If you are on the receiving end of a holiday gift from California State Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) don’t expect to receive a violent videogame.
The Senator is urging parents and holiday shoppers to avoid the purchasing of violent games in the coming month, referring to their potentially harmful effect on minors.
“It is vitally important that parents and grandparents consider the content in video games before making holiday purchases,” said Yee. “There is mounting evidence that ultraviolent video games have negative effects on children, and can cause real behavioral changes.”
Yee cited a Common Sense Media list of games to specifically avoid, which includes Manhunt, Resident Evil 4 & 5, Dead Rising, Grand Theft Auto IV & San Andreas, God of War II, Mortal Kombat: Deception, MadWorld, Gears of War and Saints Row 2.
He urged parents to avoid first and third-person “killing” games altogether and to check a videogame’s age rating and descriptors before purchasing.
A list of Common Sense Media approved games for the holidays can be found here.
Comments
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
He's right about checking the ratings and stuff, but the "mounting evidence" bit is just your typical politician BS.
Also, I always enjoy seeing politicians actually using the term "ultraviolence".
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
But he's NOT right about checking the rating. A rating never helped a parent make a good decision about what game to buy. Why? Two reasons:
1. Games - even violent video games - HAVE NEVER BEEN SHOWN TO MAKE KIDS VIOLENT! As far as we know - as far as anyone has been able to find out - violent video games are harmless and may even be beneficial.
2. ESRB ratings don't tell parents how entertaining a game is. In the final analysis, the entertainment value of a game is what is important - not the age-appropriateness. Many age-appropriate games are crap, and in my view a kid is harmed much more by playing a crappy game than he's ever going to be by playing an age-inappropriate one.
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
Yee'stone seems to be parents need to decide what's appropriate, but it better be the decision he agrees with. Talk about freedom of choice you can decide but it better be what I agree with. Can these jackoffs at least use gaming titles as examples that aren't six years old? MK: Deception anyone?
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
Hmmm....I guess that means only parents & g-parents can get their kids cartoonish games that aren't very fun & the kids don't play it. Then the parents & g-parents feel bad b/c they didn't get the right gift for the kids.......yes these games are outdated. My goodness!!!! O.o
"It's better to be hated for who you are, then be loved for who you are not." - Montgomery Gentry
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
We're not going into one of those "mature vs kiddie" arguments, are we? =/
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
Okami was cartoonish, Shadow of the Colossus was cartoonish, Borderlands is cartoonish, want me to go on?
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I LIKE the fence. I get 2 groups to laugh at then.
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
I think the list of games that parents shouldn't get kids (assuming 10 and younger) is alright, but obvious. The list that shows appropriate games is mediocre at best. There are a lot of other games that I would allow a child to play that are better than the ones on the list. However, its like I said earlier, he has good intentions. He isn't trying to ban games, just keep the violent ones out of children's hands. He just needs to study up more.
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
I take some of that back. I looked him up and he is just another anti-videogame politician. However, he seems to be reasonable this time around. Also, does anyone else notice that a lot of these politicians are democrat: Leland Yee, Hilary Clinton, Joe Lieberman, Gayle Slossberg, etc. as well as republican. Many assume that it is conservatives on the right who only attack games, but I am starting to think it comes from both.
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
Hostility to games is definitely a bipartisan affair, more than many people realize. When I was a kid, the number one anti-game spokesman was Joe Lieberman, who went on to be Al Gore's running mate in the 2000 election. This is frequently the case for panics about the content of entertainment or movements supporting censorship. The Parents Music Resource Council of the 1980's was co-founded by Tipper Gore, anti-pornography laws have often been championed by an alliance of conservative Christians and radical feminists, and so on.
Check out my video game humor and commentary blog, Pointless Side Quest!
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
It easily comes from both sides, just because someone tries banning someone, its not just Republicans, Democrats are notriouse for that, especally when it comes to video games.
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
I just have some things to say about the games on the list:
GTAs and Manhunt: Because hating on R* is kewl. And also, SA and Manhunt aren't being widely sold nowadays, though you can still pick up SA as part of the GTA trilogy on PC.
Saints Row 2: Relegated to bargain bin duty
Resident Evils: 4 isn't talked about much except for some praise on the Wii version on FARK, but 5 is getting a Gold version
Dead Rising: Although not found outside of the Platinum box with DMC4 and Lost Planet, understandable as 2 has been pushed to 2010 due to CODMW2
GOW2: Although it did get ported onto the PS3, it is a last gen game
Madworld: Another M rated Wii game that ended up underperforming, so not many would want it
Gears of War: Really? Even though it got a sequel?
MK: D: *goes on a NC/Linkara style rant on how it is so last gen, you can only get it boxed nowadays, and that there is a sequel and a spinoff ever since it got released.* Oh, and because hating on MK is kewl.
Note: I am a Wii player. I was just stating that since MadWorld was released so much earlier this year and ended up flopping as much as a Schafer game, why would it be cautioned against for this holiday season. And I do want to get the GOW collection for PS3 sometime.
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
Saint's Row 2 and Dead Rising are still awesome though.
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
Yes, they are. I was just listing reasons why they could be considered a bit out of date for the list. SR2 did end up on the cheaper repackage lines for PS3 and 360, though the PC game has disappeared from retail shelves (Then again, it's steam in a box).
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
I agreed with him up to the "mounting evidence" part. Yes parents should be aware of contents in a game But stop confusing facts with beliefs. There has been no actual scientific direct link to violent behavior, only circumstantial at best. If they truely want to help then partner with the ESRB to help spread awareness of the rating system and parential controls.
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
I once ran across a grandma buying her 5 yr old grand son GTA 4....yeah...so maybe a bit more knowledge about games isn't a bad thing, but the information should be correct at the very least. Moving on, the games listed in the link are good, but Uncharted?
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I once had a dream about God. In it, he was looking down upon the planet and the havoc we recked and he said unto us, "Damn Kids get off my lawn!"
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
Leland Yee believes in keeping teenagers (by taking away their First Amendment rights) away from violent games because they might warp in his opinion their fragile little minds BUT toxic plastics in young children's toys are perfectly alright by him. Fucking nanny-statist hypocrite.
"No law means no law" - Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black on the First Amendment
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
I think Yee is more like a communist then a "fucking nanny-statist hypocrite". Let see:
1. Yee hate video game (like communist China) and also he wants to take away free speech (like communist China).
2. Yee turned down a bill that prevent toxic item on children toys. during this same time, all the toy that was made in China has been recalled because of the level of lead found in those toy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Chinese_export_recalls
Anybody find this kind of weird. I don't liking throwing Conspiracry Theory, but could Yee be maybe doing double Agent for China?
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
Seriously man, you have got to lay off the conspiracy theory BS.
If I had to make an assumption LY probably got a good little political campaign contribution from the Plastics industry hence the reason for him voting against it. I can't imagine why else he would because it really makes him look bad when it comes to the whole "protect the children" political thing he had going for him.
"No law means no law" - Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black on the First Amendment
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
That could also be possible also. I never thought of that also. The problem is we don't know if the toy industry are political contributor for Yee. That would also be another reason for Yee opposing a bill for lead in toys. Sorry, if I went overboard
. When I found Yee (and I thought):
born in China, hating video game (China's government hate video game), stripping First amendment away from certain people (Freedom and democracy does not exist in China), and supporting lead and toxic chemical in children's toy (which China was doing)=supporting Communist China and probably secretly working for them (not being racist as I myself is Asian, and I hate communism)
Oh, Yee turning down the bill because his political contributors are from the toy industry reminds me of this video I watch in my sociology class, Justice for Sale.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/justice/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulane_Environmental_Law_Clinic
Also, just few months ago, US computers were hacked which was originated from China and also there was a person who lived in US who was spying for China and eventually arrested for espionage and treason. So I thought Yee could've been another spy for China. People with high power in politics (like Yee) can have full access to secrets and other classified documents. You can easily make copies of those secret document and give it to America's worse enemy. It's not the first time politicians can betray their own country.
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
LOL whats what polititions and outdated games.
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
You know what would make my holiday? Yee slamming his fingers in a door on a cold, cold day.
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
Or hitting his thumb with a hammer on said cold cold day. YEOUCH!
Hunting the shadows of the troubled dreams.
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
The holidays are an ideal time for the anti-game A-holes to push their agenda.
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
He doesnt sound as crazy as he usually does this time around, though he is still off.
Responsibility: Its time that the next generation takes up the reigns of power in our government, before the old fools who hold them steer this country of ours closer to capsizing. We must act before its to late to repair the damage.
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
Mounting evidence - [moun-ting ev-i-duhns]
-noun
1. An opinion one has formed despite no professional experience in any relevant fields or consultation with someone with professional experience in any relevant fields.
2. Something one really, really wants to be true: There is mounting evidence I will win the lottery tomorrow.
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
I love those deifnitions. It's so true though. So many politicians and TV personalities mistake belief with fact.
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
Again, false and fraudulent claims from, not only a corrupt politician, but an incompetant boob of a mental health professional who bases claims of "evidence" on incompetant, misinformed, and biased "studies" and then lumps back patting "peer reviews" into the same catagory as direct "studies" which were incompetant and incomplete in the first place.
Nightwng2000
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Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
No love for the Halo series? Or is it not "ultraviolent" enough?
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
Yee once again shows his ignorance by including out-of-date games. Again.
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I LIKE the fence. I get 2 groups to laugh at then.
Re: Yee Pares Violent Games off Xmas List
This guy's alright. He didn't say anything crazy. Though, last I checked, videogames hadn't reached a new level of violence. That's right people, videogames have now reached a new high in violence. Code name: Ultra Violent ;p