Arizona Bill scares gamers!

[Giftmacher]

http://gamepolitics.com/2008/04/07/arizona-bill-worries-video-game-industry/

This law had better fail. It's abusable, stupid, and just freaking overboard.

Sure, why don't we sue plane manufacturers for 911? Why don't we sue gun manufacturers for columbine? Why don't we just lift personal responsibility from everyone's shoulders? I could go and shoot someone right now, and I'd be the one getting sympathy, because oh no, Doom made me do it!

[Nomad]

Yeah, I don't think it'll pass. Even if it did it'd end up being one of those Blue Laws that is never really enforced because of how fucking stupid it is. Besides, the producer put a gun to the consumer's head and made them play/read/watch/listen!

[DaniJ]

What a crazy country. How the heck did it even pass a vote?

[Raptor Jesus]

Bullshit. Any game can be considered dangerous. Mario teaches violence against animals as does Pokemon. Oh no! That boy is playing Gran Turismo! He's going to learn how to drive a car and crash it into other people and kill them! UH OH! HE'S PLAYING GUITAR HERO!! HE'S GOING TO GROW UP AND BE A NO GOOD MUSICIAN!

Etc.

[Nemesis]

lol bills

Politicians like these crack me up. (':

[+Acyclitor+]

aint gonna pass. you can have my controller, when you pry it from my cold dead hands!

[CrazedImp]

This seems to be a trend. America keeps trying to pass ridiculous bills on gaming, the UK keeps trying to blame games for murders and school bullying (Bully and Manhunt and the like), and Australia has a completely ridiculous rating system in which everything gets censored. You'd wish politicians would give up and work on the real reasons why violence is such a problem is society. Namely easily accessible information on the Internet for well, everything.

Oh well if someday somebody invents an inter-dimensional teleporter and demons come out, it will be Doom's fault, because that influenced the scientist to make the teleporter.

[Aliotroph?]

You guys should come to Canada. Other than occasionally enforcing ratings in stores, nobody of importance here gives a shit. :D

[rustyslacker]

You'd wish politicians would give up and work on the real reasons why violence is such a problem is society. Namely easily accessible information on the Internet for well, everything.
The fact that such information is available on the Internet does not influence people to go out and commit violent acts. Crazy, violent people would do crazy, violent things regardless of video games and internet.

[CrazedImp]

The fact that such information is available on the Internet does not influence people to go out and commit violent acts. Crazy, violent people would do crazy, violent things regardless of video games and internet.

Of course if they didn't already have some kind of problem, they wouldn't go looking for it. But the fact that such information is so easy to find may worry some.

[xbolt]

Groan... My own home state no less! *cachmf*

I'm more than willing to bet that a bunch of liberal democrats had the idea... Sounds like something they would cook up.

[g6672D]

History repeats itself. See also: VCR.

[+Acyclitor+]

liberal democratsactually it says right in the article that a the bill's big backer is a conservative Republican, Warde Nichols. google him. the problem isn't "liberal democrats" in this case, but puritanical conservatives - whom I suspect of having religious motivation in their fervent efforts to impose a docile social standard on the media.

"liberal democrats," as you put it, have been known to support legislation that limits personal freedom (prohibition, gun control, etc etc). these people, politicians and supporters, are not really liberals - the label has been misused on them due to some idiotic transference of influence from earlier progressive politicians. the "liberal democrats" you speak of are in fact socialists. a true, classic liberal philosophy is all about liberty and individual freedom - not limiting it through holier-than-thou, govornment-knows-best bullshit laws.

[Giftmacher]

http://gamepolitics.com/2008/04/08/arizona-state-senate-rejects-dangerous-media-content-bill/

Haha! We win again! :D Suck on that, Menino!

[DaniJ]

Mario teaches violence against animalsNintendo missed a trick there. That would kick the crap out of Mario Teaches Typing ;)

[PumpkinSmasher]

You guys should come to Canada. Other than occasionally enforcing ratings in stores, nobody of importance here gives a shit. :D
Yes, but Canada is cold.

[Nomad]

And there are Canadians there.

[Giftmacher]

And around 10,000 less gun-related deaths per year. *cacwnk*

[Nemesis]

You guys should come to Canada. Other than occasionally enforcing ratings in stores, nobody of importance here gives a shit. :D

I like my Second Amendment rights too much to wanna move up to Canada, but thanks for the offer. (:

[Nomad]

Who says you can't have guns in Canada? They aren't all out banned, you know. It's just harder for psychos and idiots to get their hands on them.

[Nemesis]

Who says you can't have guns in Canada? They aren't all out banned, you know. It's just harder for psychos and idiots to get their hands on them.

I always thought Canada had an all-out, full-blown gun ban like in (most of) Europe. Heh. Guess I was wrong. D:

[<<-Jimmy->>]

Guns are not banned but you're gonna have a harder time getting handguns and such, I myself own two rifles which I use to hunt. But it is cold alot more here. And you have to put up with the CBC >.< but we have accepted it I guess.

[Aliotroph?]

If that was the case my family would be in serious trouble. We got lots of guns. :D

It's basically illegal to carry them though and handguns are so restricted you can't do much more iwth them except take them to a firing range (like that stops people). The biggest problem I have with the gun situation in America is how people leave them around for kids and dumbasses to grab. Every week somebody is in the news down there because their gun got picked up by a toddler and somebody (sometimes the same kid) got shot. Stupid.

Proper liberal democrats would love video games. The Democrats somehow manage to be rather conservative though, and it's annoying. No, social conservatives are the ones who hate games -- and bitches like Hillary Clinton. She'd love games if she figured they could get her more power.

[<<-Jimmy->>]

I can't agree with you more on that. My dad has a gun safe where we keep all our guns which is basically common sense not to be leaving them around. I honestly don't think there is a real problem with the gun control in canada. It's alright to have them for hunting or fowling or whatever,or even target practise if you are a gun enthusiast. People just need to take the proper precautions when owning these things

[Giftmacher]

Who says you can't have guns in Canada? They aren't all out banned, you know. It's just harder for psychos and idiots to get their hands on them.
I never said you couldn't get guns, I'm just saying there's a much, much, much, smaller number of shootings.

[<<-Jimmy->>]

You wouldn't believe how true that is. I mean maybe it's just our culture not saying anything bad about our fellow americans, But canadians will go completly out of their way for a complete stranger sometimes. I dunno if it's the culture or what, But it seems that for some reason there's much less of that kind of behavior up here. Keep in mind it still does happen often enough and the population of Canada is much smaller than that of the United States. Often enough when I am home when everyone goes to bed we don't even think about locking the doors and there's not a thought beyond that.

[Giftmacher]

Exactly. If it weren't for all the game developers that are here in Washington, I'd totally move to Canada the first chance I got. :p

[rustyslacker]

But canadians will go completly out of their way for a complete stranger sometimes.
Sometimes I will, too. It's humanity and the golden rule, not just Canadians.

[Aliotroph?]

We have game developers! Well, only two. :p

I think that crap about Canadians being nicer to everybody is some left over thing from decades ago. It just ain't true from what I've seen.

[Nomad]

I never said you couldn't get guns, I'm just saying there's a much, much, much, smaller number of shootings.

Yeah, but Nemesis did. Lern2raedthrad

[<<-Jimmy->>]

I think that crap about Canadians being nicer to everybody is some left over thing from decades ago. It just ain't true from what I've seen Yeah well I'm from a pretty small town probabily 20-25,000 people so it's pretty quiet around here and everyone is as polite as you can be in today's world but that still dosen't mean much, there's still the odd asshole around that goes for everywhere.:D

[Nomad]

We have game developers! Well, only two. :p

Ubisoft Montreal is the only one I can think of, but they are pretty bad ass!

[<<-Jimmy->>]

Ubisoft Montreal is one of my most favourite game developers. They have alot of great games, and the odd bad one. *cough* Dungeon Siege *cough*

[Giftmacher]

Ubisoft Montreal is the only one I can think of, but they are pretty bad ass!
Relic is awesome too, and they're Canadian. One of my favorite devs right now, actually. :D

[Aliotroph?]

That makes three, because I was thinking of BioWare, here in Edmonton. We're waiting for them to become EA North or something stupid like that. One of my buddies works there. He hates playing DOOM because it makes him sick but he likes following the crap we invent for maps with ports. :)

[Potnop]

Politicians probably never play video games so they don't even have the slightest idea how they do or do not affect people. They see a game where you kill people or something and assume people are suddenly going to do it in real life or something. They should leave these decisions to people who actually have some idea of what they are talking about, or at least do some research into the subject. I friggin love Doom and Grand Theft Auto is a tight game. But I would NEVER take a gun and start massacring people.

I don't even want to go to war because playing games like Call of Duty shows how harsh the conditions are and the low survival rate. Also I never actually want to kill someone in real life because I'd feel horrible. Heh I sometimes feel bad when I play Call of Duty and kill a nazi, thinking, awww!!!! He was probably just like me, taking orders, wanting to go home... And I killed him!!! Heh, I think I was like that ever since reading All Quiet on the Western Front. For those who don't know, it's about World War 1, but through the perspective of Germans and not the allies.

[Heidi]

The largely irresponsible gaming industry refuses to stop developing garbage games that glorify crime and this is the response. I don't think it will pass, but I can see where they're coming from.

[Giftmacher]

You're a bit late, but fortunately it didn't get anywhere. Neither have most of the other ones.

[Aliotroph?]

There's nothing wrong with games that glorify crimes, just as there is nothing wrong with movies that do the same. The Problem(TM) is older people who insist to no end that all games are meant for kids. The games themselves are already clearly rated to show this is not the case.

[Heidi]

There's nothing wrong with games that glorify crimes, just as there is nothing wrong with movies that do the same. The Problem(TM) is older people who insist to no end that all games are meant for kids. The games themselves are already clearly rated to show this is not the case.

There wouldn't be a problem with games and movies that glorify crime if we didn't have so many weak minded adults and irresponsible parents, but that's not the case, at least here in America.

The media can have an enormous influence on people but unfortunately this power is not always used for the good.

[+Acyclitor+]

well, their going to make games (and movies, and tv shows, and etc etc) that glorify crime as long as there is a demand for them.