Violent Video Games and Politics

[Chris]

Violent video games are continually being blamed for various crimes including murder, theft and all forms of vandalism. US politicians have now decided to do something to help prevent this ongoing problem.

This week in Arkansas, state senator Shawn Womack authored a bill that would require shops that rent or sell M-rated games to display them at a height of at least five feet from the floor. The bill, introduced March 3, would allow the Arkansas Department of Public Health to fine vendors up to $500 each time they violate the law.

The bill also states that video game companies could be held responsible if "their game was a factor in creating conditions that assisted or encouraged the person to cause injury or death to another person".

I disagree with this, to me it seems that this is pushing the blame on to the video game company, when in actual fact the courts should be punishing the perpetrator, whether or not a game influenced his/her actions is a different matter.

America's current gun laws should be tightened to make it harder for these people to obtain weapons. The statistics say it all. In the USA there are over 11,000 deaths caused by guns every year, while in other countries such as the UK, Germany, Australia and even Canada there are less than 200 a year in each.

Videogames do not give the right for people to commit such crimes, and I think this is something which needs to be discussed much further.

Source: Gamespot

Thanks to bryce for bringing this to my attention

[Spaz The Great]

The height thing is shit. That is in now way related.

All this will do is raise crimes by giving criminals an excuse. I bet someone will get mad at Rockstar and commit a crime JUST to blame it on GTA JUST to be able to sue R*.

[Righty]

The game comapanies are not to blame. It's just not rational thinking to blame something on a video game. If a kid runs out and does something like this, he either had mental problems or suffers from bad parenting. And any one else that does this has mental problems. But it's easier to blame something on a big company than say that you screwed up.

[Bryzed]

Well its true, but thikn of it this way,

you have gta sa at the height of your head

and

you have gta sa glued to the roof.

Which one will you see the most?, get my point.

Chris, np dude, always here!