt to my rear end and make me remember it for a few days. (that was in the 70's). If a father does that today, he ends up in jail for "domestic violence".

When I was a child (about 12 years old), my parents would OFFER me a beer for dinner. My parents offered me a beer at almost every dinner until I was of age. If they were drinking it, I was allowed to drink it.. (No double standards). When I was 12 I never liked beer.. I wanted pepsi or coke so I always said "No Thank you, do we have any Pepsi or Cool Aid?" When I was in college, I watched all my friends think that drinking was cool and "the thing to do". I never understood it and rarely participated in it. To this day, if I drink, I might have 1 beer or 1 mixed drink and even that is rare.
The government wants to regulate how to raise our kids, the government can figure out what to do with them when they grow up and are screwed up in the head.

My kids don't play many video games..I am almost positive they have the GTA game but given a choice, they would much rather go outside an launch model rockets or crash the latest radio controlled plane they built. Now they are working on an RC boat and my oldest just asked me if I would buy him a "mig welder" so he can build other stuff.

Do you get the idea of what I am attempting to pass along?

Parental responsibility is "cop-out" excuse. (no pun intended). The real underlying causes are much more difficult to fix.

[djack16]

I believe she is appealing, like any politician, to moderates by leading a crusade. It's been done a million times and it's been laughed at a million more.

Oh yeah, a VIDEO GAME endangers police officers, hmmm, lets see the gov't is trying to protect us from nieve individuals by trying to "censor" video games, oh wait heres an idea, lets not let the pieces of feces that actually break the law get away with it because some technicality in the law or some slick attorney or because the jails are full enough, let me guess, everyone in jail played video games and thier innocent.
I don't really understand this. I have never seen someone who credited games for their violent behavior get off the hook for their crimes.
Games are games, if you don't like a particular one or all games in general stay away. They aren't meant to be taken literally, and any sort of message displayed weather it be negative or positive shouldn't be anything to get riled up about. The obscene content is out there weather it be in games, movies or any other sort of media. It's nothing new. No one should be influenced in the real life by a fictitious game.
Couldn't agree more.
While parental responsibility is important, it is not the underlying cause of the problems.

The real cause of the problems is that most parents both work and have little time for proper attention to the kids and when they do attempt to give proper attention to kids, the government has seen fit to regulate that attention.

The cost to live requires that both parents earn an income. This leave little time for the kids to be properly supervised.

Another cause is a lack of education on the parents part. But, this is really just another symptom of the real problem.

One of the problems is corporate greed. When the CEO and board of directors of large public companies take home millions of dollars in salaries while paying the people who do the work $40,000 a year, there is a problem. The employees resent it and the quality of work suffers. The company looses profits, people get laid off, the CEO gets a raise.

Here are the causes of todays problem children:
1) The real problem with todays kids is NOT "Parental Responsibility" but instead should be called "Parental Availability".
2) The government has seen fit to pass laws and regulations on raising our children. The government is now seeing the results of those laws.

When I was a child and misbehaving badly, my father would take the belt to my rear end and make me remember it for a few days. (that was in the 70's). If a father does that today, he ends up in jail for "domestic violence".

When I was a child (about 12 years old), my parents would OFFER me a beer for dinner. My parents offered me a beer at almost every dinner until I was of age. If they were drinking it, I was allowed to drink it.. (No double standards). When I was 12 I never liked beer.. I wanted pepsi or coke so I always said "No Thank you, do we have any Pepsi or Cool Aid?" When I was in college, I watched all my friends think that drinking was cool and "the thing to do". I never understood it and rarely participated in it. To this day, if I drink, I might have 1 beer or 1 mixed drink and even that is rare.
The government wants to regulate how to raise our kids, the government can figure out what to do with them when they grow up and are screwed up in the head.

My kids don't play many video games..I am almost positive they have the GTA game but given a choice, they would much rather go outside an launch model rockets or crash the latest radio controlled plane they built. Now they are working on an RC boat and my oldest just asked me if I would buy him a "mig welder" so he can build other stuff.

Do you get the idea of what I am attempting to pass along?

Parental responsibility is "cop-out" excuse. (no pun intended). The real underlying causes are much more difficult to fix.

I consider it a responsibility of a parent to be available. Sometimes parents cannot fulfill certain responsibilities for the reasons you said but is this something we should legislate on or does the root of the problem need to be addressed?

And yes; the roots of this problem appear to be VERY difficult to fix.

[Caspertoo]

Anyone that thinks videogames are in any way responsible for peoples attitudes towards law enforcement is either incredibly ignorant or is disregarding the idea of personal responsibility.

You should really read "On Killing", goes over very well that no, no individual game is responsible but when combined with violent TV, violent movies, music that glorifies violence, and then add violent video games, it does desensitize kids to violence makign it possible for much more violent acts to come from kids today than ever before.

Do I like those games? Hell yes, I have GTA:Vice city and buy violent games a lot but I'd also be willing to ditch violent games in order to try to do something about the situation brewing in our youth. But hey that's just my .02

[ccthompsfs]

Honestly if people think that video games corrupt people to act out on LEO's is ****ed in the head specially if it's kids doing it. Fact of the matter is that parents don't want to raise their childeren properly or effectively discipline their children like they should be because then it's labeled child abuse, assault or something along those lines. If parents were being parents and not their child's best friend then we as a society wouldn't have these issues. More and more these days people are so concerned with making as much as they can as fast as they can and won't supervise their kids. That's the number one problem with things. This is along the same lines that Mrs. Gore and her group tried to do to censor music labeling it as a destructive force to be reasoned with and corrupting our youth. If parents took a far more firmer grip on their kids they would be more respectful. I have kids try to be disrespectful and punk up they get a wake up call because I'll call mommy and or daddy even if they are at work and let them no what's going on. Might not work so much on the civilian side of law enforcement but it works real well in the military side. Trust me momm/daddy don't want to see their shirt because jr is dicking up.

[Caspertoo]

Your absolutely right, a lot of parents don't want to be responsible for their kids, but I've talked to parents of kids who I just caught doing something totally stupid and I can tell they are more mad that he got caught than that he did it in the first place.

Video game violence isn't going to get a kid to attack cops, hell if you want in GTA you can target any ethnicity for destruction or even profession. Why not just go after the ambulance drivers? LOL but anyway I'm not saying these types of games cause anti-cop violence, i'm saying they contribute to more violent tendencies and sometimes yes that is aimed at police but often the kids do these kinds of things to each other and innocent people. I just think combined as a whole the different mediums that portray violence a good amount of time is removing a barrier for violence for kids.

[MOODYGIRL]

I play games like that and I don't want to go out and kill others. You can't put it on the games it's the person.I wish some people will stop doing that.And get it in there thick head.

[Photogrrlz]

I wonder what the ruling would have been if it were about games where you could kill gays, blacks, hispanics, liberals, etc. etc. etc. would have been? Incidentally, this ruling would protect said games if they are created.


That issue was brought up in a video game called Postal


*just a note* I didn't realize Postal was the next issue to come up after posting this. :o

[Magnum314]

Contrary to the belief that Video Games have no effect, there is mounting evidence by non-liberal experts from within law enforcement and the military that suggests otherwise. One good example is the research done by Lt Grossman, who for those who are not familiar with his work, is very respected by many police organizations and the military. I heard him speak on the subject and he makes some very thought provoking points.

Before everyone starts going ape ****, I'd point out that the research shows damage in developing brains, not in adults. Which makes sense, just as certain drugs are not safe for kids due to there developmental stages, so goes the triggers that video violence sets off in adolescent brains.

Here's one of his articles.

http://killology.com/article_teachkid.htm

[premium]

How is this suddenly an attack on Liberals? I seem to notice censorship issues typically being brought about by Conservatives. Heck, some of them are afraid of Halloween not to mention video games :confused:

[DolphinSpirit]

I play all of those games. I find them all violent. And I wouldn

[jerrymaccauley]

That issue was brought up in a video game called Postal


*just a note* I didn't realize Postal was the next issue to come up after posting this. :o
If the games involved killing politicians, you would see some serious debate. Anyone who understands the concept of desensitization can understand the effect of children being being rewarded for killing. Not just killing, but getting extra points for head shots.

[KeperODSea]

P.S. THERE IS A NEW GTA OUT... LOOKS PRETTY GOOD... Also Navy seals SOCOM3 is really good.

[DolphinSpirit]

Ah yes..
The one for the PSP. ^^;
I'm getting that acually.
But I'm mature anough not to kill anyone because of it.

[jerrymaccauley]

Anyone think that a game where you kill parents would be accepted quite so quickly, or would that be over the line? It really isn't a question of maturity, but of morality.

[djack16]

What do you mean exactly? People who play, among their other games, violent ones are immoral? It is entirely about maturity. We have a ratings system, just like for movies and television, where parents have even more control than any V-Chip could offer. The chedder. The dough. The bens. If they object to a particular game's content then they can choose not to buy it. If they don't know about that game, they can go by the ESRB ratings. The government has regulations in place so that parents can make informed decisions when purchasing these games. The next step is to prevent them from even touching the shelves and I don't see that as acceptable.

[jerrymaccauley]

O.K., let's develop a game where you score points for killing politicians. Supreme Court Justices get extra points and Ted Kennedy, well you get the idea. I'm sure it's been said before, but what did all of the school massacres have in common? Yup, all of the participants were proficient in violent video games. Did the games cause the violence? probably not directly, but an unsupervised child needs a dose of reality and a break from fantasy induced violence. Who's responsibility is it to regulate that?

[mcsexplorer]

Games in which people kill or harm LEO's are one of the reasons why my generation dosent have respect for LEO's, because they think all cops are like the cops in these games (evil, corrupt, etc). These games also teach kids that its ok to shoot cops and such. I belive we should make a series of games where the player plays a cop on road patrol, answering domestics, etc. Where the player chooses what he says does ex. have an option called shoot where you shoot the person, radio where u can talk to other players, CS for spraying people, etc And of course a talk to suspect option. I mean a game similar to 'SWAT', but along the lines of "The Sims" and with car chases and every law enforcement situation, etc



Ide buy that game...

[djack16]

O.K., let's develop a game where you score points for killing politicians. Supreme Court Justices get extra points and Ted Kennedy, well you get the idea. I'm sure it's been said before, but what did all of the school massacres have in common? Yup, all of the participants were proficient in violent video games. Did the games cause the violence? probably not directly, but an unsupervised child needs a dose of reality and a break from fantasy induced violence. Who's responsibility is it to regulate that?
I think a game like that would crack me up. How can a person take an idea like that seriously.

I don't doubt that people need doses of reality sometimes. Of course a person will be messed up if they aren't occasionally taking a break from whatever they are doing; whether the activity might be deemed "good" or bad.

To answer your last question...THE PARENTS!

[rohlarin]

THIS SITE IS PRIMARILY FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSIONALS. Bashing them has no place here.

[rohlarin]

THIS SITE IS PRIMARILY FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSIONALS. Bashing them has no place here.

[Zipcreature]

If someone thinks they are living a video game, and should run around GTA style, they have bigger problems which the video game did not cause.

- Zipcreature

[KaiGywer]

If you want a REAL police game (and is very old school so is probably hard to find) go with "Police Quest". Great game

I am not positive to whether it is legal or not (seems so..it's easy to find), but there is a thing called AbandonWare. This is old software that you can now download from the net years after it was marketed.

[jerrymaccauley]

I think a game like that would crack me up. How can a person take an idea like that seriously.

I don't doubt that people need doses of reality sometimes. Of course a person will be messed up if they aren't occasionally taking a break from whatever they are doing; whether the activity might be deemed "good" or bad.

To answer your last question...THE PARENTS!
I can understand how a young person, such as yourself, can become a little defensive about the role of video/ media violence in contributing to real world violent acts. I'm sure you are responsible and understand that entertainment is not meant to reflect reality, but many don't. I sat in a movie theater recently and during a vicious beating scene, the teens in the audience went into a frenzy! Sure, it probably seemed like the thing to do, like when you laugh because a laugh track was inserted into a t.v. sitcom. But you just know that someone in that audience thought the scene was so "cool" that they will attempt something equally "cool." There were no parents there to supervise those teens and in fact, the movie was rated pg-13.

[Bing_Oh]

I'm sorry, but I do not see the direct correlation between violence and exposure to certain influences in the media.

Personally, I'm 30 years old and have been an avid gamer since I was a pre-teen. Those games include most of the first-person shooters available for the PC and the Grant Theft Auto series. I'm also an experienced police officer and a normal, well-adjusted (well, as normal and well-adjusted as most LEO's are) member of the community. I have no history of violence. I have never been accused of excessive use of force on duty.

You would think that I would be a prime candidate for the types of behavior that violent video games supposedly develop in people. After all, I've been exposed to these violent images for better than 15 years. I work in an environment where I'm not just exposed to violence, but must sometimes use physical force, putting me in a unique position to live out those violent fantasies that video games supposedly create. But I'm not violent. Why?

The answer seems like simple cause and effect to me. Scientifically, if something doesn't fit, you have to look for another explanation. What if these violent medias are not the cause, but only a small factor? What if the real reason behind violence is a psychological disorder? Or a lack of underlying values because these kids were never taught right from wrong? Isn't it more likely that these kids have severe psychological or sociological disorders that may have been aggravated by outside influences like the media?

The blame falling on the media for a spike in violent tendencies is, in my personal opinion, nothing more than another sign of our unwillingness as a culture and society to take responsibility for our own actions and for what we teach our children.

[1sgkelly]

Video Game Violence on Cops - Decision

Can we use it as a defense when we beat the **** out of one of the pos's.

:confused: :rolleyes:

[Centurion44]

I agree with Bing... to an extent.

I think kids too young to understand violence need to be censored in the household (i.e. don't let your 6 year old play a GTA game).

But the same can also be said of books, movies, and music. Yes, all of these if taken out of context to a young enough mind can have a negative effect. But it's the parent's responsibility to address those issues, not the government's.

This whole "corrupting youth" arguement has been around since the invention of swing music. It's not going anywhere soon.

[jerrymaccauley]

We all become de sensitized to different stimuli if given enough exposure to it. It is the foundation of reality based training programs and fear management. Thirty years ago, television censors were concerned about the I dream of Jeannie girl showing her navel. Now you see Victoria Secrets models on prime time and hardly anyone raises an eyebrow ( except those of us who actually enjoyed the navel). By constant exposure to more and more stimulus, we do become immune to it's effects. Thats science and can be proven. It's not that hard to believe that people get the same de- sensitization from over exposure to violence, including video games. It doesn't cause a well adjusted person to become violent, but certainly contributes to an already confused and underdeveloped young mind.

[djack16]

Jerry, I think you misunderstand what desensitization can do. I could probably say I am very much desensitized by violence and bloodshed. I have NOT, however, lost my value of life or anybody else's lives. The result has been more of a position where I acknowledge that violence is something that plagues our world and needs to be dealt with properly. I don't believe in using violence to solve disputes (unless there are very extenuating circumstances).

What I believe majorly contributed to my pretty decent upbringing was that my parents NEVER stopped reminding me about how a person is to act in society. You see a gun, or a friend with a gun, you RUN AWAY and tell the an adult. You walk across the street, you ALWAYS look both ways before you do it. If an adult stranger tries to talk to you, RUN AWAY. If a kid doesn't have basic training he/she won't be able to make the appropriate, informed decisions about things (like not hitting your brother with a baseball bat because you saw it in GTA3).

Desensitization doesn't necessarily mean a loss of one's empathy towards their fellow person.

That being said I pretty much agree with what Centurion has said.

[Josh]

Games in which people kill or harm LEO's are one of the reasons why my generation dosent have respect for LEO's, because they think all cops are like the cops in these games (evil, corrupt, etc). These games also teach kids that its ok to shoot cops and such. I belive we should make a series of games where the player plays a cop on road patrol, answering domestics, etc. Where the player chooses what he says does ex. have an option called shoot where you shoot the person, radio where u can talk to other players, CS for spraying people, etc And of course a talk to suspect option. I mean a game similar to 'SWAT', but along the lines of "The Sims" and with car chases and every law enforcement situation, etc


I have been looking for a "police sim" a long time. The closest things I've found are the SWAT series games and Police Quests 1,2, and 3.

The only game I play that involves the potential to harm LEO's is Grand Theft Auto. But, that game is so far from reality that I don't really make the connection between harming a virtual cop as opposed to a rea one. Real cops are there to protect and enforce the law. However, the cops in gta are completely unreal. i.e. if you hit a cop car with your car in the game, then the cop gets out and starts shooting at you. It's characteristics like that, that sever any connections with reality that I make when I play that game. In real life, I have the upmost respect for LEO's. But, in a video game, nothing is real, so there's really no differentiation between a cop or another character.

[BleedBlueX03]

Hopeful future LEO here. Its good to see discussion like this, and boy was I glad to find out I am not the only gamer here heheh :p

I too play many games such as GTA, and other violent games (Anyone ever play Manhunt? Now thats brutal!) I agree that the true fault relies on parenting. Some young people just don't realize what is purely fiction and what is reality. They're opinions and attitudes can be easily effected by images they see and interact with. Its a parents job to make sure that does not happen.

Most adults understand movie ratings, and wouldn't take young people into films they know are rated too high for them - the ESRB system has been around for a long time, and I don't think they could have made it easier enough. Sadly it simply hasn't had the impact it needs to have.

I think stores should enforce the ESRB much more effectively. Not just mentioning the rating - being honest with their customers about the nature of what they are purchasing.

[frank]

I don't like any game with a lot of blood shed stuff. The "House Hunter Police simulator game gets a little close to what you guy's call police shooting type game,but in reality for police, they need this training to keep them selves alive.Police bike simulator game is silly entertainment and rather fun to do and I hope they come out with a few more games like that one.We don't have any games in our home, just what I find on the net.I would rather read murder mysteries and challenge myself with that type of stuff.When I took the Police Citizen Class,We got to try out the real police simulator games ...I did pretty good and we also shot rifles at the practice police range,That was a good time.I took that class very serious and learned a lot about police work and I see those guys a lot and always let them know, I really appreciate all that they do.If I could do life over again thats what I would want to do,some kind of work in law.I would love to work for police even if it was just in keeping the station clean.Thats not funny either,everyone works as a team and every person in that team has their particular job that keeps the place of work looking good for the costumers and for those outside of the job place.If it looks good it gives a good impression and thats what keeps a work place around!Anyway beyond that subject!I think that the police shooting games should be BANNED!period!It's a bad message for all.