New Video Game Law, Where is Gord when we need him?

[RedXIII]

Oklahoma is about to pass a new law to stop violent video games, called HB 3004. Here is a quote from the law on what a "violent" video game is:"a. the average person eighteen (18) years of age or older applying contemporary community standards would find that the interactive video game or computer software is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community with respect to what is suitable for minors, and
b. the interactive video game or computer software lacks serious literary, scientific, medical, artistic, or political value for minors based on, but not limited to, the following criteria:
(1) is glamorized or gratuitous,
(2) is graphic violence used to shock or stimulate,
(3) is graphic violence that is not contextually relevant to the material,
(4) is so pervasive that it serves as the thread holding the plot of the material together,
(5) trivializes the serious nature of realistic violence,
(6) does not demonstrate the consequences or effects of realistic violence,
(7) uses brutal weapons designed to inflict the maximum amount of pain and damage,
(8) endorses or glorifies torture or excessive weaponry, or
(9) depicts lead characters who resort to violence freely"


From the way I read this, Tetris will soon be the only game for sale on the front racks. And I worry about how this could affect a retail employee. If passed, no person, not even minors' own parents or guardians, would be allowed to give or show them an inappropriately violent game. Furthermore, retailers would not be able to have such games on display where minors could see them, unless the lower two-thirds of the boxes were hidden behind "blinder racks," of the sort commonly used for sexually explicit magazines.

That's right, even when the kid's mommy comes and gets the game for him, if she says she is giving it to a minor, you are not supposed to sell it to her.

This law does not pay any attention to the current rating system, so that makes it even harder for a store to know what games are legal to sell. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night violates all of those points above, as does almost every game I can think of; Resident Evil series, Final Fantasy series, Tomb Raider series, etc. Even Mario Bros. has "violence" in it, all they do in the game is vandalize property.

Personally, I would be more worried about the kids actually comiting acts of violence, then what games they are playing. I would be more worried about the sexual predators on the internet than if a pixilated character is too "sexxxy".

[Ringo84]

1. Oklahoma Sucks

Videogames are the latest moral outrage for my generation. It used to be rock and roll. It was once even ragtime music.

As soon as my generation grows into later adulthood and we inevitably turn out a lot better than the older generation was expecting, the moral outrage will end until the next generation. Then it'll be something else. There's something for every generation.
Ringo

[YOY]

2. Mario Brothers...

other then the smashing of turtles (koopas) and mushrooms (goombas) there's also the ethnic steriotyping of Italians...they don't seem to have that on their list.

Then again there's that ultra HAWT Princess Peach! Sexxxxxy!

Stupid anti-free speach assholes.

[RedXIII]

3. .

The 80's had the same thing with Dungeons & Dragons calling all of them satan worshippers or course it seems that video games have become the new favorite to scrapegoat.

Anti-free speech can't think for themselves asshats.

[YOY]

6. The sad thing about BADD (Bothered About Dungeons and Dragons)

was the woman who started it. Her son killed himself, supposedly because his character died or had a curse placed on him or somesuch, but most likely because he was mentally unstable and constantly harassed at school. She herself continued to campaign agains D&D, striking out at the only scapegoat she could tangibly find for the loss of her son. She did this until the mid-90s when the poor deluded woman died (I think of cancer.) She collected supposed data that showed that players were more prone to suicide and 'satan worship'. Amazingly the data she pulled actually prooved that players were significantly less likely to kill themselves than those who did not play. When Gary Gygax was interviewed and her name was brought up he was sincerely full of pity for her. It's really just a sad story.

Jack Chick's 'Dark Dungeons' is still circulated by his fundies despite the information being completely and utterly (mindblowingly even) unfactual and with no substantive backing.

[Kutjara]

4. Typical rightwing crap.

They'll point to anything besides their poor parenting skills, low moral standards, mindless religious dogma, rigid social codes and judgemental attitudes as THE cause for all the world's ills. Everyone and everything they don't understand is the cause of all the 'trouble' that plagues their fevered dreams. Rock music, movies, books, TV, videogames: every one is the root of all evil. Not that any of these worthless pricks has ever opened a book or played a game.

I am really trying to think of a downside to dropping a 30 megaton warhead on 'middle America.' Can anyone help?

[YOY]

7. There are a lot of decent people living in middle America

They often have their voices drown out by these idiots who speak at the top of their voices.

I should know, I used to be one of them.

[Kutjara]

9. There were a lot of really nice Germans in 1939.

But they didn't stand in the way of the Nazis. I see what you mean but, honestly, I'm getting to the point where I'm starting to view the great inert mass of 'middle America' less as mindless victims and more as enablers. The more they vote with their prayerbooks instead of their brains or hearts, the more I see them as coconspirators.

[YOY]

10. My parents live there and they do not 'vote with their prayer books'

There are quite a few DUers from 'middle america' as well. The desire to 'drop a bomb' on them only drives the more moderate of them to the right as they view such points (rightly so) as both East/West Coast elitism. There have been more than a few New Yorkers that I have met that I have wanted to slap the shit out of for copping this attitude.

Please, the Nazi analogy is getting stale. The greater majority of 'middle America' are decent folks. Just because the freaking nuts hide among them (and trust me, you don't want to stand up to them when they get on their little soapboxes...you just walk away) doesn't mean that they are the majority. They are simply the loudest and it is true that they are quite prevalent in more rural areas. These people can be dangerous when they get organized and most ordinary folks in Middle America don't have the time or money to stop their little snowballs that they call political movements.

[Kutjara]

11. Thank you.

I'm thankful you took the time to respond so clearly. While my '30 megaton' comment was more a cry of frustration than a policy recommendation, you were right to call me on it. Of course there are good and decent people in every part of America (and, indeed, the world). Many of them are doing the best they can to advance liberalism in the face of what must be often overwhelming opposition. While my perspective is not east/west coast, it is the result of many years spent outside of the US and, as such, is probably at least 70% shock at how far America has moved to the right in my absence. Things that aren't even an issue for mose Europeans or South Americans, are of life-or-death importance to America.

I confess I have become fairly thin skinned as far as intolerance is concerned but, of course, the correct response to intolerant stereotypes is not to indulge in them onesself.

Thanks for showing me my own bigotry.

[YOY]

13. I've seen it move to the right in my absence too...and now I must live

among it until the next chance arrives to work internationally.

Literally...

I just see a bit of the west coast and east coast superiority complex on occasion and most of it is based on complete lack of experience with the midwest/middle America. Sometimes the negative attitude is well deserved, but making us feel ashamed to be midwesterners only feeds the neocon machine that the west and east coast folks just don't think we're equals. I've had some bad experiences to add to it.

I recall one experience contracting out to a event handler from LA for a local tool show who reflected at the Midwestern crowd attending the event, including me, as 'simple folks.'

Yeah man, 7 languages, an advanced degree, and the product of one of the first women in the network engineering field and an ivy leaguer who lost his 30 year career streak for sticking up to the neocon rhetoric after 9-11...'scuse me while I go shuck some f***ing corn and screw my cousin.

Granted, the Norman Rockwell midwestern American dream is gone with the wind, but remember some folks in the midwest are well educated or self educated and far from oblivious to what is going on. Then again we do have some dip shits and some fundie freaks, but hell man remember...Jack Chick is in California, not in Ohio and Ann Coulter and Bill O'Reiley both make their homes on the East Coast (Rush too if you count Florida...)

Thanks for the apology and don't worry to much about it. It's all good! :smoke:

[melnjones]

5. aw come on, look on the bright side...

At least that stupid Left Behind video game might be outlawed...

[Kutjara]

8. I hope not.

I'm really looking forward to blowing away a city-full of fundies in the name of my lord Satan. We bushleague demons so rarely get to really spread our wings, as it were, that I want to spend at least a few days feeling my talons rip through 'christian' flesh before even this pleasure is denied me.

[darkism]

12. Crap, you beat me to it!

I was going to mention the Left Behind game! :evilgrin:

[Hippo_Tron]

14. What ever happened to parental responsibility?

We have a rating system on games and frankly I'm fine with that. I think that the not selling Mature rated games to anyone under 17 is a bit ridiculous. I don't see why we need to be restricting high school students from Grand Theft Auto and Mortal Kombat, but that's just me I guess. I figured it would stop with not selling M rated games to people under 17 but I guess I was wrong.

[benEzra]

20. Even Halo is rated "M"...

and I let my kids (aged 7 and 5) play follow-the-leader, hide-and-seek, etc. in the Halo and Halo 2 multiplayer maps; they are just not allowed to shoot each other, blow each other up, or play the campaign. Would this law make me a criminal if I lived in OK and did that?

I'd have to say that Halo does indeed have artistic merit. The music, the scenery, the plot, are all first-rate. But that's just me.

Is the OK legislature going to ban PG-13 movies, too?

[WyoBlueDog]

15. Just have to say...

That anyone who takes their name from a character featured in the masterpiece that is Final Fantasy VII, has something going for 'em!

[Rocknrule]

18. As unbelievably stupid as it sounds

Final Fantasy was actually partly blamed for a couple school shootings. I mean, :wtf:?

[Solon]

19. That would only make sense if it was a school slashing.

With Cloud's bigassed sword! :evilgrin:

[lildreamer316]

16. OMFG.

This censoring crap is getting old. Really friggin' old.

[MadHound]

17. Gee, I wonder if they'll put the military's propaganda game

Americas' Army into this category. Seems like it would fit the bill to me, but being as it comes from the Army, I somehow seriously doubt that it will be touched.