Nanny state.

I can't smoke in public

I can eat what I want with some health nut telling me other wise.

I am taxed so bad I can't afford my own place.

I HAVE NO REASON TO RESPECT MY OWN TIME/ MONEY WASTING GOVERNEMENT.

“We need a consensus that videos and video games involving extreme violence are extremely anti-social."

We need a consensus on his opinion? CS, Day of Defeat, TF2 are all extremely violent, but I have had hours upon hours of fun with my friends at LAN parties and online playing them. How is that anti-social? Oh, I forgot, ye olde stereotype of gamer sitting the basement with the lights off staring at the screen...

“Watching these things happen does affect people’s behaviour."

No, it doesn't. I've watched countless gory deaths in gameplay and cut-scenes over the years. People being shot, stabbed, chopped, eaten, impaled, etc. That's make believe though. When it comes to real life, I start to shake, my heartbeat races and my breathing speeds up if I ever need to get an injection or have blood taken. Needles terrify me. My mother once cut her hand while chopping vegetables in the kitchen. It wasn't a serious injury but it did bleed heavily. Upon seeing the blood and hearing her in pain I nearly fainted. Watching these things happen did not effect my behaviour.

“We’ve got to recognise that there’s a strong link between what people watch and what they do.”

I believe the man is confused and has mixed up his sentence. What he meant to say (I'm sure) is that there is a strong link between what people do and what they watch. A violent person will more than likely be attracted to watching violent movies, playing violent games, etc. He has the cart before the horse I'm afraid.

But there is NO scientific evidence to back up what he's saying. And he's saying as if it IS hard evidence that if I play, I don't know, Spyro the Dragon, I'm going to turn into a crazy pyromaniac and believe I'm a dragon.

And there is NO mass public opinion opposing video games in the UK, as far as I'm aware anyway. Why would we care, we're not crazy like half of America. Trust a Conservative to come out with stupid claims like that. If the government is so concerend with this, then give us a referendum please. I am sick of the government assuming they know what the masses want and think, and I'm sick of having a system where the public, the demos (people for any of you who know any ancient greek), have virtually no participation in politics.

Oh won't someone think of the......adults???? Come on here its getting an 18 rating people.

'This shows once again that the BBFC and its appeals system do not meet the concerns of the public. The public wants a significant tightening up in this vital area.'

Speaking as the public, I'd like to say: Bite Me.

Did Britain's government redefine "public" to mean "nanny-state politicians with their heads up their arses" when I wasn't looking?

>This shows once again that the BBFC and its appeals system do not meet the concerns
>of the public. The public wants a significant tightening up in this vital area.

This shows once again that the BBFC and its appeals system do not meet the prejudiced hysteria of certain members of the public who haven't even played the game. like myself, who are clearly authorities on human psychology.

>We need a consensus that videos and video games involving extreme violence are
>extremely anti-social.

We need a consensus that things i find disagreeable should be banned before any "scientific" research get's a chance to cause me any of that cognitive dissonance i find so disagreeable.

> Watching these things happen does affect people’s behaviour.

I don't need science telling me what to think, being an MP i know about how people behave when they play games i've never even bothered to play myself.

>We’ve got to recognise that there’s a strong link between what people watch and what
>they do.

we've got to recognise that my "common sense" is always right and scientific research and reason is clearly wrong.

also, I am as high as a kite.

"The public wants a significant tightening up in this vital area."

Which is why the ban was so controversial. Obviously.

/b

"We’ve got to recognise that there’s a strong link between what people watch and what they do."

Like... watching and being educated by religious leaders who spread bigotry and hate against others based on race, gender, religions, sexuality, etc, etc?

Maybe we should be doing more research into the link between bigotry and hate being taught to individuals through religious beliefs and the violence committed against individuals based on race, gender, sexuality, religion, etc. I suspect we'll find a strong link in the teaching of "moral superiority" over certain groups of individuals and the violent actions of various individuals throughout society. Even various abuses (verbal, mental, physical, and even sexual) committed within the home and within school settings.

After all, young impressionable minds who've been repeatedly led to believe that they are superior to various groups of individuals may actually expand that teaching to believe that anyone they don't approve of is inferior and therefore must be dominated, even violently, by them.

So, yes, he's right. We MUST "protect the children" from harmful exposures that will lead people to be aggressive and violent.

So we'd better hurry and get around to legislating religious texts to be sold ONLY to adults. And we must legislate that exposing children to religious text is like subjecting them to pornography. Plus, we need to have all religious structures moved to a distance no less than 1000 feet from any residential areas that may contain children. Plus, all religious services may not be attended by anyone under the age of 18 years old.

We must hurry up and do this to "Protect the Children!" And if you don't agree with me, then you must be out to mentally harm children!

After all, we don't want more violence like the kid at the Oxnard middle school who shot another kid because he was apparently homosexual. It was obviously religion that mentally molested him and made him a threat to others. Just like religion was to blame for all the other kids picking on the shooter about maybe being homosexual. We need to demand search warrants for religious texts in the home of the shooter and the homes of those who picked on him!

And how about the guy who shot up the Nebraska church? They are claiming he "hates Christians" but everyone knows he was abused by his religious zealot Parents for years on end. Kids abused by religion will go out and commit violent acts as retribution, so it's religion's fault.

We must "protect the children" from this obscene filth!

And all those other killings because the victims were possessed, or God told the killer to microwave their baby, or God says killing babies is wrong so we should kill the adults, and so on and so forth! Evil evil people! We have to "protect the children" from these perverts!

Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
P.S. You do know I was being a smartarse, right?

So what...hey you Brit gamers..Is this guy any good as an MP?

If not...i aint surprised

Nash, he seems just like your average British politician.
I suggest you looks here
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/julian_brazier/canterbury

So I guess I need another ship, this one carrying the UK's morons in office on its way into the sun. Though might just "go cheap" and send it to Venus.

Ah this guy.

You know I don't mind the BBFC. I just dont think they should be involved with Video Games. The clue is in the name BBFC.

But this guys beef with the BBFC is that he saw some formally banned in the UK films for sale in the UK. They were banned back in the "video nasties" era 80s, back when the BBFC first had power over home video. Its 20+ years since then, and the BBFC (wisely) decided that are tame compared to other films getting an 18 rating now. He bought video games in to it just to get some more support (he also got a anti-semitism group involved, since one of the films was set in a Nazi SS Camp or something)

You usually see this kind of 'bandwagon' attitudes working so they can get their name mentioned.
In other words, small time politicians pick subjects that are not 'big issues' so they can get noticed. Ohhh I'm saving the children, now vote for me when I try and get promoted off this tiny wooden bench right at the back of the Commons.
Yawn.

Seriously, its over, get over it already, its released, quit your bitching, honestly.

this dude is my local mp (though i didn't vote for him) and tbh he is a complete waste of time. it's amusing and annoying watching him comment on this area since he clearly doesn't know what he is talking about. bah.

"We’ve got to recognise that there’s a strong link between what people watch and what they do."

So what he is saying is that we are stupid.

"The public wants a significant tightening up in this vital area."

No, that's what YOU want. What you want isn't synonymous with what the public wants.

@Elalonna,

They probably do know, and they probably don't really believe the strong alleged link between video games and violence (except maybe for Jack T who has effectively brainwashed himself). These guys just want to create some busywork to divert from the real issues that deal with society or the economy. Real as in, actually involving a lot of work.

So stupid, hes commenting and making bogus claim on things he doesnt have a clue about.... Its fine if the game is an 18+ just like a film with alot of violence etc should be, its all just media, just make sure it has the right restrictions for buying the item. Its all relative ffs and by the way theres alot of games out there that actually provoke social behavior, team work etc especially now with the internet.
The people who are antisocial online and/or actually reinact anything in real life, become aggresive or whatever, well they have problems that are nothing to do with playing the game, watching a film or listening to music, it does NOT count for the majority of the public and you cant say the game is doing this, its just stupid missinterpretation of whats really going on, these people most likely are actually mentally unstable or just uneducated.

In my opinion that is one dumbass politician that doesnt really have a clue whats going on. How do such ignorant people become politicians.

[...] Julian do you have proof that the British public is so concerned about Manhunt II? This is barely reported in the press so where is the public outcry you speak about? read more | diggstory [...]

"We need a consensus that videos and video games involving extreme violence are extremely anti-social. Watching these things happen does affect people’s behaviour."

No YOU need a consesus as does the entire anti-gaming side just so you can make your censorhsip seem justified. Oh and more importantly YOU need scientific back-up, not us the gamers.

I read in a book about a moral panic Britian had over violent movies like Rambo (i think they referred to them as the video nasties) and this seems so very very similar.

@ MonkeyThumb

Golly gee wilkers Batmonkey! That MP is full of s***!