Author Topic: Violent video game bill passes Utah House  (Read 7064 times)

The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers

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Re: Violent video game bill passes Utah House
« Reply #30 on: March 02, 2006, 09:32:32 AM »
In the middle east right now, places with high education are less violent. YOu don't honestly think that all those people who are fighting are well educated, can you? On top of that, much of the intra-region violence is ethnically rather than religiously motivated. Not all, but much.

More wholesale conversions happened when people weren't reading the Bible. So your argument is still faulty. Remember, you can't look at the invention of the printing press as the start of wholesale education about religion. Even after that, books were still incredibly expensive and books only became more common much later (y'know, when the Catholic Church stopped encouraging all the presses be destroyed).

The only aberration I can think of to this rule is Ireland. One exception doesn't disprove a general trend though, and my understanding is that most of the violence is as much, if not more, politically motivated (get those Brits out of Eire!) than religious. (Brits are typically Protestant, the Irish Catholic).

More wholesale conversion (and violence!) occurred when "well meaning" Christians entered "pagan" lands and forced them to join, rather than sharing scriptures with them and encouraging them to join peacefully. Legitimate missionary work, traditionally, has not been the source of much violence, with the ocassional exception of the missionaries being killed themselves. Thus removing their tools will not help reduce violence.

I think you'll find that after the Reformation, which winds down, coincidentally, as printed scripture becomes more available, religiously motivated violence drops, except in those religions where the government is a theocracy and the people are not well trained in their own religion.

I don't think I missed your point at all. Parents, even good parents, can't always tell if their kids are going through a phase or if they have a serious imbalance. I spent a year in high school where I suddenly started listening to heavy metal, watching some rather violent films, and generally making changes to my lifestyle. This was a phase. To the untrained parent, however, signs of someone actually going instable would be quite similar. What would you rather think about your child? That he's a crazy psycho or he's just exploring new realms during his adolescence? So no, I don't think that people always have someone near who can help them. But restricting access to triggers *will* help.

As for trusting the government. Ours is of, by, and for the people. I don't trust it unilaterally, but saying I don't trust it completely means I don't trust people. Thus, if I don't trust the government, I don't trust the people to do it on their own (they sure as heck aren't now, are they?). The government is a little more reliable in it's capability to enforce it. As a people we just need to make sure the law is reasonable. This one has consequences are not. But the spirit of regulation certainly is.

Entsuropi

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Re: Violent video game bill passes Utah House
« Reply #31 on: March 02, 2006, 09:58:56 AM »
There's been a long and storied history of protestant-catholic violence in Britain. Still goes on in glasgow, after the two teams play games.
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Fellfrosch

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Re: Violent video game bill passes Utah House
« Reply #32 on: March 02, 2006, 11:07:13 AM »
religious warfare is nothing new, but athiest and non-religious types aren't exempt from violence against those who don't believe the same things they do either.

One of my (now former) students burnt down a church the other day becuase of his hatred for all things religious.

So the whole religious war argument is kind of mute, because a lot of violence has a root in differing beliefs.
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Re: Violent video game bill passes Utah House
« Reply #33 on: March 02, 2006, 11:59:20 AM »
Moot. Sorry, that's a pet peeve.
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Re: Violent video game bill passes Utah House
« Reply #34 on: March 02, 2006, 01:16:50 PM »
Update:  The bill has been defered indefinately at the Utah Senate level.  There were issues of higher concern to deal with and the constitutality of the bill is still in high question.  So, I suppose, it's still a wait and see.
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The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers

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Re: Violent video game bill passes Utah House
« Reply #35 on: March 02, 2006, 01:34:59 PM »
I think I expected that.

Prometheus

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Re: Violent video game bill passes Utah House
« Reply #36 on: March 03, 2006, 01:30:19 PM »
Quote
I am hesitant to use the Holocaust as an example, because in that case the Jews were more of an ethnic group, but in the Middle East right now, in Ireland there is the Protestants and the Catholics, etc.


This was interesting and, being removed from the conflict, I'm going to defer commenting on it in favor of a question. In the UK and Ireland however...do people consider this to be a religious conflict still? That was never my understanding at all.

As far as the legal issue goes, the felony nature of the law as well as the fact that I can't tell whether Mario Brothers (any version) is on the list of 'violent' video games is more than a little disturbing. I can see where I would like the bill to go. Some games such as Grand Theft Auto went way over the line, but were heavily distributed and purchased anyway, and that bothers me almost as much. I'm sure there's been even worse games since. Does anyone know what the GTA series was rated by the video game industry?
« Last Edit: March 03, 2006, 01:30:54 PM by Prometheus »
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Re: Violent video game bill passes Utah House
« Reply #37 on: March 03, 2006, 01:35:18 PM »
GTA is rated M, which will get folks carded in some stores.  I know our local WalMart won't sell M or AO games to a minor and they check ID.  AO (Adults Only) is the only harsher rating and it's given very rarely.
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Prometheus

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Re: Violent video game bill passes Utah House
« Reply #38 on: March 03, 2006, 02:25:22 PM »
So the current rating system could get used for any sort of bill like the one they're considering, rather than making another attempt to define what violence is...

Except for the fact that the agency deciding ratings has nothing to do with the government.

At least there is some enforcement at some venues.
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Mad Dr Jeffe

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Re: Violent video game bill passes Utah House
« Reply #39 on: March 03, 2006, 04:00:28 PM »
GTA is an interesting environment to just explore by the way, taking out all the violence and issues. Its fun to just drive around and listen to the radio, which is just bizarre.
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Re: Violent video game bill passes Utah House
« Reply #40 on: March 03, 2006, 06:30:39 PM »
And some of us enjoy the violence.

/me goes on to become the poster child for video-game-related warcrimes, or something.
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Re: Violent video game bill passes Utah House
« Reply #41 on: March 03, 2006, 06:49:49 PM »
so you mean to say your playing civ iv.
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Entsuropi

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Re: Violent video game bill passes Utah House
« Reply #42 on: March 03, 2006, 07:03:38 PM »
Yeesssss...
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Fellfrosch

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Re: Violent video game bill passes Utah House
« Reply #43 on: March 03, 2006, 07:22:14 PM »
A felony to sell a violent video game?  LOL, that is just stupid.  Any law against this I think is not needed and pretty lame, if a distributor was doing something wrong there is already a zillion other laws they could be charged under.
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Re: Violent video game bill passes Utah House
« Reply #44 on: March 03, 2006, 07:57:24 PM »
Quote
GTA is an interesting environment to just explore by the way, taking out all the violence and issues. Its fun to just drive around and listen to the radio, which is just bizarre.



I must agree.  I played this a bit during downtime overseas.  My friends all laughed at me because for the first couple of sessions I compulsively followed the rules of the road.  I stopped at stoplights and waited until they were green.  I stayed off the lawn and in the right lane.  But then I realized what I was missing and started running people down.  Woot!
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