Bully "approved" for sale

[beanman101283]

So the judge in Jack Thompson's latest case didn't see anything particularly wrong with Bully when it was played in front of him for a couple hours.

I'm glad that the ruling was favorable toward the game, but it seriously bugs me that a judge had to decide this. Will every game in Florida have to go through a judge now, despite its ESRB rating? Doesn't this set a precedent that other judges can now review games and approve or censor them based on their personal beliefs and morals? I can imagine games being banned or allowed in different parts of the country, people buying online so they can get the game delivered in their state, or importing it from different countries. It sounds paranoid i guess, but it also sounds plausible to me. It's not likely, i admit, but still. It seems like a bad bad thing to me.

 

[andypnb]

So the judge in Jack Thompson's latest case didn't see anything particularly wrong with Bully when it was played in front of him for a couple hours.

I'm glad that the ruling was favorable toward the game, but it seriously bugs me that a judge had to decide this. Will every game in Florida have to go through a judge now, despite its ESRB rating? Doesn't this set a precedent that other judges can now review games and approve or censor them based on their personal beliefs and morals? I can imagine games being banned or allowed in different parts of the country, people buying online so they can get the game delivered in their state, or importing it from different countries. It sounds paranoid i guess, but it also sounds plausible to me. It's not likely, i admit, but still. It seems like a bad bad thing to me.

As you can see it partly hinged on him watching it. If we had an ESRB system that was based on the raters actually playing the game, then this would not happen. Until then, words on a piece of paper mean nothing to the anti game violence/nudity coalitions.

 

[Psychotext]

I wonder how Thompson will make out that this was a victory...

 

[beanman101283]

As you can see it partly hinged on him watching it. If we had an ESRB system that was based on the raters actually playing the game, then this would not happen. Until then, words on a piece of paper mean nothing to the anti game violence/nudity coalitions.

Good point. I'd think it would be a good idea for the ESRB to actually play the games. Obviously every game is different, so how much they played would depend on the game. But it seems to me like the ESRB isn't doing much to help themselves, and instead is just hunkering down wishing that all this stuff would blow over. If they would be more active about getting retailers to enforce game ratings it would help a lot as well.

 

[Erasmus354]

Shouldn't we get just as upset at Hollywood...I mean there were exposed breasts in Titanic...a PG13 rated movie. Oh wait I forgot, the cinema is art while video games are merely terrorist and delinquent childrens murder simulators and training tools.

 

[Trimlock]

As long as Jack didn't watch/play the game, I'm happy. All this means is hes just another guy looking to cause trouble and using the courts as his portal to do his bidding, which ended up not working.

 

[Stiler]

There is No way the ESRB could play EVERY friggin game to the fullest extent that they get.

Some games take 60+ hours to play and even then do you know how freaking much time that'd take when you have multiple people playing the games, etc?

We are talking about backing up so much that it's simply NOT feasable to do.

 

[beanman101283]

As long as Jack didn't watch/play the game, I'm happy. All this means is hes just another guy looking to cause trouble and using the courts as his portal to do his bidding, which ended up not working.

He did watch the game though.

 

[Trimlock]

gay! I was under the impression they had to rely completely on the judges opinion on the game while it was played infront of him, oh well

 

[gta95]

Shouldn't we get just as upset at Hollywood...I mean there were exposed breasts in Titanic...a PG13 rated movie. Oh wait I forgot, the cinema is art while video games are merely terrorist and delinquent childrens murder simulators and training tools.

EXACTLY!!!! I've been saying this for months. Its almost like video games and movies are on different platforms. There can be nudity, blood etc. in a PG-13 rated movie, and people usually don't care. But when someones gets shot in a video game, soccer moms and Jack Thompson's all over go nuts.

And to the myth that says video games make children violent, why doesn't that always apply to movies? I've been playing violent video games and watching violent movies since I was real young, and I'm not exactly a mass murderer/terrorist

 

[BinarySynapse]

EXACTLY!!!! I've been saying this for months. Its almost like video games and movies are on different platforms. There can be nudity, blood etc. in a PG-13 rated movie, and people usually don't care. But when someones gets shot in a video game, soccer moms and Jack Thompson's all over go nuts.

And to the myth that says video games make children violent, why doesn't that always apply to movies? I've been playing violent video games and watching violent movies since I was real young, and I'm not exactly a mass murderer/terrorist

Note: I am not agreeing withe them, just a thought that crossed my mind.

It could be said that with a movie you are disengaged from reality in the movie and you know that none of it is happening. You're not controlling the actions on the screen, just observing them. While a video game you are very much engaged in it's reality. You control what happens, how many people die, how many building blow up. You make the violent decisions that will in turn desensitize you from it in the real world.

Again that's just a wacked out thought I had. I can imagine a psychologist saying something like that.

The crux of the problem is parents. They are 90% of problem when a teen goes into a school and shoots his teacher/classmates. They let their kids get so involved in a reality that says it's okay to kill and steal. It's not the game makers fault, it's what sells. Parents need to step up and give their kids a true dose of reality every now and then. Maybe the problems we're having in today's yoots (sorry couldn't resist) would get better.

 

[gta95]

Note: I am not agreeing withe them, just a thought that crossed my mind.

It could be said that with a movie you are disengaged from reality in the movie and you know that none of it is happening. You're not controlling the actions on the screen, just observing them. While a video game you are very much engaged in it's reality. You control what happens, how many people die, how many building blow up. You make the violent decisions that will in turn desensitize you from it in the real world.

Again that's just a wacked out thought I had. I can imagine a psychologist saying something like that.

The crux of the problem is parents. They are 90% of problem when a teen goes into a school and shoots his teacher/classmates. They let their kids get so involved in a reality that says it's okay to kill and steal. It's not the game makers fault, it's what sells. Parents need to step up and give their kids a true dose of reality every now and then. Maybe the problems we're having in today's yoots (sorry couldn't resist) would get better.

My Mom is a psychiatrist and she believes that video games do not may children violent. The place she works for is setting up a program where they use video games (free roam, adventure, RPG) to help the children express their feelings. They ask them to perform an action in the game and tell what they felt. Those kids don't just walk out the door and pull out an AK and go crazy. Often, when there is a murder commited by a juvinile, people usually assume video games (GTA, the like) are to blame because they "teach children how to use weapons and kill others". I'll tell you one thing, playing hours upon hours of GTA and Saint's Row and Scarface have not taught me how to shoot a assault rifle. I think I wen't too far off topic, but I think you get my point

 

[BinarySynapse]

My Mom is a psychiatrist and she believes that video games do not may children violent. Often, when there is a murder commited by a juvinile, people usually assume video games
(GTA, the like) are to blame because they "teach children how to use weapons and kill others". I'll tell you one thing, playing hours upon hours of GTA and Saint's Row and Scarface have not taught me how to shoot a assault rifle. I think I wen't too far off topic, but I think you get my point

I agree with you 100%. I've played video games my whole life. I've never once killed anybody, nor have I ever hit my wife, or do I abuse my sons. (I do spank, but that's a personal belief, and I only do it as a last resort.) I played every Zelda game up to the N64, yet I know nothing of weilding a sword. I've played almost all the Mario games, and yet I can't for the life of me tell you how to eat a mushroom properly. I know how to hold a gun, but that's because my grandfather taught me, along with all the safety rules of guns. (Yet he slept with 10 shotguns and pistols under his matress). That's what I was saying. It's not video games or movies that make kids do bad things. It's the failure of parents at paying attention to their kids to see any problems before they get too bad. I'm not saying every kid is going to be perfect if they have a loving, doting mom and dad to watch their every move. But it's just too many times I've seen something happen, and the parents are at a complete loss as to where it came from. They can't blame themselves, so they blame video games.

 

[The18thLetter]

Although I understand the need and maybe even instinct to defend videogames, you do have to admit that in some cases that videogames just might be teaching children and/or adolescents how to shoot a gun just a bit. Yes, it's not "on-hand" experience or information taught but the basics are available.

I remember when I first held and shot a real pistol, the person "teaching" me told me I was a natural.
Yeah... I wonder if that would've been the case if I hadn't played over a hundred FPS titles in my lifetime up until that point (including the super-realistic America's Army, which I play competitively).

Granted, this isn't proven but again, I do believe that in some cases, videogames just might be a factor in these cases. You won't find me protesting videogames with mothers and Jack Thompson, though.

Now, when it comes to GTA, there is none of that available, other than possibly the belief that "you can easily carjack someone by running up on them and pulling them out of their car".
That's the most GTA can influence an adolescent mind, I think. Unless, of course, they have an available armory for some reason... then I'd start to worry.

But yeah.. enough of my rant.

When it comes to Bully, I don't think there's anything in there that children aren't naturally subjected to in schools... so it shouldn't have been an issue in the first place.

We'll all see when the game comes out next week.

 

[NemesisBLK]

Although I understand the need and maybe even instinct to defend videogames, you do have to admit that in some cases that videogames just might be teaching children and/or adolescents how to shoot a gun just a bit. Yes, it's not "on-hand" experience or information taught but the basics are available.

Just about anyone can fire a gun. No need for a video game to teach them that. Now regarding on how to properly aim, trigger control, gun maintenance of course not. I'm sure backing the early days of TV with all those cowboy shows, little kids emulated the stuff on those shows firing their little plastic revolvers and such at eachother. Give a little kid a water gun, what are they going to do? Shoot eachother with it. If fools like Jack Thompson and Hilary Clinton are going to blame video games for violence amongst the youth of today, then why not blame tv, books, and movies? People in the past did, but I guess it is accepted now somewhat?

These anti-video game crusaders need to realize that violence committed by young people will always exist in some form or another. If someone wants to bring harm to others they will find a way whether it is with a handgun, knife, or driving their car into a bus stop. These politicians, "fake" lawyers, and "family-values" organizations are being lazy and not addressing the real issues that surround youth violence and societal violence at large. These same people that blame video games for violence also blamed movies, tv, and music in the past--video games is the new "boogeyman" for these type of folk. When some other form of entertainment medium appears these anti-whatever folk will go after that until they get a piece of the action ($$$$$$) or are made irrelevant and ignored by the public.