Violence Warnings on Video Games May Harm Free Speech

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
Joined
May 9, 2000
Messages
75,400
A bill introduced in the House this week could possibly violate gamer’s right to free speech according to the civil liberties group Electronic Frontier Foundation. The bill “Violence in Video Games Labeling Act” would require a cigarette pack-style warning on the packaging declaring the game may cause aggressive behavior.
 
And how does that harm free speech?

What speech is being censured or "harmed"? Sensationalism much?
 
Why can't these politicians just leave the games as is. The ESRB does a decent enough job at letting parents know what is in a game, just as the ratings on movies.
 
Why can't these politicians just leave the games as is. The ESRB does a decent enough job at letting parents know what is in a game, just as the ratings on movies.

Agreed.

I wrote my congressman about the issue. This is redundant and unnecessary.
 
how did this become a hot button issue this election cycle?
some of these bills just come around every couple years it seems for no apparent reason
 
If I saw a label that said, "This game features EXTREME VIOLENCE," I would probably buy it right there. Seems like a ploy by the game companies to sell more copies.
 
I for one am completely cool with labeling video games with a warning that says they may cause aggressive behavior but only on two conditions.

1. There need to be at least as many quality studies linking video games to violent behavior as there are linking cigarets to lung cancer/birth defects.

2. This label must also be placed on everything else people buy that has been linked to aggressive behavior I.E Sports cars, Motor cycles, Alcohol, Rap/Rock/Heavy Metal Music, action movies, PPV wrestling and UFC fights, and all equipment for contact sports football boxing hockey etc..... and well you get the idea as the list could literally go on for ever.
 
And how does that harm free speech?

What speech is being censured or "harmed"? Sensationalism much?

while i agree on the free speech side, I think the sensationalism is just as ridiculous on the other side. teh big scary violent games is just as sensationalist. Every kids outing type place around me has some kind of laser tag, what if there was a giant sign on the door saying it could make kids into killers and you had to sign releases because it could make your kids violent. It's stupid and pointless moreso than a violation of free speech, the line to cross would be if they banned something or censored it.


how did this become a hot button issue this election cycle?
some of these bills just come around every couple years it seems for no apparent reason

because gays, terrorism, and global warming isn't working as well as they had hoped in the soccer mom demographic.
 
The problem I see is that there really have not been any real studies that would give reason to draw this conclusion. This seems to be little more than people with a theory.

Sort of reminds me of the religious people who think seeing a naked woman before you are married will somehow corrupt you. Obviously that has no basis in reality even if it somehow makes sense to them at church.

When you start putting official looking warnings on products, people are going to make the assumption that there is science and fact behind those warnings, and all of a sudden gullible moms across the country are going to be too afraid to buy their kids the video games they want.

Just change the warning to something like "Jesus says violence is BAD!" and it should still have the desired effect with the intended target audience.
 
The funny thing is, the ESRB rating has been more comprehensive and specific from the get-go than movie or music warning labels. Movie ratings used to have such "warnings" as "Not suitable for those under 13 years of age" while the PA is more recently adding what lyrics are objectionable. I have a copy of Green Day's Nimrod CD with tons of cussing in it, yet no PA. I have another CD which does have the PA with 1 instance of swearing on the entire disc. Granted it is "fuck" but that's had me wonder for years what crack-pot rating system was going on.

I don't understand what the deal is to push heavier legislation on video games that are better labeled than other entertainment media.
 
there have been real studies but they don't support the conclusion that violent video games leads to increased violent tendencies

well, more correctly, some do but the response is that we can't tell whether the results are due to selection bias: that is, do kids with more violent tendencies play more violent video games?
 
If video games doesnt affect people...
...and if movies doesnt affect people...

...how come I wanna fuck a girl after watching pr0n ?
 
there have been real studies but they don't support the conclusion that violent video games leads to increased violent tendencies

well, more correctly, some do but the response is that we can't tell whether the results are due to selection bias: that is, do kids with more violent tendencies play more violent video games?

There's an association between violent video games and violent tendencies; however, a correlation is up in the air.

I think the bill is unnecessary, but it's not harming free speech.
 
If video games doesnt affect people...
...and if movies doesnt affect people...

...how come I wanna fuck a girl after watching pr0n ?
I didn't say anything about movies not affecting people...do you wanna fuck a girl after masturbating?
 
I didn't think you were directing it at me it was just a segue :D
 
stupid fucking laws are what cause my aggressive behavior, not the games... :cool:
 
Totally redundant. Someone will be paid to do it and I think that's the point to be maid. Is this just some group trying to get there hands in the video game profit pot? I think so.
 
Seriously don't they have more important shit that needs to be fixed , it is there stupid shit that makes me want to be violent.
 
Why can't these politicians just leave the games as is. The ESRB does a decent enough job at letting parents know what is in a game, just as the ratings on movies.

I was thinking the same "Don't they already have warnings?"

Definitely seems unneeded. And what a waste of time to be worrying about these issues. Congress is the most useless governmental organization ever, right down there with the TSA. But at least the TSA has a purpose, it's just that it does not really work.

Games don't make people violent. Lag does.
 
as long as all movies, magazines, books, television and other forms of media get teh same treatment, I'm all for it. Otherwise, it's complete bullshit.
 
It's amazing there are still relics in power who take payments for this kind of tripe. Talk about a total non-issue...
 
I hope someone goes on a killing spree and blames the behaviors of politicians, or even the news.

I'd love to see them spin that.
 
The only thing making me feel aggressive is stuff like this. Yet another waste of taxpayer's dollars. Hey government, you want people to feel less aggressive? Stop screwing up the country so much.
 
as long as all movies, magazines, books, television and other forms of media get teh same treatment, I'm all for it. Otherwise, it's complete bullshit.

This. You don't see this kind of sensationalism with any of the other media,it's all political hype. The Bible is filled with violence and sex,are they going to slap a label on it? And in the end,for every "study" that says games cause violent behavior you can find one that disputes it. Psychiatry is such an imprecise,hit or miss science you really can't draw this kind of all-inclusive conclusion from it.
 
ok you can put this on movies too and gangster rap while your at it

I'd be very careful with this 90's think of the children attitude of demonizing games for cheap points when the amount gamers back then vs now is huge
 
Sure they can do that as long as every politician gets a label "tatoo" on forehead that says "Stupid Politician may cause violence."
 
I'm still waiting to snap according to some on this if violent video games do indeed lead to "Aggressive behavior"..... Please..

Video games act as an outlet to get rid of such "Aggressive behavior" unless you have some mental defects you shouldn't have a problem with it.
 
I learned how to shoot an AR15 from MW3. I agree, get it out of the hands of children.
 
Yet another waste of tax payers money that will get stuck down in the supreme court should it happen to pass.

People seriously need to make note of these individuals and demand they remove themselves from office.
 
ok people are taking this wayyyyy too far. If they want to put a warning on the packaging how does it do anything wrong, and if itll shut them up then by all means let them. As long as they arent restricting or taxing them in any way I dont have any problems with it at all. They are kidding themselves if they think it'll make any difference though.
 
I for one am completely cool with labeling video games with a warning that says they may cause aggressive behavior but only on two conditions.

1. There need to be at least as many quality studies linking video games to violent behavior as there are linking cigarets to lung cancer/birth defects.

2. This label must also be placed on everything else people buy that has been linked to aggressive behavior I.E Sports cars, Motor cycles, Alcohol, Rap/Rock/Heavy Metal Music, action movies, PPV wrestling and UFC fights, and all equipment for contact sports football boxing hockey etc..... and well you get the idea as the list could literally go on for ever.

3. Stop using video games as a scapegoat to all of society's ills and problems. In other words, sensationalist journalists and politicians stop uttering the words VIDEO GAMES unless it is in a positive context. (You know, like video games helping people with disabilities, etc.)

If they do that, they can place as many labels as they want.
 
Shouldn't all house and senate seats have the labels "may cause aggressive behavior" on them? : )
 
Actually i'm ok with this. at first i was like fffuuuuu stupid people trying to censor shit again. but then i thought about and really i don't doubt video games influence behaviour. i remember after playing manhunt i found
 
Back
Top