video-game-violence
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Turn in violent video games, get ice cream in California county
The District Attorney of Marin county, California, is hosting a buyback day for residents' toy guns and violent video games, in an effort to highlight issues of domestic violence during October, Domestic Violence Awareness Month. District Attorney Ed Berberian is working with the Center for Domestic Peace and Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream for the event, to be held on October 4 at Novato police headquarters. Participants will receive ice cream, Marin IJ says. "As we know, domestic violence incidents almost always have children present and these children develop over time imprinted images of the family violence," Berberian said in a written message. "These children then carry those experiences into their adult lives and often repeat the pattern of violence in their own family units."
Activision hires lobbyists to advocate on Senate bill researching violence
Activision has hired a prominent lobbying group, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, to advocate on a Senate bill aimed at researching the impact of "violent" video games and programming on children. The lobbying registration form doesn't indicate Activision's position on the bill. The bill, S. 134: Violent Content Research Act, aims to have the National Academy of Sciences "study the impact of violent video games and violent video programming on children." The study would investigate whether there is a link between violent video games or programming and aggressive behavior. Singular to video games, it would study "whether current or emerging characteristics of video games have a unique impact on children, considering in particular video games' interactive nature and the extraordinarily personal and vivid way violence might be portrayed in such video games." This is a separate effort from President Barack Obama's executive order that the CDC research the causes of gun violence, with a specific mandate to study video games. The Violent Content Research Act was sent to the full Senate on July 30 and has yet to be raised for vote.
Jagex reports student to police following school shooting threat
For all the talk about video games causing crimes, we don't often hear about the times when they may well prevent them. Thomas Frongillo, age 18, has been arrested on charges of threatening to commit a crime after making statements about shooting up the college that he attended, but the threats were not made in person. They were made in an online game run by Jagex, most likely RuneScape, which is what led to his arrest. Frongillo allegedly said, "I'm going to shoot up my school tomorrow," and indicated a knowledge of firearms to other players in the game. He also made anti-Semitic comments and had indicated shooting at small wildlife in previous chat sessions. Jagex employees notified the police, and he is currently on bail pending his court date on April 19th. Frongillo's lawyers claim that the statements were made in jest and that the young man had no intention of carrying out any acts of violence.
Obama orders CDC to study violence in video games
While violence in video games and the effect upon its participants wasn't at the crux of today's gun control press conference, President Obama did mention that he is sending the Center for Disease Control after the industry to root out a possible cause of gun violence. One of Obama's 23 executive orders was to "Issue a Presidential Memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control to research the causes and prevention of gun violence." Among these potential causes are movies, television, and video games. The President defended the order by saying, "We don't benefit from ignorance. We don't benefit from not knowing the science of this epidemic of violence. Congress should fund research into the effects violent video games have on young minds." Vice President Joe Biden previously met with several video game industry leaders as part of the task force to make recommendations on the issue.
Biden talks video game violence with industry representatives today
US vice-president Joe Biden is meeting with games industry representatives today to discuss the role of violent video games with regards to gun violence, as part of a response to last month's massacre at a Connecticut elementary school. As the Associated Press reports, today's meeting in Washington is the latest in a series of discussions Biden's task force is undertaking before presenting recommendations on how to suppress gun violence to President Barack Obama on Tuesday, January 15.Meetings with film industry representatives and the National Rifle Association took place yesterday, with the NRA emerging "disappointed" from what it felt was an attack on the Second Amendment, objecting to a number of proposals including limits on high-capacity ammunition magazines and bans on assault weapons.The Entertainment Software Association confirmed to Polygon that it's being represented at today's meeting by president Michael Gallagher. Sources involved with the meeting told Polygon other attendees include representatives for game publishers, research on the impact of video games on children, and the retail sector.Several industry organizations, such as the International Game Developers Association and the Electronic Consumer Association, issued open letters to the vice president ahead of today's meeting. The IGDA calls on the government to consider the "totality" of research into video game violence, and to avoid causing the games industry similar damage to that suffered by the comic book industry because of the censorship laws of the 1950s. Similarly, the ECA notes a negative correlation between the growth of the games industry and the decrease in violent crime across the last decade.As Polygon learned this week, there are plans to reintroduce a bill to Congress calling for a Federal Trade Commission study into connections between violent video games and harmful effects on children. The bill, originally brought to Congress last month following the Connecticut shooting, failed to make it through the 112th session on January 2. Its author, West Virginia senator Jay Rockefeller, is likely to reintroduce the bill before the end of the month. Previous FTC studies failed to establish any causal connections between violent video games and violent behavior.
A parent's guide to World of Warcraft for kids
Is WoW appropriate for children? While we're sure the inevitable trolls out there are already clicking straight to the comments to revile the very idea of allowing children into Azeroth, the fact is that with preparation and consistent parent moderation, WoW can be a fine fit for kids -- especially for families with parents who already spend time in Azeroth. It's definitely one of those cases in which your mileage may vary; parents who don't already play or who take a more hands-off approach to gaming will probably want to wait until their little goblins- or worgen-to-be are well into their teen years. For players whose kids are itching to join in the family fun, though, there are plenty of ways to make World of Warcraft a productive, happy experience for kids, parents, and fellow players alike. Here's the thing: There's more to think about and more ways to throttle age-related issues than simply turning off trade chat and forbidding PUGs before walking into the other room to watch TV. We'll show you how to find the best fit for WoW with kids, teens, and even parents themselves.
Jack Thompson vs. Mark Methenitis debate: The whole shebang
After dropping a clip from the surprisingly civil debate between ex-Florida attorney Jack Thompson and Joystiq LGJ author Mark Methenitis last week, the fine folks at Screw Attack nabbed the entirety for all to see. Okay, okay, we didn't watch the whole thing -- it's an hour long and we have to work! You think this Internet's going to write itself, people? For those of you pressed for time like us, SA's got you covered too. They've cut down the whole thing into a more easily digestible 15-minute clip (found after the break). And yes, that is the clip that we watched. Sorry, Internet!
Chief of Germany's national police union wants to ban violent games
If the head of Germany's Police Union had his way, violent video games would be banned. The comments from Heini Schmitt, head of the Hessen German Police Union (DPolG), were made following a horrific school shooting at a Winnenden, Germany, secondary school.17-year-old Tim Kretschmer reportedly murdered 15 school goers, both students and teachers -- fourteen of which were female -- before taking his own life. According to German news site Echo Online, an addiction to "killergames" is apparent in "every situation" of violent rampages. Whether or not the site is making a statement specific to Germany or a sweeping judgment on worldwide violence is unclear. As for Schmitt, he is aware there is no evidence that violent video games cause violent behavior, but thinks the role of "killergames" cannot be "completely dismissed." With that in mind, Schmitt believes when an opportunity exists to remove a potentially violent stimulus, it must be used. "The world would be no poorer if there were no more killergames," the chief of the German police union added. It's difficult to analyze, or even dismiss, Schmitt's claims following such a horrific act. However, it's even more difficult to gauge any psychological triggers that exist in our society. After all, throughout history violent behavior has been blamed on almost everything, but because of their graphic nature, mature games have become the easiest target to publicly lambaste.[Via GamePolitics]
Penn & Teller call 'BS!' on video game violence
Penn & Teller are taking aim at the video game violence controversy in an upcoming episode of Penn & Teller: Bullshit! -- an ongoing television series that debunks misconceptions and popular fads. Earlier in the week, Penn Jillette revealed the video game themed episode had begun filming, via Twitter. Guests interviewed for the episode will include Grand Theft Childhood co-author, Dr. Cheryl Olson, along with her husband and writing partner, Dr. Lawrence Kutner. Disbarred Miami attorney, Jack Thompson, will also be featured in the episode. A Penn & Teller producer told GamePolitics the episode would likely air during the summer, but did not reveal a specific date. We can only hope that Penn gives Thompson a suitable tongue lashing or that the magical duo makes him disappear. Either way, we're good.
Guns may kill, but video games close second
If there's anything we've learned quite well in the United States over the last six years it's this simple concept: Who needs facts? Facts are messy and they just get in the way of truthiness. In the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre it would be too easy to look at gun control. Republican Utah Governor Jon Huntsman and U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt spoke about the VT shootings Friday at a news conference. Leavitt, who is part of President Bush's cabinet, stated, "Inevitably we'll have conversation about guns. We have video games and the media and its impact. Inevitably we'll hear conversations about mental health and available [sic] of mental health."Both Huntsman and Leavitt in the quotes pulled by GamePolitics put guns as the top issue and then media/video games in second. Mental health remained tertiary. Of course, the focus will probably be about anything but guns. Having a conservative discuss gun control in the US is like trying to get liberals to discuss welfare reform -- some golden cows you just don't touch. Looking at video games in the two recent US killing sprees, instead of focusing on guns and mental health, is certainly interesting considering neither killer had video games -- but we're pretty sure they were crazy and had guns. President Bush has requested a report on the VT issue in 30 days. We can't wait to see if the Pokémon episode "The Legend of Dratini" (pictured) is brought into this debate -- guns, media and video games in one neat, easy to digest, package.
Yet another crime blamed on games
Video games always seem to be blamed for a crime if they are so much as within 1,000 yards miles of the crime scene. Games are the center of attention again after a man went on a shooting spree; he injured 27 before killing himself. Only in America ... except this time it's Germany. The man, identified as Bastian B., apparently performed the dastardly deed because of violent computer simulations. Deputy head of the Christian Democrats -- the party Chancellor Angela Merkel is a part of -- Wolfgang Bosbach decided that all violent games needed to be banned. The wild accusations didn't stop with games and even spilled over into paintball and laser tag. No evidence surfaced in the article -- or possibly in reality -- that the man even played computer games. Volker Beck (a semi-voice of reason and member of the Greens) urged to avoid conclusions until a solid motive was established. We are inclined to agree with Beck. Rearing back and immediately blaming games, especially in a situation where the criminal may not have even played them, is absurd. Even then, banning violent games would not only put a hamper on first person shooters, but would also stop any other game where violence is a factor; Final Fantasy and even cartoony violent games like Pikmin would fall under the rule. German gamers would certainly be unhappy if they could only play Barbie's Horse Adventure and EA Sports games because of some law that doesn't make anyone safer. [Thanks, pandlcg]
Study to research games' effect on Kiwis
Not to be outdone by the United States and its government-funded study on video game violence, the island nation of New Zealand is funding its own study on the effects of video game violence on Kiwis (the people, not the animal or the fruit). The $140,000 study is being headed by Dr. Gareth Schott, a psychologist at the University of Waikato who has previously looked at girl gamers, fan culture and the educational applications of games.With any luck, Schott's study will garner more evidence that can be used by the pro-gaming forces in the U.S. Then again, it might show that video game violence has a totally different effect on Americans than it does on New Zealanders. Wouldn't that just blow everyone's mind?
Lack of video games incites teen to violence, says teen's grandmother
A 17 year old boy shot in the thigh by a state trooper after he attempted to choke his grandmother was apparently in a rage because his grandmother had taken away his "violent games". As is usual with the mainstream and local media, the report in Today's THV links the violence to video games in the first paragraph yet offers no explanation for the boy's extreme reaction to his grandmother's ban. When normal kids have their games taken away, they usually don't attempt to kill the enforcer. Wikipedia's entry on rage tells us that contributors to irritability can "include fatigue, hunger, being in pain, sexual frustration, recovery from an illness, or the use of certain drugs." We wouldn't be surprised to find one or more of these factors was a greater influence on the boy's behavior.From my vantage point of the gun restricted UK, I'm shocked that the state trooper found himself with no choice other than to shoot the boy. With another fatal accident occurring only a few days earlier (a trooper shot and killed a mentally and physically handicapped man after mistaking him for a fugitive from Michigan) analysis of the trooper's actions shouldn't have been left to the single line: "the shooting is under investigation."[Image credit: Rob Rogers. Thanks, striegs]
