Tobacco-Style Warning on Video Games Proposed by US Bill

[TheMailMan78]

Shacknews is reporting that once again, video games are being used for a spot of political grandstanding, and in a familiar way. Not for the first time, a bipartisan pair of US congressmen have introduced a bill that would require almost every video game box to bear a warning label reading, "WARNING: Exposure to violent video games has been linked to aggressive behavior." Should the the Violence in Video Games Labeling Act, H. R. 4204, somehow pass, it'd require the warning be placed "in a clear and conspicuous location on the packaging" of every game rated by the ESRB, except for those rated EC (Early Childhood). It makes no distinction for a game's actual content, so the warning would be slapped on Mortal Kombat and Imagine: Party Babyz alike. "The video game industry has a responsibility to parents, families and to consumers - to inform them of the potentially damaging content that is often found in their products," chief sponsor Joe Baca (D-CA) said, reported by The Hill. "They have repeatedly failed to live up to this responsibility." Co-sponsor Frank Wolf (R-VA) chimed in, "Just as we warn smokers of the health consequences of tobacco, we should warn parents - and children - about the growing scientific evidence demonstrating a relationship between violent video games and violent behavior."



Of course, no causal relationship has ever been proven.

The Entertainment Software Association responded, in a statement provided to Gamasutra, "Representative Baca's facially unconstitutional bill - which has been introduced to no avail in each of six successive Congressional sessions, beginning in 2002 - needlessly concerns parents with flawed research and junk science." Given that such bills have failed to pass before, it's fair to predict that this one will die too, after wasting a fair bit of time and money. It's an established routine--when lawmakers try to single out video games, all they get is a costly bill.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[TheMailMan78]

Glad to see that both camps can always come together over a good cause like taking away personal liberties and knee jerk reactions like this.

 

[hardcore_gamer]

idiots

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Surgeon General putting a label on a product carriers some weight; Congress putting a label on a product, not so much. If passed, the impact this would have on the gaming industry is barely more than 0%.


Regardless, where do I sign to lobby against this?


Oh and with so many games transistioning to online distribution models, how is it supposed to appear "in a clear and conspicuous location on the packaging" when there is no "packaging?"

 

[trickson]

Morons! They will go after Sponge Bob Square pants next!

 

[Black Haru]

can we place a warning on voting ballads that says "warning: participation in political proceedings has been linked to extreme douchebaggery" ?

 

[Kreij]

I read this the other day. Here's what I propose be display on all political news articles ...

WARNING : Exposure to proposed congressional bills has been proven to cause irritation, foul language and in some cases extreme rage.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

You forgot murderous rampages...like Gabby Giffords. :x

 

[Robert-The-Rambler]

How about them actually doing their job?

How about solving real problems? I've played violent videogames for years and I have no desire to go on a shooting rampage or get into fights for no reason. There is no way to connect real violence with cartoon violence. You know what they say. Shrinks need more help than the patients sometimes.

 

[dj-electric]

I'm growing tired of old American governors doing nothing but trying to ruin everybody's life.
I'm tired of them concluding dumb conclusions without having any deep research...

 

[trickson]

More government control is all this is people.
They are nothing more than lawyers looking to get more and more regulations and laws past to further there carries, The Sheeple of America are really to blame here. If only there was a united people to stand up against these morons.

 

[BumbleBee]

great.. make the cover art even smaller.

 

[Kreij]

Here's a real one for games ...

WARNING : Playing a craptastic console port on your new high-end video card will piss you off.

 

[btarunr]

This is so wrong. So gamers get tabooed in society? What about such warnings for violent movies, and the countless TV shows covering Iraq/Afghanistan and the American War Machine? What makes Super Mario Bros less violent than Bulletstorm?

And who the hell is coming up with such trivial legislations, when there clearly more pressing issues in America?

 

[Delta6326]

Looks like I'm the only one that doesn't mind this... I don't see whats wrong with it, they are just simply putting a warning on similar to ESRB. And it is true that in some instances bad games have been linked to anger.

 

[Master_of_Time]

Here are my two cents: video games are just that - GAMES. They are not real. They may represent a version of reality, or, a world/idea that has nothing in common with reality. People who's thought process is changed in a dangerous way by video games is someone who CANNOT make the difference between real life and an imaginary world => that person has mental problems or he is extremely stupid.
I have been playing violent video games since Doom 1 and I was VERY young then, but my dad made it clear that games are not real. End of story. I have killed thousands and thousands of enemies in brutal ways in many video games, but I am not a crazy person. Video games, movies, music or books only by themselves cannot make you violent. It's a parents job to educate their children about games and make them use their head and understand what is real and what is not, not video games. So if someone goes to school and shoots 10 people, it's their parent's fault because they they left a video game to influence their child's mental development instead of doing their jobs as parents. It is not society's fault.
tl; dr -> This bill is complete bulls***, just another political marketing campaign.

 

[Batou1986]

Yea because the tobacco warnings are making an impact.

I cant wait to see the capitol burn to the ground and all theses fools burn with it, out of all the crap going on right now how do video games even make the discussion.

 

[Maelstrom]

Co-sponsor Frank Wolf (R-VA) chimed in, "Just as we warn smokers of the health consequences of tobacco, we should warn parents - and children - about the growing scientific evidence demonstrating a relationship between violent video games and violent behavior."

Man, VA politicians are really failing. First the dumb ultrasound bill and now this? I am disappoint.

 

[RejZoR]

Yes, the games are the reason for all the evil in the world. They just forgot one VERY important fact. Ppl were doing all sorts of REALLY BAD things way before games even existed. Warld War 1 and 2 come to my mind. And all the serial killers and all the rapists and all the other sick idiots.
Games didn't even exist back then yet all bad was happening. So ppl filling such dumb stuff, just stick it up yours. Did those with the inquisition play Mortal Kombat too much, so they came up with all the torture devices and methods? And then the spine extraction in Mortal Kombat is the worst thing ever... C'mon, who are these ppl kidding? Games did not manifest or encourage anyone. If they did, you had something badly messed up in your head in the first place. They are just an entertainment medium like everything else that makes our days more interesting. Be it watching movies, stuffing yourself with ice cream or having sex and some of us even dare to play games. Oh noes, the world will end in a black hole because of it. Concrete faceplant.

 

[trickson]

How else are they going to protect the children? If you look at most laws being past in the last 20 years they are all designed to protect the children. What a JOKE! Hitler did this at first too and we all know how that ended. Good luck America.

 

[TheMailMan78]

I read this the other day. Here's what I propose be display on all political news articles ...

Normally I don't post this stuff as it turns into a rage fest but I really don't see anyone agreeing with what they are doing. Its just dumb IMO. I mean the only one that MIGHT go against the grain on this would have been me (see any piracy thread) but even I think this is stupid.

This is so wrong. So gamers get tabooed in society? What about such warnings for violent movies, and the countless TV shows covering Iraq/Afghanistan and the American War Machine? What makes Super Mario Bros less violent than Bulletstorm?

And who the hell is coming up with such trivial legislations, when there clearly more pressing issues in America?

People who a raping the American people need something shiny to distract the voter from the rear penetration they (the voter) are receiving.

Man, VA politicians are really failing. First the dumb ultrasound bill and now this? I am disappoint.

Its not just VA man. Its everywhere. Our system is corrupt. We need TRON.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

(random pic that adds nothing to the coversation)

IMO the whole debate how violent computer games can 'inspire' some individuals to go out and reenact scenes they have seen in the game in real life is such an age old arguement that has probably spanned a few decades and hardly made any progress at all.

violent video games have been around for a long time. yet you can probably count the number of 'copycat' incidents that have happened within the last 20+ years with one hand.

where I agree that violent computer games can sometimes 'effect' individuals - there are many factors involved e.g. bad parenting, violence at home, depression and other things that can break a person mentally. small kids grow up to be violent individuals because they saw daddy beating mommy on a day to day basis so they grow up thinking its alright to do it, and its individuals like these that are the most vulnerable & more open to the effects of violent computer games and depression (as we all know) can push anyone to suicide and depending on the circumstances he thinks that he wants to go out in style and give the world a big ol' "f**k you!" before he leaves it.

Nobody can tell what sort of thoughts are going through a depressed persons mind, be it irrational or not.

and all this showboating is not the answer. sure it opens the topic up for debate, but it is not the answer.

 

[R_1]

Few % of the general population are actually that mad, so there is some truth in the statement : "Exposure to violent video games has been linked to aggressive behavior". Identifying that bunch is priority of national Health care system , but folks there are more concern about Political correctness. So they decided ,let's say : blaming peanut butter , instead of identifying that 1% of people who are allergic to peanuts.

 

[Arctucas]

Who cares?

It is not like anyone actually reads any of these 'Warning Labels', and if they do, they ignore them anyway.

 

[TheMailMan78]

(random pic that adds nothing to the coversation)
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/TheSpaniard/Joke Images etc/RAAAAGE.png

IMO the whole debate how violent computer games can 'inspire' some individuals to go out and reenact scenes they have seen in the game in real life is such an age old arguement that has probably spanned a few decades and hardly made any progress at all.

violent video games have been around for a long time. yet you can probably count the number of 'copycat' incidents that have happened within the last 20+ years with one hand.

where I agree that violent computer games can sometimes 'effect' individuals - there are many factors involved e.g. bad parenting, violence at home, depression and other things that can break a person mentally. small kids grow up to be violent individuals because they saw daddy beating mommy on a day to day basis so they grow up thinking its alright to do it, and its individuals like these that are the most vulnerable & more open to the effects of violent computer games and depression (as we all know) can push anyone to suicide and depending on the circumstances he thinks that he wants to go out in style and give the world a big ol' "f**k you!" before he leaves it.

Nobody can tell what sort of thoughts are going through a depressed persons mind, be it irrational or not.

and all this showboating is not the answer. sure it opens the topic up for debate, but it is not the answer.

Like gay marriage or the oil pipeline this is all fluff to make you not see them signing things like the NDAA. If the media covered the NDAA like they do Obama talking about a random shooting in FL, the nation would be in civil war in a week.