Debate over game violence boils over in Japan

Mike 21 Jun, 2005 at 2:03am ET Article published in Tech

Kanagawa Prefecture held a meeting on Friday to notify gaming and electronics stores that are operating in the local region. The government outlined the ordinance for the GTAIII age restriction and gave examples of how the game should be separated from other nonrestricted games on store shelves.

Game retailers were quick to question the illogical explanation of singling out GTAIII. When retailers complained about the ambiguity of the ordinance and asked representatives of Kanagawa why GTAIII was banned while Grand Theft Auto: Vice City–GTAIII’s sequel, which has just as much violence and features a similar setting–has been left untouched, the local government evaded giving an explanation.

Source: GameSpot

Comments

21 Jun 2005 ~ 2:46pm Jengo I think this is a good thing. Video game violence has gotten out of hand among young people
21 Jun 2005 ~ 3:03pm shwaip don't blame the games. I'd wager that 90% of the people on this forum play some sort of FPS. I've played them since Duke3d. I've never gone out, bunny hopped around with my shotgun and killed people...
21 Jun 2005 ~ 3:13pm entropy

shwaip wrote:

...bunny hopped around with my shotgun...

That's a great mental picture, and accurate too.

Yeah, think about it. It was on [H], which is where I got the idea from, but it's a very good one. If there's some shooting or whatever in a video game, everyone gets all in a tizzy. But if you go and shoot up a whole alley full of "bad guys" (or good guys) in a movie, you get praises for it. You can even do that on regular TV. How many parents do you think show their kids movies like this? Answer: A lot. When I was younger, my parents didn't want me to watch 'R' movies if it had overly sexual things in it. But killing/shooting/whatever was ok, as long as it wasn't "too gory." The level of gore in games in nowhere near what you see in movies).
21 Jun 2005 ~ 3:18pm shwaip On the gore lines too - ever watched CSI? Talk about excessive gore, on tv, during primetime.
21 Jun 2005 ~ 3:37pm entropy Exactly.

You want to talk about solving problems and violence in America, I'll tell you how to start. Begin with rap music. I admit, I used to listen to it. But I never do anymore. 90% of the rappers out there talk about drugs, sex, violence, or abusing women in their "songs." Start there, cut it off at the start. Then move to TV and movies. Anything above a certain limit should be on PPV or HBO or something. Then work on games. Make an actual effort to not sell mature games to kids. Come back later, we'll talk about magazines, commercials, and MTV.

People just don't think.
21 Jun 2005 ~ 3:42pm Thrax I learned how to be a plumber from Mario Brothers, and a killer from Doom.
21 Jun 2005 ~ 3:43pm Jengo I totally agree with you Entropy. But in japan you dont have to be 17 to buy an M rated game (i think its something else over there) While the ESRB isnt going to stop every 13 year old from buying that rated M game it stops alot. But if they truely must play it they are going to find a way. so...
21 Jun 2005 ~ 4:24pm jradmin

Thrax wrote:

I learned how to be a plumber from Mario Brothers, and a killer from Doom.

I atleast hope you keep your pants pulled up while plumbing.
21 Jun 2005 ~ 4:28pm shwaip

I totally agree with you Entropy. But in japan you dont have to be 17 to buy an M rated game (i think its something else over there) While the ESRB isnt going to stop every 13 year old from buying that rated M game it stops alot. But if they truely must play it they are going to find a way. so...

Whether or not a child or can get ahold of a video game that they should not have is not something that a video game manufacturer should have to worry about. It's not a video game manufacturer's responsibility to ensure that your ratings are adhered to. It's the job of the end user vendor, and to a larger extent, the parents of the child.
21 Jun 2005 ~ 4:42pm Jengo Yes, you are right swaip! that is why they are banning the sale of GTA3 to minors, wich is almost the same as here in the United States, one year difference. But the games will still be sold, just not to people under the age of 18, (here its 17). But you see Capcom wants to make a fuss over it because the sales will probably not be as big.
21 Jun 2005 ~ 4:51pm shwaip Capcom & the vendors are making a fuss because they're ONLY banning GTA3. The graphics in GTA3 and GTA3:VC are far from top of the line, and very far from realistic. So what if the kid followed the mission of GTA. There are sniping missions in most FPS games. No one is taking those off the market to under 17 gamers.

In keeping with the theme, doing this is like putting a bandaid on a stabbing wound.
21 Jun 2005 ~ 5:52pm Linc This will hurt sales? Ha!

This type of thing is cyclical. "IT'S THE GAME DOING IT! ... It's the games corrupting the kids! ... the games... really..." [awkward silence for 6 months] Rinse and repeat.

It's a tired argument. IMO, games don't corrupt a kid. They just make a convenient whipping boy for society.