MP: British Govt. Obsessed With Video Game Violence Issue
MP: British Govt. Obsessed With Video Game Violence Issue
September 11, 2009
Shadow Culture Secretary Ed Vaizey (left), a consistent supporter of the UK's video game industry, said this week that the British Government was too focused on the video game violence issue and not paying enough attention to helping the industry grow.
Develop reports that Vaizey made his comments while registering for the new London Games Conference, which will be held in October. The Conservative Member of Parliament said:
I’m delighted to be speaking to the London Games Conference. The games sector is one of the most successful creative industries in the UK, but it has been forgotten by Government.
While Canada and France aggressively compete to attract talent, all our politicians can talk about is video games violence.
Yet games should be a dream for a politician – it recruits people qualified in difficult subjects, like maths and computer science; it’s regional; and it’s successful and world-beating. Government backing should be a no-brainer.
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Posted 02/09/10 at 11:06am
gellymatos: , not orders from the church. Second, the paranoia about these laws that SOME christians have is based off of the parnoid idea..
gellymatos: , not orders from the church. Second, the paranoia about these laws that SOME christians have is based off of the parnoid idea..
Posted 02/09/10 at 11:05am
gellymatos: Vald: Where to start. Oh yes. First, he doesn't seem to represent the whole church. His doing this out of his own conviction...
gellymatos: Vald: Where to start. Oh yes. First, he doesn't seem to represent the whole church. His doing this out of his own conviction...
Posted 02/09/10 at 10:59am
Valdearg: Honestly, the only thing I can imagine is the plaintiffs think it's their religious right to perpetrate violent criminal acts against homosexuals. Unfortunately, knowing some folks like that, it wouldn't surprise me if they did believe that.
Valdearg: Honestly, the only thing I can imagine is the plaintiffs think it's their religious right to perpetrate violent criminal acts against homosexuals. Unfortunately, knowing some folks like that, it wouldn't surprise me if they did believe that.
Posted 02/09/10 at 10:59am
Valdearg: @AE: I know, right? The only thing that law does is make a violent criminal act more severe if it was motivated by a hatred of homosexuals.
Valdearg: @AE: I know, right? The only thing that law does is make a violent criminal act more severe if it was motivated by a hatred of homosexuals.
Posted 02/09/10 at 10:43am
Andrew Eisen: What's amazing is the folks at that Law Center can't seem to read plain English that states that nothing in the law restricts someone's right to think what they want or say what they want.
Andrew Eisen: What's amazing is the folks at that Law Center can't seem to read plain English that states that nothing in the law restricts someone's right to think what they want or say what they want.
Posted 02/09/10 at 10:39am
Valdearg: But, hey, people are capable of anything when they use their religion as justification for their blatantly bigoted behavior.
Valdearg: But, hey, people are capable of anything when they use their religion as justification for their blatantly bigoted behavior.
Posted 02/09/10 at 10:35am
Valdearg: It's amazing, that anyone with any humanity, whatsoever, would challenge a law that adds protections to a group of people who are excessively targeted for violent attacks, based strictly on who they are.
Valdearg: It's amazing, that anyone with any humanity, whatsoever, would challenge a law that adds protections to a group of people who are excessively targeted for violent attacks, based strictly on who they are.
Posted 02/09/10 at 10:33am
Valdearg: Essentially, he claims the law infringes on a Catholic's God Given right to express their beliefs. This is only true if he believes it's his God given right to use someone's homosexuality as motivation to assault, murder, or maim them.
Valdearg: Essentially, he claims the law infringes on a Catholic's God Given right to express their beliefs. This is only true if he believes it's his God given right to use someone's homosexuality as motivation to assault, murder, or maim them.
Posted 02/09/10 at 10:32am
Valdearg: Catholic Zealot Tom Monaghan's Catholic Law Center challenging Hate Crimes legislation, a law that adds protection for homosexuals against violent, criminal attacks.
Valdearg: Catholic Zealot Tom Monaghan's Catholic Law Center challenging Hate Crimes legislation, a law that adds protection for homosexuals against violent, criminal attacks.
Posted 02/09/10 at 07:00am
Austin_Lewis: That Alabama school shooting is supposedly gang related, according to the shooter's lawyer.
Austin_Lewis: That Alabama school shooting is supposedly gang related, according to the shooter's lawyer.
Posted 02/08/10 at 10:22pm
JDKJ: Landrieu. That's a good Cajun name. I ga-run-tee.
JDKJ: Landrieu. That's a good Cajun name. I ga-run-tee.
Posted 02/08/10 at 09:36pm
BearDogg-X: New Orleans elected Sen. Mary Landrieu's brother, Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu as mayor Saturday night.
BearDogg-X: New Orleans elected Sen. Mary Landrieu's brother, Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu as mayor Saturday night.
Posted 02/08/10 at 02:22pm
Valdearg: J/K, btw, with that last comment. Just in case anyone was confused.
Valdearg: J/K, btw, with that last comment. Just in case anyone was confused.
Posted 02/08/10 at 02:21pm
Valdearg: This comes on the heels of Sarah Palin telling the Teaparty Convention to pray for Divine intervention to stop the Progressive tide. It seems she succeeded in recruiting the big man to offer some help. >.<
Valdearg: This comes on the heels of Sarah Palin telling the Teaparty Convention to pray for Divine intervention to stop the Progressive tide. It seems she succeeded in recruiting the big man to offer some help. >.<
Posted 02/08/10 at 02:20pm
Valdearg: @A_L: I'm hearing that, as well.. It seems the dems aren't just losing seats via elections... :(
Valdearg: @A_L: I'm hearing that, as well.. It seems the dems aren't just losing seats via elections... :(
Posted 02/08/10 at 02:04pm
DarkSaber: Did he design Big Murtha Truckers 1 & 2?
DarkSaber: Did he design Big Murtha Truckers 1 & 2?
Posted 02/08/10 at 01:50pm
Austin_Lewis: John Murtha reportedly deceased.
Austin_Lewis: John Murtha reportedly deceased.
Posted 02/08/10 at 01:04pm
Shadow D. Darkman: DarkSaber: (EDIT) IDC really, it's just good to see some new stuff here.
Shadow D. Darkman: DarkSaber: (EDIT) IDC really, it's just good to see some new stuff here.
Posted 02/08/10 at 01:02pm
DarkSaber: @Shadow If the on-going spat in China over WoW counts as "new" at least. Does anyone here REALLY give a shit about the state of chinas game industry anyway?
DarkSaber: @Shadow If the on-going spat in China over WoW counts as "new" at least. Does anyone here REALLY give a shit about the state of chinas game industry anyway?
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Comments
I hate this guy, just because he's a Tory who speaks perfect sense. What more should it take? It could very well be too late, given the speed other countries are providing benefits to developers.
And it's mainly one guy, Keith Vazgina, that's the most obsessed out of the UK pols. Very rarely you see anybody else in the UK complain about video game "violence".
Geaux Saints, Geaux Tigers, Geaux Hornets, Jack Thompson can geaux chase a chupacabra.
What is "Shadow Culture"? (well, maybe I understand the meaning of it, but I can´t believe they have a secretary for that.)
And of course british goverment is obssesed with games. They are an easy target, more easy than real life issues like unemployment, crime, health, education or corruption (right, Mr. Vaz?)
The cynical side of videogames (spanish only): http://thelostlevel.blogspot.com/ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com/
In the UK, the opposition spokesmen are generally treated as counterparts to government ministers and are called 'Shadow Ministers'. So at the moment, the conservative's home affairs spokesman is called the 'Shadow Home Secretary' and their spokesman on cultural affairs will be the Shadow Minister for Culture, Media and Sport (if I remember correctly).
Which is a bit of a shame. I quite like the evil-overlordish aspect of my country having a shadow culture or even a shadow government.
Yes, it sounds very weird, but in America they have "conservatives" and "liberals" to say "good" and "evil" (which side is each one is up to people to dicide, we all know politicians are all the same :)
The cynical side of videogames (spanish only): http://thelostlevel.blogspot.com/ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com/
I always get a vision of some kind of 1950's villain twirling his moustache and saying 'I am.... the Shadow! Mwahahaha!'. Problem is, the closest we have to a 1950's villain in the government is Peter Mandelson.
Peter Mandelson has more in common with THE villain of the 1930's and early 1940's.
Very true, unfortunately.
And of course british goverment is obssesed with games. They are an easy target, more easy than real life issues like unemployment, crime, health, education or corruption (right, Mr. Vaz?)
Those issues are discussed pretty much daily. The government don't have a one track mind, you know that can actually deal with multiple issues at any one time. Yes Keith Vaz is annoying with his unfounded comments on games, but he's not in the cabinet and is one out of 600 and so MPs. Don't say that the government focus on games and nothing else because that is false and even when the government do talk about it, it doesn't mean that they are talking about it instead of other issues.
Also "Shadow" is simply for the opposition party, it doesn't matter whether that party is a liberal or conservative based party. The conservative or liberal minister wouldn't have any meaning (although it would lead to confusion due to the political party names).
I don't really think that it is a case of the brittish gov being obsessed with videogame violence, I think it is more of every time when videogames are talked about there is always someone who has an issue on the violence of videogames, as if they feel that kids should not play those games.
And in the end, it sounds like the gov don't really understand that adults play videogames too because most people in government would not comprehend that even adults love to play videogames like we do because we have grown up with Videogames, they haven't.
and when they think of us gamers, they only see little kids because that is how they percive us.
I also think that there has to be more accurate and detailed information to arguments before making such generalisations on both sides of the generations.
So... MP goes to group of people and says what they to hear?
Cynical? Me?
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