Long rant over video game violence

[Irondog666]

Sorry about how long this was I originally posted it on my myspace but figured some people might be interested in reading. If you do I congratulate you

So a friend of mine at work bought 2 copies of Manhunt 1 for PS2 by accident about a week ago or so. He by accident bought 2 cause he thought the one he ordered on Amazon was back ordered since he got a e-mail stating it was, but apparently it wasn't. He bought another one on ebay instead but he just outright gave me a copy which is awesome since I was curious about its sequel Manhunt 2 and whether to buy it for my Nintendo Wii. This game kicks so much ass, its pretty gruesome what you can do in it and a bit comical. I found out through reviews that the Wii version of Manhunt 2 was censored more so if thats true I am gonna buy the PS2 version since they said its censored but not so much to where you can't see whats going on.

Playing this game made me think about how some games just wouldn't be that appealing w/o the blood and gore. Take Mortal Kombat for instance, it would be just another regular fighting game w/o the blood and fatality finishers. Sometimes thats the appeal and me being a fan of slasher flicks and horror movies with gore in them it does appeal to me. Its funny how violent video games have created such a public outcry over the years. I remember when Mortal Kombat and especially Mortal Kombat II came out in arcades and home systems just how much of an outcry there was.

I just read recently a article in my new Game Informer about Manhunt 2's Mod Furor. Manhunt 2 is a violent game created by Rockstar Games who is notorious for creating violent video games such as Grand Theft Auto. The thing is not all of their games are that much fun, I used to own Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City for PS2 and I thought both games sucked. I hated them and hardly played them, they were no fun and were merely a diversion for when I got bored for a few minutes and eventually ended up getting traded in for newer games. Manhunt is just fun because you have to use stealth to get anywhere in the game or do good in it and its much more involving then the oh so violent GTA series I could never get into, despite its violence.

Manhunt 2 received some very heavy criticism due to the violence that is in the game and even received an AO (Adults Only) rating by the ESRB. Now most retailers refuse to sell AO games, its not a government thing or anything its just a store by store decision, plus Sony and Nintendo refused to license the game. So its considered "retail death" and since it received that rating, Rockstar decided to go back and edit/censor level 3 executions (which are the most gruesome deaths you can perform in the game) so they game would get an "M" rating. The Wii version got edited more than the PS2 version, you can also interact with the Wii version more because you can use your Wii controller like a knife or w/e during the executions and act out the deaths as they are being done.

It also cost $10 more at $40 compared to the PS2 version which is $30 but other than the motion controls, they are pretty identical. Now even after they edit this shit people are still bitching that its "violent it should be banned, it might corrupt little Johnny and make him go shoot people" or "jab a glass shard in someone's neck". Target even went as far as banning the game from being sold because some computer hackers modified it and removed the video filters that blurred the more violent killings. The thing is how can you control hackers hacking into the source code of a video game after its been released and altering it? Also not everyone out there has that kind of knowledge especially little children who hardly know how to operate a computer.

In Game Informer it says "More improtantly, the ESRB simply doesn't think the new, revamped game is AO even with these hacks that remove the effects. "We do not believe these modifications fully restore the product to the version that originally received an AO rating," reads the ratings board's official statement on the matter. Furthermore, the ESRB says that the content was disclosed and not hidden when the game was re-rated, unlike the surprising situation that the ESRB found itself in during Hot Coffee. Back then Rockstar lied. At first they claimed that the Hot Coffee code was a user mod that altered the game's original source code, when in fact it was material that already existed within the game.

All these parent organizations, the media and even Washington started a witch hunt on Midway and Ed Boon (creator of Mortal Kombat) over the same crap. You had Senator Joe Lieberman going on his "violent video games are garbage" rants and his crusade to ban them. It got so bad with the first game that Nintendo removed the blood from the Super NES version of the game because it might offend some people and hurt their image. Too bad video games in America are protected by our 1st Amendment right under the constitution, therefore its been thrown out of almost every court in America to ban them.

It just pisses me off big time when you got people out there trying to blame the game industry for society's moral decline. Truth is even w/o video games the world would still be imperfect because thats how it was created and a lot of that blame I would throw upon those people's parents and their own upbringing. When I was a little boy about 5 and 6 years old my mother drilled it into my head that what I saw on TV was not real. That it was entirely fake and that unlike in the cartoon "Roadrunner" if you fell off a cliff like Wylde E. Coyotte did you would die and never come back. That that wasn't real and basically taught me right from wrong like any good parent should.

The issue now is you got parents that don't give a damn, they just let their kids do what they want and they don't want to deal with them or just don't know how. Then they say its not their fault there kid is some screwed up rapist, child molester, or some homicidal psychopath. No they go and blame the game industry, Marylin Manson and god knows what else. Its pathetic to see parents constantly pointing fingers at something else for their children's screwed up head other than themselves.

You do see this kind of criticism thrown at movies and music and other types of media that may have sexual themes or explicit content but not nearly as much as you do with video games. I personally believe its always been a more hated form of media or entertainment. I hear so many complaints ever since I was a kid that "video games are whats wrong with this world." That video games make kids into anti-social misfits, that they make people violent and aggressive. That theres no benefit in playing them and that it creates a mental addiction. I like video games just as much as l like my music or watching a good movie or going bowling with a group of friends, its all the same to me. Its just another form of entertainment and yes it is interactive but then again so are a lot of things in life that don't make people into complete lunatics.

Now some people are just screwed up and allow video games to take over their lives and completely ruin it. One game I am not very fond of just because I am not into "Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games" (a.k.a. MMORPGs) as I do with any game that never really ends is WoW (World of Warcraft). Its a PC game that millions are very addicted to to the point where its caused them financial ruin, marriages and a ton of other social and psychological issues. 1 couple even abandoned their baby for over 5 hours and it died because they played WoW at an internet cafe during that time. Now this is a very real problem but it again deals with their upbringing and screwed up lives. Any idiot should know that playing a video game for 18 hours a day isn't healthy and is probably gonna destroy your life if thats all your doing in your life. Thats like if I wanted to watch a bunch of movies 18 hours a day or watch TV 18 hours a day.

I know friends who are addicted to that extreme and its kind of sad. I personally can't see myself playing one for more than maybe 4-7 hours at the very most and a lot of the time its like an hour or two if that and thats if I am in the mood or have nothing better to do at that time. I think the longest I ever played a game was like 7 hours and that was like years ago and I thought my eyes were gonna bleed. Of course every year or so theres a new violent video game that is getting bashed in the skull for being too violent or some MMORPG or alike that is getting slammed for being too addictive. To me its just another copout excuse to band the games when the media does this crap. Maybe if them damn parents weren't out protesting at Rockstar Games with signs for hours on end they would know what the hell there children were doing. Maybe they could even spend some more time with their children so they don't end up screwed up and bi-polar slitting their wrists.

In the long run it always comes down to video games being the moral decline of society. Well then if your gonna ban video games you should ban movies, you should ban music, you should even ban computers. Oh wait is that a little extreme? Who said trying to censor video games or wanting to ban them is not an extreme. I am sure our stupid Governor Jennifer Granholm here in Michigan would jump to the opportunity to completely ban video games or at least any that weren't "Winnie The Pooh". She already has banned the sale of "M" rated games to those under the age of 17 which is fine, they do it in movie theaters but thats only because thats as far as she can legally go w/o getting bitch slapped.

Another thing that a lot of proponents of video game violence tend not to see is video games have a rating system that in my opinion is much more descriptive and overall way better than the film ratings they put on movies. The ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) was created in 1994 after public outcry and pressure by mostly Joe Lieberman and Washington to establish something to make parents aware of what was in the games they bought for their children. This was of course mostly fueled by the immense popularity that the Mortal Kombat fighting series received because you could do some gruesome finishing moves like shock your opponent till he exploded and all his blood and guts flew all over the screen.

It seems really tame if you go back and play that game today like "This was considered bad?" With little bits of pixelated blood. The point is their is a rating system that the ESRB has put in place that is on every single video game that is being released in this day and age. It goes from EC (Early Children) up to AO (Adults Only) and in between theres E (Everyone) E10+ (Everyone 10 and older), T (Teen), M (Mature). They give you age ranges for each rating and on the back of the box, descriptions of what is in that game such as the back of my Manhunt game for PS2 says "Mature 17+" with the M logo in a little box and then next to that it says "Intense Violence, Strong Language and Blood and Gore". However, back in the day when MK was around there was no rating system and parents never knew what was in the damn game. Now they do and its still "its them damn video games thats why my son shot up that school, cause he played Doom too much" or "Manhunt" or w/e the hell else game they can find that those people played. Hell most young people play video games and most gamers are now in their 20s and 30s and not their adolescent years.

So of course the video game market has switched from when most gamers where between 5 and 15 to when they are in their 20s and 30s cause that is the majority age demographic and thats where the money is. You also have more powerful technology out and you got developers who want to create games that they couldn't on primitive hardware. As far as these developers creating "garbage" goes like Joe Lieberman so famously said back in the day, thats a perspective and an opinion. Point is video games are a form of art and freedom of expression as much as anything else. Developers and artists should be allowed to create w/e the hell they want and sell it because it is to them "art".

Its assholes like Joe Lieberman, Hiliary Clinton, Jennifer Granholm who cry foul to all this crap and want "stricter laws" on everything that limit our own personal freedoms. You got people wanting to ban guns because "they kill", you got people wanting to ban video games cause "they make our kids kill", you want to ban heavy metal music cause its "violent and satanic", you want to ban television and movies cause it can be "disturbing to our youth". Well maybe those same people who cry foul won't be crying foul once all their own freedoms are taken away because they have to bitch and cry about every aspect of life that they don't like or agree with. My final point is you can't have the government babysitting your kids and you can't have the government sticking its nose in where it shouldn't be just because a few damn people don't like it.

[sharonlover]

nice and long like you said; however, its the same thing we've heard over and over again, from many people like you. Welcome to the club ^_^;

my two cents;

The only reason Video Games are targeted is well, they are more accesible to kids. Parents buy the systems and the games without educating themselves on what they are buying. I absolutely agree that parents place way to much blame on the video game market for they inability to properly raise there children.

Being one myself who was once addicted to VG's, I've played them all since the Nintendo and if it wasn't for my parents restricting what I played (waiting appropriately for titles that were to "harsh" for my eyes) and when I played I'd still be addicted to them. At no time in my life has the violence in video games made me feel the need to blow shit up. Video Games are a departure from reality to keep ourselves sane and to be able to do what we couldn't do in reality. They are a channel for anger to some. An escape for others. And just plain simple fun for the rest of us.

If some new contraption comes out and takes kids from the realm of video games, you can be assured that these people will target them for not properly raising there kids.

That's one thing that has always irritated me. I'm a kind, caring, and generally concern citizen most of the time and it is sad the amount of kids that just don't have a proper raising (this coming from a 24yr old ) I mean seriously, how many kids (not talking rebellous teens), throwing out the way they dress, the way they talk (on a normal basis) are actually raised right nowadays? You wouldn't believe (i'm sure the majority of you would) the many times I have kids run into me, or pass them in the store and all you hear is foul words from their mouths. When I was being raised, I got the shit beat out of me if I uttered a word that contained four letters.

If the world is going to get better two things need to happen (well more but the main two)

Society needs to check their morals on a day to day level, disregarding religion, people just don't treat people as if they are someone unique. They are just another body.

Parents need to raise there children properly. Take the time to show them the love that everyone deserves. The respect for life and your fellow human being (hell even animals deserve better treatment then many people give them).

[CapCom]

So much long, angry venting on this subject in this world!

The only reason Video Games are targeted is well, they are more accesible to kids. Parents buy the systems and the games without educating themselves on what they are buying. I absolutely agree that parents place way to much blame on the video game market for they inability to properly raise there children.

Yeah that's true. More succinctly put, because games have been traditionally equated as 'something for kids' as soon as you start saying 'games have grown up' or 'games are no longer just for kids'. Here, let me borrow a few quotes from Scott McCloud's Reinventing Comics, replacing each instance of the word 'comics' with the word 'games'.

"[in regards to the 'games aren't just for kids anymore' motif, this was presented sometimes] with an accusatory angle that games were therefore a danger to children. The underlying assumption that games and kids are inextricably linked continue to frame both sides of the debate, even as college-aged and young adult audiences were discovering more and more material aimed directly at them."

The dilemma for [game retailers - and here I'll add publishers] - is that in many communities, obscene videogames are automatically equated with obscenity for kids."

There's ultimately been a lot of discussion about games and how they are the new scapegoat for the ills of society just like comics were in the 50s - without anyone ever citing the historical instance (mainly a lot of cheap, unregulated trash being denounced by comics' own Jack Thompson - and here incredibly more influential - psychologist Fredric Wertham and his book Seduction of the Innocent, which basically that 'everything from juvenile delinquency to sexual 'perversions' to race hatred' was caused by comics.]. It's this same train of thought that is now being applied to games and has been applied to any new media that wasn't recognized as socially important (i.e. art).

Thankfully, the games industry is not weak but has billions of dollars resting on it. Unfortunately, too many publishers and developers are making crap like Manhunt 2 that is not only a bad game but is also revolting to many people and then trying to defend it. Gamers know Manhunt 2 is a bad game because it's poorly designed (and sorry if you disagree, but gamerankings seems pretty clear on this that there are a lot better designs out there; it's ok to like a game even if a lot of other people don't) - and design is something that has so much more to do with the medium rather than the 'content'. The nongaming world that hears about Manhunt 2 doesn't know anything about Manhunt 2's design, just the revolting responses regarding content that have been sensationalized and equate this with the medium itself. Because of this, when we get something like Super Columbine Massacre RPG that is actually trying to comment on something it becomes immediately censored - even by the art games show that is supposed to be completely open!

Basically, we need more 'art games' to make headlines like Shadow of the Colossus, Ico, September 12, Escape from Woomera, 3rd World Farmer - and yes, Super Columbine Massacre RPG. But if the general public believes that all games are Manhunt and GTA, then that's all the kind of response games are going to get. Saying that a shitty game is 'art' and that you should like it because it's 'art' isn't the right response - the shitty game may still be 'art', but the fact that it's 'art' doesn't stop it from being shit. And the general public doesn't know that because they don't know how to 'read' games because they don't play games. It's 'content' they think they know how to read, when it should be fairly obvious that the medium is the message.

Which is why the Wii is such a good thing. It teaches those soccer moms out there that games can be good because it gets them to actually sit down and play - even if Wii Sports isn't saying anything other than 'entertainment.'

The table of art and social worth that other mediums like painting and film and literature already sit at is not something a medium is entitled to be at. It's something you get invited to once you have something important to say that people can hear.

Heh, sorry for such another long post. Glad you stuck to the end.

[sharonlover]

agreed Capcom ^_^;

To continue what you said, I think that the Wii is proving a lot and I for one am glad that Nintendo understands what a video game is and who video games are for. Nintendo may not have the high gore, explicit content, or it may censor such titles, but Nintendo = Family Fun (period) and always has. That's not to say that Nintendo does not put out more mature themed games because we know they do; however, there vision of the gaming world is not domination of the genre through jaw-dropping graphics, blood spewing skeletons and other mature themed games, they well balance there lineup for everyone to enjoy, and that is why they were on top last year (though this may have been different had key titles for the PS3 made it out).

A person has to evolve into there types of games right down to the genre they prefer and Nintendo is able to give a broad taste of this spectrum without over doing it. Granted, many hardcore gamers prefer PS3 or XBox360 simply for the amazing graphics and overall awesomeness that is fine. I would so own one of each system if i could afford it just because yes they are very pretty. If your looking for a fragfest, hey PS3 and XBox has your game. If you want party fun, go with a Wii. Each system has their strengths and weaknesses. I don't know how I got off topic o.O;;;;

Anyhow, I think Nintendo just knows how to have fun and I think that if parents had a chance to see the plethora of games that ARE suitable for there kids (though I'm sure there are some parents who will never find one) that the news would start to dwindle on such high vis bad games. This is even happening as we speak. Let's go back a few years to the GTA issue that was all over the news (you pick whichever one you like ) and lets look at today.

Back then, it was nothing but violence this and violence that and video games make a leap in graphics again.

Today we have, violence this, graphics are AWESOME, and Old People are playing the Wii. The amount of good news about video games in regards to the Wii have been pounding violent video game news sinces its intro. This may be the system that helps quell those thoughts.

[Irondog666]

So much long, angry venting on this subject in this world!

The only reason Video Games are targeted is well, they are more accesible to kids. Parents buy the systems and the games without educating themselves on what they are buying. I absolutely agree that parents place way to much blame on the video game market for they inability to properly raise there children.

Yeah that's true. More succinctly put, because games have been traditionally equated as 'something for kids' as soon as you start saying 'games have grown up' or 'games are no longer just for kids'. Here, let me borrow a few quotes from Scott McCloud's Reinventing Comics, replacing each instance of the word 'comics' with the word 'games'.

"[in regards to the 'games aren't just for kids anymore' motif, this was presented sometimes] with an accusatory angle that games were therefore a danger to children. The underlying assumption that games and kids are inextricably linked continue to frame both sides of the debate, even as college-aged and young adult audiences were discovering more and more material aimed directly at them."

The dilemma for [game retailers - and here I'll add publishers] - is that in many communities, obscene videogames are automatically equated with obscenity for kids."

There's ultimately been a lot of discussion about games and how they are the new scapegoat for the ills of society just like comics were in the 50s - without anyone ever citing the historical instance (mainly a lot of cheap, unregulated trash being denounced by comics' own Jack Thompson - and here incredibly more influential - psychologist Fredric Wertham and his book Seduction of the Innocent, which basically that 'everything from juvenile delinquency to sexual 'perversions' to race hatred' was caused by comics.]. It's this same train of thought that is now being applied to games and has been applied to any new media that wasn't recognized as socially important (i.e. art).

Thankfully, the games industry is not weak but has billions of dollars resting on it. Unfortunately, too many publishers and developers are making crap like Manhunt 2 that is not only a bad game but is also revolting to many people and then trying to defend it. Gamers know Manhunt 2 is a bad game because it's poorly designed (and sorry if you disagree, but gamerankings seems pretty clear on this that there are a lot better designs out there; it's ok to like a game even if a lot of other people don't) - and design is something that has so much more to do with the medium rather than the 'content'. The nongaming world that hears about Manhunt 2 doesn't know anything about Manhunt 2's design, just the revolting responses regarding content that have been sensationalized and equate this with the medium itself. Because of this, when we get something like Super Columbine Massacre RPG that is actually trying to comment on something it becomes immediately censored - even by the art games show that is supposed to be completely open!

Basically, we need more 'art games' to make headlines like Shadow of the Colossus, Ico, September 12, Escape from Woomera, 3rd World Farmer - and yes, Super Columbine Massacre RPG. But if the general public believes that all games are Manhunt and GTA, then that's all the kind of response games are going to get. Saying that a shitty game is 'art' and that you should like it because it's 'art' isn't the right response - the shitty game may still be 'art', but the fact that it's 'art' doesn't stop it from being shit. And the general public doesn't know that because they don't know how to 'read' games because they don't play games. It's 'content' they think they know how to read, when it should be fairly obvious that the medium is the message.

Which is why the Wii is such a good thing. It teaches those soccer moms out there that games can be good because it gets them to actually sit down and play - even if Wii Sports isn't saying anything other than 'entertainment.'

The table of art and social worth that other mediums like painting and film and literature already sit at is not something a medium is entitled to be at. It's something you get invited to once you have something important to say that people can hear.

Heh, sorry for such another long post. Glad you stuck to the end.

You hit some pretty solid points there. Wii is starting to change the perception of who games are intended for and don't forget about the DS. I think the DS has done a lot to attract casual gamers or people who never played them because of games like Brain Age, Picross and games of that nature. I recently had to buy a new DS because my mom (who never plays video games) couldn't stop playing mine and ended up wearing out the buttons on and she eventually dropped it and broke it. I am seeing a lot of females and older people with DS Lites or at the store some 50 yo guy playing a DS Lite in Best Buy and like "this is kind of neat I might buy one."

Its really cool to see that happening and I hope the trend continues as long as they balance the games between casual and hardcore. Nintendo has gone toward the casual but there are more developers who design hardcore games wanting to do games like "No More Heroes" (which looks pretty sweet) and jump on the Wii bandwagon. As far as your viewpoint on Manhunt games, I got to disagree. To some extent you are right there are many games that are blow Manhunt out of the water. AI isn't very good in it and the main focus is to basically kill your opponent in gruesome ways. However, I like it because I find bashing some guys head in with a baseball bat and knocking his brains all over quite fun.

Yes I know this is kind of sadistic to some but then again I like slasher flicks because I want to see who the next person is who is gonna die and how they are gonna die. This you can basically decide "well do I want to use the crowbar, baseball bat or the glass shard" lol. Its quite entertaining but I will be the first to admit it doesn't old a candle to a game like Metal Gear Solid which is a stealth game minus the over the top gore and much better AI. Thats why if there was no blood and gore in Manhunt it would be a crap game nobody would want to buy. Same with Mortal Kombat games. W/o the blood and gore factor, it wouldn't be what it is today and there would've been no debate on whether it was better than the Street Fighter games.

Another thing is I am 22 years old and I should be allowed to decide what games I want to play and for our stupid governor to say video games don't have any real benefit to society just makes her look stupid. Hell most the stuff I learned as a child were from video games like how to read and learning my numbers and things that you can apply to real life. they can also be a very poweful tool for education but thats often ignored by the media. Instead the media just loves to be pessimistic assholes in general, why I don't like to watch the news. Now games like Manhunt, GTA and stuff of that nature is never intended for children and any dumbass parent that buys their child Manhunt 2 for Wii and then crys foul needs to take a good look at themselves.

I will be honest I was playing Mortal Kombat II at the age of 8 or so back in 1993/1994 I believe? My mom bought me the game knowing full well what was in it. I learned what sex was maybe a year later. I was exposed to a lot of this stuff at a young age but it didn't affect me at all because my mother was there to teach me about it and to seperate what is real and what is not real at a very young age and she pounded those ideas into my brain. She taught me well about everything and when she learned some kid at school told me about sex, her and my dad educated me right away on it. Now if only other parents would do that.

[sharonlover]

Hell most the stuff I learned as a child were from video games like how to read and learning my numbers and things that you can apply to real life.

XD i just got this funny video pop in my head. Little timmy playing his Manhunt game.

Teacher: Alright Timmy, how many hits does it take to get to the center of a mans head.

Timmy: One baseball bat to the head, two baseball bat to the head, three..ect ect

lol, just popped in my head when you said that.

But yes, the media does tend to forget some of the educational attributes that some games do provide; however, I think it's been proven by now that hand eye cooridination is improved and more so with the Wii, but honestly, it's overused . I tend to think of skills that I've acquired, a for example:

Besides Metroid, I am a huge Initial D Anime/Arcade Game fan and often spend countless dollars on the game. For those that don't know, Initial D is a driving game much like need for speed and other such racing games. If not for the "skills" acquired in this game, my life may have ended abruptly many times on the crazy streets/interstates of Virginia/DC.

I was driving down the interstate doing 80 (that was being the slow one XD) when two cars ahead of me a truck carrying ladders (that I couldn't see), lost one of its ladders. Well the mini-van in front of me started swerving erradically for what to me was some unknown reason and then suddenly changed laned. Much to my dismay, a huge ladder was barrelling down the interstate toward my car at an unheard speed, sparks were flying and my heart missed a beat or two.

Well quickly thinking (this all happening in a matter of 5 or 10 seconds), I start moving toward the next lane but couldn't change due to another car being there. As I started moving over to avoid the object, said object started moving over with me lining up for the shot, so I started back the other way only to have it follow me that way. By this time I'm thinking, "damn! This thing is out to get me". Finally at the last minute, I swerve off the interstate at 60MPH onto a grass median, ladder flying by missing my car by mere inches (never saw what happened to it after that). My car began to fishtail and I was going to lose control, but I played it just like a game, fishtailing back onto the street allowing my tires to grip the pavement but not all was over. The car began to turn sideways into what woulda been an unrecoverable drift into flip scenario, but I took that wheel and brought that bad girl back under control, all at 60MPH.

Talk about a heart pounding minute of life. My wife and friend in the car gave me nothing but props and never oppose to me playing my racing games XD XD XD

[Irondog666]

Hell most the stuff I learned as a child were from video games like how to read and learning my numbers and things that you can apply to real life.

XD i just got this funny video pop in my head. Little timmy playing his Manhunt game.

Teacher: Alright Timmy, how many hits does it take to get to the center of a mans head.

Timmy: One baseball bat to the head, two baseball bat to the head, three..ect ect

lol, just popped in my head when you said that.

But yes, the media does tend to forget some of the educational attributes that some games do provide; however, I think it's been proven by now that hand eye cooridination is improved and more so with the Wii, but honestly, it's overused . I tend to think of skills that I've acquired, a for example:

Besides Metroid, I am a huge Initial D Anime/Arcade Game fan and often spend countless dollars on the game. For those that don't know, Initial D is a driving game much like need for speed and other such racing games. If not for the "skills" acquired in this game, my life may have ended abruptly many times on the crazy streets/interstates of Virginia/DC.

I was driving down the interstate doing 80 (that was being the slow one XD) when two cars ahead of me a truck carrying ladders (that I couldn't see), lost one of its ladders. Well the mini-van in front of me started swerving erradically for what to me was some unknown reason and then suddenly changed laned. Much to my dismay, a huge ladder was barrelling down the interstate toward my car at an unheard speed, sparks were flying and my heart missed a beat or two.

Well quickly thinking (this all happening in a matter of 5 or 10 seconds), I start moving toward the next lane but couldn't change due to another car being there. As I started moving over to avoid the object, said object started moving over with me lining up for the shot, so I started back the other way only to have it follow me that way. By this time I'm thinking, "damn! This thing is out to get me". Finally at the last minute, I swerve off the interstate at 60MPH onto a grass median, ladder flying by missing my car by mere inches (never saw what happened to it after that). My car began to fishtail and I was going to lose control, but I played it just like a game, fishtailing back onto the street allowing my tires to grip the pavement but not all was over. The car began to turn sideways into what woulda been an unrecoverable drift into flip scenario, but I took that wheel and brought that bad girl back under control, all at 60MPH.

Talk about a heart pounding minute of life. My wife and friend in the car gave me nothing but props and never oppose to me playing my racing games XD XD XD

I always did figure that playing racing games a lot with a steering wheel and pedal setup or racing arcade machines would help your driving reflexes. I used to play Gran Turismo like crazy back in the day and I always wanted one of those wheels that Logitech makes but they want like $100 for it. Video games definitly help your reflexes I notice the more I play like at work if I drop something I am much quicker and more successful at catching it.

[Kraid Raid]

I think it's funny that the anti-video game crusade was led by Joe Lieberman. As I remember, about fifty years ago, there was another crusade of a different nature led by another senator named Joe. The ironic difference between these two cases is that Joe McCarthy ended up being right, even if he didn't know it at the time. Joe Lieberman is (was?)not by any stretch of the imagination "right", but he had support in his ideas. Now, I can't speak for anyone else, but I know that there have been instances that I have wanted to be violent or cause bodily harm to somebody that really pissed me off. How did I happen to deal with this pent-up aggression? I played VIDEO GAMES!!!! I realize this may be a shock to some of you left-wingers out there, but I view it as a sort of reverse psychology type thing. Because I'm being violent in my mind, or rather a video game, This helps relieve my aggressive feelings and therefore keeps me from doing something foolish that I will most certainly have to pay a lot of consequences for later.

As far as violent content goes in video games, why don't you try banning rated R movies? Why don't you try banning our national news shows? Why don't you try banning death metal music? Personally, I think if that were to happen, citizens across America would turn out en masse and riot in the streets. By introducing ridiculous crap laws like banning video games and such, our governments are trying to assert their power over the common man and if it's to be stopped, we have to show that the PEOPLE have the power in America, not the politicians. If I lived in Michigan, as a video gamer, I would be lobbying as hard as I could against that governor to make sure she wouldn't pass anymore bullshit laws like that. It's insane.

Wow, what a rant. I apologize in advance for any toes trodden on and for the length of my post. Have a good day!

Peace
Raid

[Irondog666]

I think it's funny that the anti-video game crusade was led by Joe Lieberman. As I remember, about fifty years ago, there was another crusade of a different nature led by another senator named Joe. The ironic difference between these two cases is that Joe McCarthy ended up being right, even if he didn't know it at the time. Joe Lieberman is (was?)not by any stretch of the imagination "right", but he had support in his ideas. Now, I can't speak for anyone else, but I know that there have been instances that I have wanted to be violent or cause bodily harm to somebody that really pissed me off. How did I happen to deal with this pent-up aggression? I played VIDEO GAMES!!!! I realize this may be a shock to some of you left-wingers out there, but I view it as a sort of reverse psychology type thing. Because I'm being violent in my mind, or rather a video game, This helps relieve my aggressive feelings and therefore keeps me from doing something foolish that I will most certainly have to pay a lot of consequences for later.

As far as violent content goes in video games, why don't you try banning rated R movies? Why don't you try banning our national news shows? Why don't you try banning death metal music? Personally, I think if that were to happen, citizens across America would turn out en masse and riot in the streets. By introducing ridiculous crap laws like banning video games and such, our governments are trying to assert their power over the common man and if it's to be stopped, we have to show that the PEOPLE have the power in America, not the politicians. If I lived in Michigan, as a video gamer, I would be lobbying as hard as I could against that governor to make sure she wouldn't pass anymore bullshit laws like that. It's insane.

Wow, what a rant. I apologize in advance for any toes trodden on and for the length of my post. Have a good day!

Peace
Raid

Yeah like I said, she would ban anything that wasn't Winnie The Pooh if she had the power except the Supreme Court and judges over the country have ruled that video games share the same protection films and literature do under the 1st Amendment as freedom of the press. She is a dumb idiot who has tried to ban certain games from going on sale in Michigan but because of it being illegal to do that theres not much she can do.

However, She did pass a law that made it illegal for retailers to sell or rent M rated games to those who are under the age of 18. Heres the link to the law http://www.mi.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168--126002--,00.html in detail. If you go to buy a game anywhere in this state its technically illegal for them to sell it to you if your under 18 and I am 22 years old and every single damn time I buy an M rated game I get carded. I don't even get carded for liquor, I have never been carded for liquor in this state yet they card me for a video game every single time no matter where I buy it. I even got in a bitter argument with a dumb cashier about buying an M rated game about 3 weeks ago at Walmart.

She kept trying to say I wasn't old enough even after she carded me. I ended up having to speak to her manager over it cause apparently she didn't believe that I was 22 or the person in the picture on my license even when I showed her my Driver's License. Yeah I got the game but I was held up in Walmart for like 20 minutes till they could get ahold of a manager. I should've got the stupid thing for free for all the crap they put me through.[/url]

[AMetroidGuy]

History is not my strong suit, so I may have missed something, but, how exactly was Senator McCarthy right?( I don’t want to sidetrack this thread, so a short answer will do, and we can start a separate thread in GD if it requires more discussion).

Dog, that sounds like a very good law, and you should be flattered to be carded. Of course, once you presented your ID, that should have been the end of it, holding everyone up like that is ridiculous.

[Irondog666]

History is not my strong suit, so I may have missed something, but, how exactly was Senator McCarthy right?( I don’t want to sidetrack this thread, so a short answer will do, and we can start a separate thread in GD if it requires more discussion).

Dog, that sounds like a very good law, and you should be flattered to be carded. Of course, once you presented your ID, that should have been the end of it, holding everyone up like that is ridiculous.

I am not gonna say the law is a bad law. I understand the reason for it but she is an anti-violent game politician. She would ban them from even being sold in this state if she could. As far as being carded it catches me off guard a lot because the law isn't that old and you tend to forget that someone would card you for a game then all of a sudden "I need to see your ID". Then you show them the thing and they are like "I am sorry I can't sell this to you your not old enough" its like "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!". Then you get in a war of words with them and then its like "I would like to see your manager" it takes them 15 minutes or longer to even get a manager just so I can prove some women who can't read a birthdate correctly and then she even accused me of lieing and presenting a fake ID. Its like "how is this fake? It looks like everyone elses." I guess I do look different in the ID but only in the fact I had much longer hair when I went to renew it. Plus since my license is horizontal instead of vertical, that should be a give away that its a 21 or older license. Some people are just stupid and I was quite offended by being called a liar.

[CapCom]

Well, a lot of stores like Gamestop were supposed to be carding people as policy. However, it would be interesting to see if this same store cards people for buying R-rated movies - though I doubt they do. That cashier also certainly doesn't have a right to question the validity of your ID, certainly not based on her prejudices. Maybe you should take your business elsewhere?

The true problem is when they try and pass censorship laws saying it is illegal to sell M-rated games, PERIOD. No such law has ever been successfully passed and those cases made for it have been overturned in court at state taxpayers' expense. It's a mindset that is fueled by ignorance and fear of what games actually are, and a lack of truly mature variety and inspiration in what developers are making certainly isn't helping the situation.

[Kraid Raid]

History is not my strong suit, so I may have missed something, but, how exactly was Senator McCarthy right?( I don’t want to sidetrack this thread, so a short answer will do, and we can start a separate thread in GD if it requires more discussion).

I swear I heard or read something that said that after the Soviet Union fell that we got ahold of old KGB records of Communist friendlies in the U.S. and a bunch of people that McCarthy named were in them. Not sure on this, don't quote me. If you want to start a new thread, go ahead and I'll do some researching.

Raid

[AMetroidGuy]

I am not gonna say the law is a bad law. I understand the reason for it but she is an anti-violent game politician. She would ban them from even being sold in this state if she could.

But she can’t. In the meantime, at least some goof came out of her ignorant prejudice.

As far as being carded it catches me off guard a lot because the law isn't that old and you tend to forget that someone would card you for a game then all of a sudden "I need to see your ID". Then you show them the thing and they are like "I am sorry I can't sell this to you your not old enough" its like "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!". Then you get in a war of words with them and then its like "I would like to see your manager" it takes them 15 minutes or longer to even get a manager just so I can prove some women who can't read a birthdate correctly and then she even accused me of lieing and presenting a fake ID. Its like "how is this fake? It looks like everyone elses." I guess I do look different in the ID but only in the fact I had much longer hair when I went to renew it. Plus since my license is horizontal instead of vertical, that should be a give away that its a 21 or older license. Some people are just stupid and I was quite offended by being called a liar.

I certainly don’t blame you. That is no way to treat a customer, you should write a letter to the company and complain. Wal-Mart is evil anyway though, you shouldn’t shop there.

I swear I heard or read something that said that after the Soviet Union fell that we got ahold of old KGB records of Communist friendlies in the U.S. and a bunch of people that McCarthy named were in them. Not sure on this, don't quote me. If you want to start a new thread, go ahead and I'll do some researching.

Raid

I dunno if this really needs a new thread, but, don’t want to carry this one off-topic, so, done.

[ProjectLeaderGuy]

It's like how in America animation has been artificially associated with Disney shlock, and funding for serious projects to this day cannot be found.

It's all stereotyping. Games are for everyone of all ages. They are as legitimate as any other art.

We must strive to create a free world where creators can do whatever they want with their art. If some slimey retailers sell 17+ ("M", whatever) games to young kids to try and make a buck, the artist should not be attacked.

Having said that, these endless shock value games are artless trash and nobody should buy such turds. The only reason they are made is because trash sells, there is a big audience of simpleton inbred morons who love artless trash.

Now ARTFUL TRASH... that's a different story! Random shock value handled with real care can be awesome.