ednos

This is a trend in American stupidity. On NPR today, I heard a law professor at Harvard say that we need to regulate credit cards because they're dangerous. She was of the opinion that it was wrong for the credit card companies to take advantage of people. I've yet to hear of one case where the credit companies acted in violation of a contract signed by the "victim". Ignorance is more of a crime than exposing kids to violence, charging exuberant interest rates, or any other form of selling products in a FREE MARKET. If you don't like the free market, you can move to Europe where 65% income tax protects your children from reality. Alternately, vote for Mitt Romney so that your state can decide all these things--then you won't have to move so far to escape the evils of American freedom and liberty.

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The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. ~ Bertrand Russell
I have a tendency to key out three or four things and then let them battle for supremacy while I key, so there's a lot of backspacing as potential statements are slaughtered and eaten by the victors. ~ Magna Centipede

Sir-Nerd

The thing that makes me mad about the hot coffee controversy. GTA has profanity, vandalism, alcohol, drugs, mass killing, sexual reference, VERY crude humor, sexism, and racism. I mean you can beat a prostitute and take back the money you just paid her.

The second they show what looks like to me as two blocky things rubbing against each other, they rate is as AO and send off the shelves.

If you can't stand even that kind of "sex" then you might as well close all of the fine art museums in the country.

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ScratchMonkey

Even now, Congress is moving to pass laws to deal with the soft money mortgage debacle, which they created by extending loan guarantees to people who have no business borrowing money.

Is Romney for States Rights and against Federalism? He's actually proposing something that Ron Paul has favored for years? Is this a fad for him, or a long-term position?

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El_Gringo_Grande

So loan sharking is ok?

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Sen. John McCain (AZ) For President '08
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I’m not racists, I have republican friends. Radio show host.
- "The essence of tyranny is the denial of complexity". -Jacob Burkhardt
- "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds" - Emerson
- "People should not be afraid of it's government, government should be afraid of it's People." - Line from V for Vendetta
- If software were as unreliable as economic theory, there wouldn't be a plane made of anything other than paper that could get off the ground. Jim Fawcette

TheSkudDestroyer

I wrote a very lengthy paper on video game violence and the rising gaming subculture a few years back. One of the major inspirations for much of the material was one of my favorite books "Geekz" by Jon Katz. Jon Katz was (and I think still is) a contributer to slashdot.org. The book was written in the immediate aftermath of the Columbine shootings. It follows 2 gamers and their struggle to get their lives on track.

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Wolfie

Best Buy enforces them (as far as our local stores do here in Michigan). I always seem to get carded when I purchase a M rate game (and I am 32 years old).

But back onto the topic, parents should be responsible for what their kids read, watch, play, etc. Government should never censor anything unless it is a direct physical harm to a person (for example, mercury and lead paint). The government should never regulate speech, art, literature, entertainment, etc.

section-8

"I'm going to loan you this money at a ridiculous interest rate, and if you are unable to pay me back I'm going to start breaking bones in your body and possibly murder your family. Do you understand the terms of the agreement?"

"yes."

"Cool, heres your money."

If the question is serious: obviously there are ethical issues with what you would consider 'loan sharking' but the consumer DID enter into an agreement knowing with whom and what they were dealing.

edit: sorry...off topic.

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ScratchMonkey

Charging high prices is not the same thing as threatening violence for non-payment. Risk has a price. If you don't allow that price to be charged, then those who service that risk will either stop doing business (like the home insurance companies that stopped doing business in California for awhile) or go underground (ie. loansharking, with its attendant violence because of lack of state protection of its business).

Stupidity should be allowed, and the stupid should be made to pay the price. Think of it as evolution in action. We need economic Darwin awards, too. Businesses and individuals who destroyed themselves because they can't understand the rules of trade.

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westyfield

In the words of Yahtzee: "Youthful paragons of self control get called nasty names and decide that murder would be the wittiest comeback, and then is found to have stood next to a video game at some point in the past."

Games can be violent, but that is not necessarily a bad thing, it is only when people are unable to distinguish games from reality. In, say, Battlefield 2, you get points for killing people (and points mean prizes). But in real life, you get locked up for killing people. Parents need to make sure their child's innocent mind is not being twisted by game violence, that is why they should check the ratings of the games their children are playing. I used to play games that were rated as above my age, but that was a 13 year old playing 15's, not a 12 year old playing 18's. I guess it's mostly down to the laws in your country regarding ratings (I think Germany is very strict on guns in games) and how you were educated by your parents.
Here's the link to the Yahtzee review of Manhunt that partially tackles the issue of game violence - beware, some bad language.

Link

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|TG-irr| westyfield

Thanks Oldirti for this sig!
Xfire: westyfield
Ikariam- Westopia, Quosios [18:35] (S). Colonies: Westyville, Nytios [18:29] (M), Westropolis, Tasetia [15:33] (CG).
Irregular since Sept 15th, 2007

El_Gringo_Grande

Has any game ever actually been banned by the US government? Has the government ever talked about actually banning a game. Or has it been talk about limiting what minors can or can't posses?

And as far as a parent suing a video game maker, well, that is the parents controlling what their child sees, isn't it?

__________________
Sen. John McCain (AZ) For President '08
---
I’m not racists, I have republican friends. Radio show host.
- "The essence of tyranny is the denial of complexity". -Jacob Burkhardt
- "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds" - Emerson
- "People should not be afraid of it's government, government should be afraid of it's People." - Line from V for Vendetta
- If software were as unreliable as economic theory, there wouldn't be a plane made of anything other than paper that could get off the ground. Jim Fawcette