Mothers Against Videogame Addiction and Violence

EverQuest II must be stopped. I cannot quit playing.... Save me!!! Please!!!

In high school, anyone who spends too much of their time playing video games is a loser. It is popular to spend very little time playing them, because this shows that one has a social life outside of video games.

So Paul, you're FOR censorship? You're advocating preventing someone from doing something they like to do that has never been shown to have an adverse affect on a normally adjusted person? Are you for banning violent movies? How about violent news?
The world is a violent place. It may not be right but it's true. Hiding the violence and pretending it doesn't exist isn't the answer. Educating children about the reality of violence and the negative affects it has are necessary. If you ban it outright it only makes it that much more desirable.
Just because some people (and I'm not necessarily including you here) can't be bothered to be parents to their children doesn't mean everyone else who acts responsibly should suffer.

I do feel that addiction can be a bad thing, but if an otherwise responsible adult wants to indulge in violent games, pornography, alcohol, or any other vice without hurting others than I think that they should be allowed to do so. If it becomes obsessive than it's the responsibility of that person's family/friends to help them. Not make everyone suffer for a few (sometimes extremely few) people's mistakes.
Banning violence won't make unstable people any more sane.

Sorry for the mini-rant.

Save our children vs. Anti-censorship. I have a 9 (almost 10) year old son. I know that about a year ago, we were looking at games in Blockbuster for rental. He wanted to rent "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City," which he'd played at a friend's house (without my knowledge). If you aren't familiar with the game, you play the role of a convict just released from prison. You return to your former behavior and try to build a criminal enterprise. On the way, you have to steal cars, beat down your stable of prostitutes, kill people who get in your way, bribe dirty politicians and cops, etc. Rockstar games, the creator, says: "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is the most diverse and ambitious piece of interactive entertainment yet created." In the sequel, just released, players rack up points by gunning down police, committing carjackings, burglarizing homes, etc.

It's a sad day when diverse and ambitious entertainment is about having sex with and killing a prostitute. I'm all about civil liberties. However, there's some games that probably deserve to be banned.

Despite the group being a hoax, the news stories quoted on the site are real.

Bill: No offense, but you could've checked with your kid or his friend's dad to see what game they rented..watch the south park movie, Paul.. you might learn something

Hey, my brother lives vicariously through Everquest. He and his roomates rotate throughout the day. And while one plays, the others watch! I don't go over there anymore becasue they all use their Everquest lingo and jargon of which I don't, or care to, understand. Video games can be very addicting. This is no exaggeration. The life they live is through late-night raids and conversations with other players. Quite sad.

Jenny, no I couldn't. I don't know them. They are friends of my former wife.

There are media works which are not protected speech and there are federal laws to prosecute such things. Check out Title 18, United States Code, Chapter 71, Section 1460 et. seq. Those sections are still used today and the Supreme Court has repeatedly held them constitutional. See also http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/ceos/obscenity.html and then read the press releases.

Protected speech is well and good, but not all speech is protected. Now, maybe in credit, I can only come up with one game so bad that I think it deserves censorship.

The main problem with your arguement is your assumption that all video games are made for children. I've been a gamer since I was a child, when I recieved my first NES. At that time, games were designed for kids, as the premise was still new and toy-like. However, as the Nintendo generation grew up, they yearned for games that better suited their interests and maturity, and games were created to fill this want. You cited Grand Theft Auto:Vice City earlier, a game that has a rating of MA(Mature). How is this game different from the film it attempts to emulate, Scarface? Would you like to ban Scarface, as it is a very violent, vulgar movie? I doubt most people would suggest such, as Scarface is viewed as adult entertainment and a critically acclaimed one at that. On the same note, I doubt you'd allow your child to watch such a movie and that same discretion should be used with a game. The problem isn't in the games, it's the lack of proper research and discretion on the part of merchants and parents. I work in retail and have many times talked my way out of a sale, as I feel it's my responsibity to inform the countless number of extremely ignorant parents that Grand Theft Auto isn't a game they want to purchase for their 6 year old child, regardless of how much they want it or how many of their friend's ignorant parents bought it for them. Honestly people, it's not that much work to look into the games your children play or want, the internet is an invaluble tool, as is simply looking at the rating on the front cover of the game. Don't bother making excuses about how you can't monitor every game your kids play, while at your house or a friends. My parents did, and this was way before the implentation of the ratings system. GTA wasn't around back then, but Mortal Kombat and it's vulgar display of blood and gore was. I wasn't allowed to play it at home, and I didn't play it anywhere else, out of fear of losing all gaming privelages, as my parents had threatened. So basicly what this rant is getting at is this, Pay attention to what your kids play, make it clear on what is acceptable for them to play, and please exert some effort and discretion instead of blaming the makers of these games for your lack of parenting. Those of us who are adult gamers enjoy our games and don't want to be deprived of our entertainment because parents don't keep track of their kids.
Thanks for listening,
Hatchett

p.s. Please excuse any grammar and/or spelling errors, I've been sick and am very tired, lol..

Well said, Hatchett. Well said.

Zing!

By the way...

"Freedom of speech is allowing your enemies to speak their minds as well".

How could you be all for 'it' if you want it banned? Honestly, just do not buy it for your 10 year old child. If your child is closer to 16-17, then he is well old enough to understand that virtual violence != real violence. Besides which, the world is incredibly violent. Videogames could never match the level of violence in the real world. Sheltering your child is one thing; Beating around the bush about if it exists is another.

A lot of people say videogames are bad and evil. They're too violent, and obscene, so many people keep saying. Wake up everybody, and welcome to earth. This world is a violent and obscene place. It's all around us. Shielding your children from violent movies and videogames is like pulling a sheet over your childs eyes. They'll never see the real world. Yes, in the real world people's cars do get stolen, people do get murdered, people have sex, people curse, people beat up each other, and there is racism and sexism. Get used to it.

First up, im well aware that this is/was a gag website. This is for all of you anti-gaming wankers out there.

Fact: Hardcore gaming not only leads to video game addiction and abrupt lifestyle changes, but to crime and felony as well. Hardcore gamers never buy computer video games...... You may not be buying your child videogames, but they can illegally obtain them off the internet.

-You aren't a hard-core gamer until you've downloaded a game IMO.

Symptom: Child spending numerous amount of time in their bedroom and at home.
"Gee, my 12-16 year old is spending way to much time alone in his room with his computer. He must be a depressed social outcast because of gaming. I mean... what other possible reason would he be in there?"

Symptom: Poor school grades
A typical report card by a troubled video game player:
Computer Education - Excellent
English - Poor
Mathemathics - Poor
Science - Poor
Social Studies - Poor
Physical Education - Poor
-This actually made me laugh. I want to see a 'typical gamers' poll.

Danger: Do video games make people violent?
No. People are inherently evil. Our most natural instincts are perceived as socially 'wrong'. Video Games may enhance violent tendancies(throwing controllers, yelling, etc.), but they are not the cause. Anyone who goes beyond yelling or throwing a controller is a fucking whack-job and should be treated as such.

Danger: Do video games teach people how to kill?
Of course they do, I mean c'mon, I never knew how to shoot or reload a gun before I played a video game... and I never even thought of beating someone senseless and doing my finishing move on them before...

I don't think I've mentioned it before, but if I have, it hasn't been enough...
I hate people. I am disgusted at how politicians continue to try to ban or control video games and spread propaganda about them and gamers.
Attention US and Canadian politicians. You are fear-mongering crack-pots. Get off my continent!

My rant for the day.

Look...Parents, if you don't want your kids playing games you don't think are suitable for them, make sure you:

1.) Know what kind of people your child's friend's parents are, whether they're the kind of people that would be leniant about it.

2.) Be reasonable. Know your kids. It's all a matter of maturity at younger (pre-teen and teenage years) ages. Usually around the age of 12-14, they start becoming more mature about things, and realize that taking Daddy's gun to school to knock off some annoying kid won't solve anything.

As far as violent games go, just check out what your kids are doing every once in a while...monitor behavior, watch the screen for a minute. See something that you don't like, voice your opinion, maybe suggest they do something else for a while. Again, depends on age and maturity.

Here's your one and only warning from me: Grand Theft Auto games are NOT for kids.

Consider this: I turn 16 at the end of March. Us "young 'uns" that consider ourselves hardcore gamers aren't usually so stupid that we LIVE and BREATHE games 24/7...believe it or not, you can be a hardcore gamer and have a life. My grades are decent (though I'm not satified with them). I have a plenty of friends, even a girlfriend.

It's not as horrible as you think, parents. I understand why you worry so much, since you see us playing mindless games for hours on end, seemingly without any sense of time or direction. This is the media's portreyal of video games, and the result of ignorance by not only the media, but by parents.

Regards,
Ian

It's always easier to blame someone else isn't it.

"People are inherently evil." - Balls (no, I'm not just calling them that, that's the name they used)

Say what?

No way. People are inherently SELFISH, not evil. If you choose to see people acting selfishly and put the label "evil" on it, then that's your bias, not fact.

ok so wat if we wana play a vidio game with violence would u rather have me go at it with a kid and start fights or would u like me 2 take out my anger on a vidio game and the people in the vidio game. if u dont like it call and leav a mesdge at 650 --- 1277

love
phuck u all

Boy,

Aren't you a clever one... odd how you can so cleverly mis-spell what's obviously one of your favorite words (phuck) but for some damn reason you can spell the simple ones worth a shit!

I am 10 And smart baby!!

I go on forums lots of times and type using capitals and stuff not "r u " and other slang the only slang I use is "lol"

I have a college reading leavel,am a 5th grade kid doing 6th grade math. I love the redwall books, love reading more then video games. A new stufy by ESA shows gamers spend 3 times more time on sports and social activities then video games. People also say video games make people fat. Uhhh I thought It was school. Think of it kids get 45 minutes of recess at school altogether, kids spend 7 hours a day at school! School I think in ways make people violent.

And I am really 10( I typed this in about 2 minutes I played online It improved my typing skills)

I mean a minute sorry not 2.

Hey and whats your nam guy that said shit. so you are againest video games but you cuss at little kids like me?

tsk tsk buddy setting a bad example for us kids mister!

LOL

Parents who abuse their kids make their kids bullys. Video game only affect kids who are mentel, have been abused, and other medical things.

You are 10 and smart... but not smart enough to read a thread and understand what you're reading. I cussed, but only in response to another little punk who thinks that talking like that makes him cool. Read the post previous to mine and you'll see what all the cussing was about... or just go back to http://www.nickjr.com which would be much more appropriate for you anyway. If the word shit is such a bad example, then what would you call those games you're so fond of where you can decapitate people, steal cars, pick up hookers and park in the dark to watch your stolen car bounce around while your $$$ dwindles? Convenient how those are, in your opinion, good things because they help to improve your typing or whatever (too bad they don't help with your spelling as well) but my use of a couple of curse words (and not the worst of curse words at that) is "setting a bad example."

LOL 😊

PS - What's my nam? Do you mean Viet? Or are you so busy doing your learning from video games that you can't read my NAME which is clearly listed on every post I make? And exactly where did I say I was against video games? In any way? Also, I was cussing at your buddy "phuck u all" in case you're in capable of reading and comprehension. My cursing was done LONG before you were ever here to read it... so how exactly could that be directed at you? And the youth wonder why no one gives them any credit!

:roll:

Hey, out of curiouosity are you a mom? Or just a man? Mark N jen? Are you mark or jen?

You should pick up a book it is called "what video games have to teach us about learning and litercy" by james paul gee who is a college professor. And you name is not "cleary" listed it is at the bottom kinda hard to notice and Mark N jen is kinda confusing. Phuck it all is not my "buddy". And I knew you where saying "shit" at phuck it all I read it. Was I saying you cussed at me smart-ass? I said "You are settinbg a bad example to kids like me" Like me not me!

So you want to to go to a more appropiate site? Well this is not so in a appropiate. This is not the first time I have heard shit before.

So your a parent? Are you? Just curious.

This was such a nice, intelligent discussion, I knew it would get ruined eventually... Kids had to start a fight. /sigh

k....i think this is SO RIDDICULOUS!!!!......Any child that plays a violent video game is the PARENTS FAULT not the VIDEO GAMES!!!!!!! there is a RATING ON IT CALLED A "ESRB" WHICH SAYS IF ITS TOO MATURE FOR AN AUDIENCE OR NOT!!!!
thats why...none...and i mean absoulutly...none of the video companys are held liable for anything...its not the 1950's any more.....the world is changing and video game companys not only like making the games like this because its AWESOME BUT THERE MAKING GOOD MONEY....Money is everything these days a very low percentage of people do anything with out getting something in return which ideally would be money......People who play video games and go to school could be just like them doing drugs, watching TV..hell even going out and playing sports all the time and not worrying about anything else cause EVERYTHING IS LIKE THAT IS ADDICTIVE FOR SOMEPEOPLE!!....some people have control and know when enough is enough...if you have a cookie and it taste good, your most likely gonna have another one of them cookies..PARENTS NEED TO BE MORE WATCHFULL OF WHAT THERE KIDS BUY FOR VIDEO GAMES OR ANTHING FOR THAT MATTER INSTEAD OF BLAMEING OTHER PEOPLE,COMPANYS SO THEY CAN ACT LIKE THERE CHILD IS BEING VICTAMIZED WHEN THE PARENT SHOULD BE LOOKING OUT FOR THERE OWN CHILD!!!.....its unbeliveable and sick how parents are going out and doing this...is so sick and its just stupid lol....because they cant face what they have been doing like not watching what there kid was doing which would be inapproiate instead of dealing with that which would actually matter they go out and make dumb organizations wasteing politcions time and money as if it they werent already.....and if any young child has gone out and shot someone with a gun cause they played a video game...the parent obviously dint teach the child the differnce between fanatasy and reality....but HEY! i shouldent talk about the parent....should go sew the video game company for making a game that was for 18+ and a child which a parent was monitioring played..man..iam so dumb i...cant belive it...god...iam so ashammmed...well iam gonna go make my new copy like site of MAVAV...call it......Sew Video Game Companys As A Escape Goat....you figure out the abreivatation...might as well cause your obviously not gonna be teaching your child anything

Thank you. That was a very good point.

In you faces MUDDAS!! roXXor!! roXXor!! roXXor!! roXXor!! roXXor. mark and jen u suXXor!! suXXor!! hahhahahahahahahahahaahhah suXXOR!!!!!!!!!!111111111111 i just pnwed u!!!!1111111 u teh n00b!!!!!!!!!1111111 u n00b!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hahhahahahhahahahahhaaahhahahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahaa

Sorry jen just couldn't resist 😛 *Whispers to everyone else* "I think jen has split 0personalites you know? Mark 'n jen lol,"

I hate being called youth I am just a kid in a overpolluted planet,"

DON'T WANT TO B A AMERICAN IDIOT!!!! ONE NATION CONTROLED BY THE MEDIA!!!!!!

Too late.

It is just a fallacy that games make kids violent. I played M rated games since I a 10. My cousin played M rated games since he could reach the Mouse and Keyboard and hes practicly a Pacifist. I have GTA and the other violent video games and I turned out fine.

Too late?!

Now lookie here spanky tis never to late don't say never! And I haven't played video games in 2 months got bored. I am not a fat american. I am not a american idiot.

I understand that people are angry agianst game stores that will sell M rated games to kids, and that parents are concerned about their kids getting entertainment out of virtualy beating up a hooker. however ive been playing semi-violent games since I was around 8, and as far as i know im not emotionaly scarred by any of it. Parents should be able to judge wheter thier kids really are mature. If you truley belive your kid is immature enough to be traumatized or whatever, by all means pull a blanket over thier eyes and isolate them until they are 18. Though realize that people are entertained by the actual fun of the video game, people dont malicoulsy enjoy virtualy killing things! At least for me, the amount of red pixels that splater across the screen is irrelevent to the actual fun of the video game.

Ps. Mad billy you have an ok-ish point, but seriously chill out damn

PPs. Green day Leads others and follows the into ideal image painted to us by viacom. plus their music sucks.

I am mad billy right?

I don't like greenday ether.

well...what else is there that i have to point out that make my point "ok-ish"???? Its simple man.....Parents who dont look out for what there child is playing is the one at fault! It doesent mean you have too be so into there life and know everysingle thing they do 😛 ....but the thing is it comes down to the parent...is the parent smart enough to make a sensible choice to let there child play or buy this game???? all the rating does on a game is tell the purchaser where or not it is a hardcore game or not.

we like playing violant video games so what I understand the explicit sexuality not being right but blood is cool on video games cause its not real.

I am sorry but i must disagree with you all. mmorpg's dont do anything to anyone and violent video games don'y cause people to kill. You say you have facts. i see nothing about these that can be factual. and this whole grades thing. i'm sorry to tell you this but i spend almost my entire day on World of Warcraft and i have straight A's honor student and all that =). i say all this respectfully and agree that you should have your own "opinion" ok? i would also like to say this. if you look at a lot of the charts of the child violance rates you will see that the violence rate has dropped drastically since 1980. people see children push eachother and automatically label it violence. But what you have to notice is children are smart and they're just playing. Once someone gets hurt they know somethings wrong and stop. and if they continue it is the irresponsible parents fault and the environment. And please leave your opinions out of your "facts" thank you. O and if you believe games make you a social outcast guess what? your living in the stereotypical white era. It is the new age ok? and plus you guys are being mean to a person who you call a "social outcast" that is called bullying ok? but it is all ok because in a few years the people who played these games will be the politicians and all and they will have grown up around games and understand whats happening unlike more than 3/4's of the people who shun gaming. please play a game before you say it is "extremely violent"

Their is nothing wrong with video games.
I have played M-rated games since the seaga genises came out, they DO NOT!!!!!!!! destroy people they are not addictive any one who doesnt like them, fair enough but dont go around pressing your views opun other people

😊

ey yall, heres a fun fact, their fucken video games, grow the fuck up you tight asses!!!

personally i think that all video games do is relive the stress that people have i their personal live any person that objects to this should go shoot themselves in the head people that play video game are not social outcast and bums in fact they might be smarter then you gamers in todays world see video games as a way of life because face it the real world sucks

Oh my god, I'm the kid who wrote all those weird message saying I was 10 and that I'm smart, it just amazes me how immature I was back then. So sorry for all those weird messages by me, but my views haven't changed. I still think video games don't make you viokent, and I am now 12 by the way.

until i see the day a little man with overalls is shitting fireballs and yelling, "its me, mario" i wont beleive video games phase the mind
case closed

Not really a hoax actually! I have quite a few friends that are computer and game addicts. It serves me for a not-to-do model. As for mothers and parents in general, they should pay attention, for it's really catchy and I've recently read that parents happen to be video game addicts too!

history is repeating its self.

first mothers against KISS then TV and now its videogames. whats next? my point is simple and straght foward um... you kind of people will always find something to wine and Bi#th about cause you don't like it or aprove of it. hey heres a little info that will shake up your little bi#ching prolbem people are naturaly violante but it has slowly been supressed my socity. videogames do not make people violante.
in reguards to the sex issue that is caused by hormoanes not videogames. the only thing they do is entertain people. you do not understand because you don't want to or your an idoit either way its your fault. and heres something to prove it in a way u might understand......

Evloution is a mystery full of change that none see's and makes a fool of history. see your refelcetion change knowing nothing stays the same and learing life is a GAME we all know wat it means that NOTHING IS EVER WHAT IT SEEMS unforgivewn unforseen

VIDEO GAMES RULE PARENTS ARE JUST JELOUS!!!

Ok, First of all I don't want to offend anybody here but I am going to anyway. Another thing is that I have excellent grades and no I suck at computer education. Another thing is that I do NOT spend all my time in my room. When I do its with like 4-7 friends. The reason I posted this here is that I want EVERY SINGLE GOD DAMN PARENT THAT AGREES WITH THIS SITE TO HEAR THIS: There is a rating system on the cover of the game its called ESRB! It rates the games based on violence and language ect. If you think that the games you children play are too violent for them.... STOP FUCKING BUYING THEM! The only way they can get a extremely violent game (Rated M for MATURE!!!) is if a PARENT thats you, buys it for them. You have to be over 17 to purchase them. And don't tell me that one of there "older" friends bought him it. Because judging on the kind of parent i !THINK! you are, you will not let them have friends. And if you're one of the few people who's child killed them selfs over a video game Im sorry but it was not the game that killed him, IT WAS YOU'RE OPPRESSIVE PARENTING! And finally my ending note... JESUS TAP DANCING CHRIST IF YOU"RE CHILD PLAYS TOO MANY VIDEO GAMES SMASH HIS FUCKING XBOX!

P.S.: PLEASE SEND ME HATEMAIL AT MY EMAIL ADDRESS
I WOULD LOVE NOTHING MORE THAN TO SHOOT YOU'RE WORTHLESS OPINIONS DOWN!!!!

see we need to discuss pie so we can eat more pie and pie will be eaten especially pumpkin pie cuz its good but we need more pie i made luv with yo mommas pie

I'm an adult and I like violent video games. I would never do it in real life but iof I could playna game where I could go into a Mall or Columbine and just unleash I would definitely play it.

Video games do NOT affect us as kids...

If they did we would all be running around dark rooms eating pills and listening to repetitive muusic!

Oh wait... Fuck you pac man!!! You got me into pills which led to a long IV meth addiction where i never even wiped my crusty spoon or filtered my street gak which sometimes has hairs in it.. good rush though if you did up all the half gram at once.

If you want to censor what your kids see until an older age maybe you as the adult should censor them instead of taking the first amendment right from the video game makers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothers_Against_Videogame_Addiction_and_Violence

-...cough cough-

Rather then making people use self control and making parents do PARENTING you decided that video games are evil, what a bunch of bullshit. If you have an addictive personality and want a smoke you SHOULD have the freedom to smoke, WE DO NOT LIVE IN A COMMUNIST STATE! I've been playing video games since I was around 6 years old and am now earning a 6 figure income and I donate to a number of charities. People progress in life the way they see fit and that is their choice NONE OF YOU have the right to take those choices away no matter how holier then thou you act, no matter how much morally upright you think you all are you have NO RIGHT to take the any choice away from grown people. YOU ALL MAKE ME SICK.

On a side note
Shave
We've had enough of bush.


You're Video game advocite

There is nothing wrong with playing video games. Its when it happens too much that it is bad. Thats why parents need to control how long a kid plays. The corporations can't do that. It seems like these moms r just contradicting themselves. Its kinda their fault if their kids r losers whether its because of video games or not. Just remember, too much of anything is bad.

I personally know that there really isnt much evidence at all to support jack thompson but i think this is an issue of society how can we say we are so against violence and immoral behaviour right after the virginia tech shootings jack thompson claimed that cho sueng hoi had played violent videogames when police had only found sonic the hedgehog in chos room lying is not a good moral/family value something else we need to think about on the day of the columbine shootings the u.s dropped a few thousand pounds of munitions upon serbia killing thousands of civilians and yet we blame bits of media for our childrens misbehavior and many times mothers constantly blame videogames for there misbehavior and yet these parents never even sit down and talk with there kids it makes me wonder where society is going