"[Violent games] equivalent to smoking cigarettes"

these guys are flipping idiots..i played games my whole life and nothing wrong with me..gta muta fuga

I'm currently suing EA for the lung cancer and emphysema I got from playing FIFA 98 too much

This is crazy,absolutely crazy.

How about we fine the f'ing parents $1000 dollars on top of the $50+ they spent on the game for their kid. If a kid buys a Mature rated game,it's the parents responsibiity to know this and be active in the child's life. Anyways,how the hell is some 10 year old kid going to get 50 dollars? Most likely family to begin with.

So if smoking indoors is banned in many places,will that mean ALL systems will have to be portable because they are both just about equal.

Hopefully we won't see the surgeon general's warning on the back of videogame boxes.

Sorry to double post.

Exactly daniel,I played violent games when I was a kid,but you want to know why I could? Because my parents watched what I played and they both knew that I knew how to distinguish a video game from real life behavior.

This is the same reason I got to watch R rated movies as a kid and listen to music with language,because my parents taught me better to understand the difference between that and real life behavior.

I played all the violent games and watched tons of violent movies as a kid,but that doesnt mean afterwards I went back to my 3rd grade class giving out fatalities while singing along to a Rob Zombie track.

Why? Because my parents taught me better. The majority of the time that a kid follows behavior he sees on videogames is because the parent is not involved and could give 2 shits less of what their kid does as long as he stays quiet,but once something bad happens OH BOY it's an OUTRAGE,it's just a TRAVESTY their kid was EXPOSED to such GRAPHIC MATERIAL such as this. Really? Exposed? So why didnt you ask what game your kid was playing and sit down and play along or at least watch what was in it? Because you have your head up your ass,that's why. You don't teach your kids shit so they imitate games because they don't know any better because you're a shitty parent.

This is the reason I think the $1000 dollar fine should be put against the parents for opening their mouths about their shit parenting rather than starting bullshit they know they're wrong about.

It's like if little Timmy had an anger problem but his parents knew this and didnt give a shit and just let him sit there and watch UFC fights because it kept him quiet. Then when the kid goes to school and fights it's such a travesty and out of control.

Well at least if we can't agree on a console, we can rally together thinking these guys are idiots!

Back when I was a kid GTA was cooler. Now it's boring. :P I never killed millions of people after playing Postal.

I can see where they're coming from...

violent games = stressful
cigarettes = stress reliever

Therefore, in order relax after playing violent video games, we should all smoke cigarettes.

I wonder if I can sue both industries for the clear health risk?

well back in the heat of hot coffe crap..i emailed jack tompson (or however you spell his name) he is s jerk.. i think he is ni it for the money. he replyed to all of my email but one.. i asked how much cash are you getting out of all this.. he dosnt give a shit about it just in it for thecash..o yea

people showing yourselves as examples is funny on so many levels.

i'm all for the laws. do i think that people are negatively affected by videogames? yes, some probably are. they probably have pre-existing mental conditions of some sort, be it a form of depression or something.

i don't think we'll know for quite a long time whether or not they really affect children and what the effects will be. we do know that there are many things that can occur to a child during development that can have some pretty big effects later in their life. erring on the side of caution can't hurt.

these laws don't mean that kids can't get the games, but just that parents have to buy them for them. exactly the same as movies and music. many parents would still go ahead and buy it for the children, so the law doesn't have much of an effect. it just gives the parents a chance to decide what's right for their child.

What are you talking about Steve. People play game to relieve stress and have fun. Sometime they play game to meet up with their friends in virtual world, like WoW, or talk to their friends on Live. Games doesn't cause cancer or other disease. Compare games to cigarette is blatant stupid. The government = cigarette, over 600 congressman/women x over $100,000 = your tax per year. Those people do nothing but think of new way to take the fun out of life.

if u think about it how is it possible to get injured from playing gta. Its not like your gonna go out right after playing gta and do a drive by and get shot. and if u are stupid enought to do that its not the games fault. and ime pretty sure people dont get mottivated by gta to go kill people. those peopel are idiots that made a law against it.

I agree it's idiotic to think it's like smoking cigarettes, but this legal action isn't that different from 16 year old kids trying to enter pubs or clubs. I guess that's the least the state can do for parents.

"Exactly daniel,I played violent games when I was a kid,but you want to know why I could? Because my parents watched what I played and they both knew that I knew how to distinguish a video game from real life behavior.

This is the same reason I got to watch R rated movies as a kid and listen to music with language,because my parents taught me better to understand the difference between that and real life behavior.

I played all the violent games and watched tons of violent movies as a kid,but that doesnt mean afterwards I went back to my 3rd grade class giving out fatalities while singing along to a Rob Zombie track.

Why? Because my parents taught me better. The majority of the time that a kid follows behavior he sees on videogames is because the parent is not involved and could give 2 shits less of what their kid does as long as he stays quiet,but once something bad happens OH BOY it's an OUTRAGE,it's just a TRAVESTY their kid was EXPOSED to such GRAPHIC MATERIAL such as this. Really? Exposed? So why didnt you ask what game your kid was playing and sit down and play along or at least watch what was in it? Because you have your head up your ass,that's why. You don't teach your kids shit so they imitate games because they don't know any better because you're a shitty parent."

Same here, never had to deal with parents telling me that it's just a game. Parents need to stand up because they think all the talk but not walk they do is going to make a difference these days. Frankly I blame it all on lazy parents.

These people are complete morons who make these laws. Video games are not the sole source of the darkside. Actaully, it is and will always be up to the parents to raise their kids properly. Parents need to raise their children and stop letting TV, Video games and music do it for them. I have played video games all my life and I have never let them influence me. My parents made sure of that. For one, a video game is not REALITY, it's a tool for fun in your leisure time. When will these idiots get a clue. Well, they sure as heck will not get it so someone please sell them a CLUE.

This is so amazing, the man who has killed more people in movies than Masterchief ever has in video games talks TRASH.

These people are crazy. Violent games are like cigarettes, WHAT???? How? I think Arnie should stop getting paid to be an actor in rated R movies like Termanator if he's this stupid. Personally I think you guys, and gals are right, Stupid Parents.

Yeah, I think its about time for me to learn japanese and move.

it's complete crap like most people above when i was little my parents watched me play games and they knew i wasn't going to blow up my neighbors house because i beat castle #3 in mario.

Say Jim, you remember the other day when you were asking me the defenition of irony?



But enough with family guy quotes, how do these people actually go through what they've said and believe it? How many people do video games kill each year? How many people do cigarettes kill each year? How many carcinogens are in video games? How many illnesses can you contract from video games? I can only think of epilepsy and motion sickness, though those 2 probably arent caused by video games just induced. Now how many illnesses come from cigarettes? I wonder if this "Common Sense" foundation noticed these types of things.

Mature rated games are not rated age 18+ they are rated 17+

I have lung cancer from playing video games for 10 hours strait. I have liver disease as well and bad teeth. I stink and it burns when I pee. So kids, don't play video games. It doesn't make you cool and if your friends pressure you do it, just say no.

Uh, most stores are already not supposed to sell/rent M rated games to children and such. It just isn't enforced.

Well, if you're talking about kids as young as the pictured one, violent video games just might be that harmful. I mean, look at it, that kid is obviously stoned. It's proof! GTA is a drug to adolescents! They might catch ... uh ... ludol ... epsy. Yeah. Ludolepsy. Highly contagious. Poised to become the next plague of our youth.

The only antidote is, of course, your lock-step support for Ahhnold. Hurrah for liberalism.

As stupid as this is, there are studies showing how exciting or difficult video games can cause higher stress levels and elevate the chances of congestive heart failure:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=21830

So unfortunately, the governator might have bumbled over a sound bite that's closer to the truth than we like to admit.

Ah! But the good news here is that once you have your stroke, you might be able to regain some mobility by PLAYING video games:

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3030766

"Hurrah for liberalism."

I'll assume that you're serious with that statement, because Arnold is conservative republican. Like Bush, Cheney and Rove.

Personally, I think this is a fine law. There are plenty of games that are appropriate for minors. If I had kids I certainly wouldn't let them play GTA, and I'd hope that a retailer wouldn't sell them a copy without carding them.

Remember that in America, you have ZERO rights until you are 18. The government considers you a dependant, not a person.

That being said, are these games dangerous like cigarettes? HELL NO. I smoke and play violent games, but I have a feeling that it's the cigarettes that are going to kill me first.

Leave it to the legislature (republican's and democrat's) to make a decent law and then support it with ignorant evidence, misinformation, and propaganda.

like i've said before: even though i'm under age, this law has no effect on me (since retailers already take measures based on corporate policy to prevent the sale of 'M' games to minors!). so, frankly, i couldn't care less about this law being passed or not.

but it's wrong when someone comes and basically labels video games as a killer.

Ok, lets look at how misleading the picture of this kid playing a video is.

1. A kid that age would not have $50 plus dollars to invest in a game like GTA and if they did, the parent must have given the kid the money or they know how the child acquired it.

2. What MORON would sell a game to a kid at this age?

3. What parent would let a kid that age play a video game like GTA?

4. How would a kid go to the store and buy the game? Could he or she even reach the counter? Oh yeah, they will buy it online using their parents credit card.

My question as always is "HOW?"

The Parent IS and is ALWAYS responsilbe for their childs development. If I was a police officer and saw a kid in a home playing a game like GTA, I would ARREST the parent because in the end the parent bought the game and the console for the kid to play it on. Even if the kid borowed the game from a friend, the parent should always know what's going on with their child. I wish people would finally wake up and deal with FACTS. Parents often are the BUMS who endanger the well being of thier kids; they are to stupid to realize it.

Nicotine isn't a stress reliever. It boosts the heart rate, so when you're done smoking them, you THINK you've relieved your stress. It is just the nicotine rush wearing off and you're just as stressed as before, but not by comparison when taking the drag.

Anyway, the United States has proven one thing - parents are entirely incapable of taking care of their children. Government's job is to keep the citizentry safe, so when you've got a large generation spreading back to the days of the hippies and their flower children that are just horrid parents, then it is about time to step in and make some laws because the population sure isn't trying to improve itself.

Arnold is a fiscal conservative but a social liberal... that's how we tricked all the liberals to vote for him, it is California after all. He's hardly a Bush or a Cheney...

Anyway I really don't see the problem here. Sure it's bad parent's faults blah, blah, blah but harm is it to enforce the non-selling of violent games to minors? Parents can't keep watch over their children 24-7 and it's not unthinkable that a kid might buy a game and play when his parents aren't watching or something.

The thing I was most apprehensive about was that these games needed to be "Clearly labeded as such." which if I remember correctly meant a large sticker or something which sounded stupid and an undue burden on publishers/manufacturers. It just ought to be up to the store... I mean there are already ratings on there.

Oh... and by the way, saying "I'm fine..." isn't really a good argument. I had a Great Grandmother who smoked her whole life but died of old-age... but I don't go around telling everyone that smoking in fact doesn't harm anyone just because it didn't harm one person. All 30 of us might collectively agree but that's a pretty small sample. I'm not saying I believe they're unduly harmful but really, that argument doesn't carry weight with anybody important.

Heil Schwarzenegger!

Gotta love them.. y'know.. telling the people what they can and cannot do.

So much for personal freedom, the government decides what's good for me.

Hey, maybe orwell was on to something.

What's everyone upset about? A game marked mature is no different than an R rated movie. You can get into an R movie if you are under 17 if you are with an older person.

So now the same goes for mature games.

How is this bad?

There's a ratings system for a reason. Obviously the stores were't caring and sold to whomever. If this happened with movies, porno, cuigarettes, or any other clearly "mature" labeled product or service they'd be fined and now it'll apply to mature video games too. But now since it's video games you guys are all upset?

Grow up.

Get your dad/mom/older sibling to buy the game for you. Is that so hard? It's what you do to get into R rated movies anyhow.

I'm all for it. I'll take this over the banning of even CREATING violent games like they want to do also.

Mark it mature and leave us alone.

"Exactly daniel,I played violent games when I was a kid,but you want to know why I could? Because my parents watched what I played and they both knew that I knew how to distinguish a video game from real life behavior.

This is the same reason I got to watch R rated movies as a kid and listen to music with language,because my parents taught me better to understand the difference between that and real life behavior.

I played all the violent games and watched tons of violent movies as a kid,but that doesnt mean afterwards I went back to my 3rd grade class giving out fatalities while singing along to a Rob Zombie track.

Why? Because my parents taught me better. The majority of the time that a kid follows behavior he sees on videogames is because the parent is not involved and could give 2 shits less of what their kid does as long as he stays quiet,but once something bad happens OH BOY it's an OUTRAGE,it's just a TRAVESTY their kid was EXPOSED to such GRAPHIC MATERIAL such as this. Really? Exposed? So why didnt you ask what game your kid was playing and sit down and play along or at least watch what was in it? Because you have your head up your ass,that's why. You don't teach your kids shit so they imitate games because they don't know any better because you're a shitty parent.

This is the reason I think the $1000 dollar fine should be put against the parents for opening their mouths about their shit parenting rather than starting bullshit they know they're wrong about.

It's like if little Timmy had an anger problem but his parents knew this and didnt give a shit and just let him sit there and watch UFC fights because it kept him quiet. Then when the kid goes to school and fights it's such a travesty and out of control."

I...I...I... I think I'm in love.

oh that is golden lol how could they possibly find the equivalent mental/physical impact of smoking a cigarette.... much less equate it to playing a game, such BS!

So why is it that they can't sell a Mature game that is 17+ to a minor (who can be 17, making the person having to be 18 to buy the game), but a 17 year old can see a NC-17 movie by themselves?

I also don't understand why the game guy is Mature, but GTA ended up being an adult only rating for the hot coffee "hack"... I mean, I think people should have been making a much bigger deal deal of the language and violence in the game than some stupid fake sex scene. I mean hell, you can beat a cop to death with a dildo.

You also know what?

Water is as much, if not more addictive than ciggarettes, and I turned out fine.

haha, this is kinda funny...

first, its not a big deal. i just realized they rated them M because stupid minors wouldn't understand some of the stuff in that particular game, not as a restriction.

second, violent video games piss me off. some of them are really hard and i'm not good at first person shooters anyway, although all games can pretty much piss you off.

last, i find A LOT of them to be extremely pointless. Grand Theft Auto has to have, the STUPIDEST plot in the world, and everyone i know who has the game, put it down after the third day and never played it again.

i have to say, that comment about "being an equivalent to cigarettes" is extremely stupid and wrong. he's probably never smoked a cigarette in his life.

Ignoring blatantly stupid remarks such as those made by this Mr Steyer, it's of note that similar laws such as this Californian one have existed in many European countries (UK, Sweden, The Netherlands, etc.) for quite a while with few, if any, complaints.

Just so we have our facts straight there is no law in the united states regulating the sale of violent R rated movies or music. States have tried to do this 20 years ago but were stucked down by the courts as violations of the 1st admendmant. The only thing that the government can regulate or ban is sexualy explcit matarial. If I wanted to sell natual born killers, scream or any other R rated movie to a 9 year old it is perfectly legal for me to do so. The regulation movies is 100% voluntary by the studio

"The regulation movies is 100% voluntary by the studio"

actually it has more to do with policy of the retailer selling the product.

one last comment on this,

i've realized by now that people who play these games in early age tend to think a bit differently then people who don't play games such as these. for ex: i haven't played these games when i was young, and im fine, a lot of my friends have however, and they are fine, but they tend to say more "gory" remarks then i would while talking, but its the american way, so Jim Steyer should just leave it alone. One case or two is not much.

however, i believe we our older than minors by now, and instead of debating about this, we could be laughing at minors on how this affects them, haha, that's what i'll do

That photo is definately a Photoshop. First, it looks like they are in a school computer lab, the last place on earth where a third grader would be playing games at all, let alone GTA. Second, why would you even have the GTA box there. It's just added in anyway, just like the images on the screens. LCD's do not look that clear, especially from that angle, and the box's shadow is going the wrong way.

Yep, it's definetely fake. You can tell its oin a computer literacy class (keyboard covers). It's in a lab. And in middle school comp lit, you have to get your picture taken at your computer for one of the lesson modules.

I for one am with these laws. I have a brother who plays these games whenever time allows it. He is the only kid in my family who errupts with anger when upset and slams doors and breaks furniture and keys computer screens and created pandemonium amongst the rest of our family. He is also the only one who cannot put up a decent argument without cussing off whoever disproves him or makes him look like an idiot. My 10 year old sister always gets him cornered in an argument and he ends up hurting her is some way the runs off to avoid getting in trouble.

My conclusion? None of us (the other 4 siblings) had never done things like that when we where his age. The only thing he did differently from the rest of us was enjoy playing games where live in an alternate world where the peopel that protect our society are the "bad guys" and the only resolution is death.

For the people that are blaming parents, so am I as well. The way I see it, it IS the parents fault, but these laws are coming in to help. When we go to target and he doesnt get what he wants, we never hear the end of it. It gets to the point where he is so loud and obnoxious that, if I were in my mom's place, I would give in as well.

Requardless of who's fault it is, the truth remains:



Nothing good can come from these games.

One last thing. Replace the girl in this entry's picture with a boy a year older and I wouldn't be surprised at all.

Well, the way I look at it, we've had plenty of laws that have harmed people (or affected their life in a negative way), and this is just a lesser of two evils. Nothing bad will come from a bunch of kids not being able to play some video games. oh well.

Yes, the image is Photoshopped. Still funny though.

It doesn't matter how many studies show that it isn't good for young kids to play excessively violent games. It doesn't matter how blatantly obvious it is that playing brutally violent games at a young age is going to affect your outlook on life.

When it comes down to it, it does not matter.

Joystiq will _always_ declare these people to be crackpots. Joystiq will _always_ stand up for allowing children to virtually brutalize another human being. They will _always_ say that this will not affect the children's personality in the least.

Just like the ACLU declares that "there is no compelling justification for punishing virtual child pornography." The ACLU ignores the impact that it is having on the children involved and declares that it is censorship to make child pornography illegal.

In the same way, Joystiq (and, of course, many other game-related websites) ignores the impact that violent games have on the children that play them and, basically, call people nuts and wackos that say otherwise.

I'm sorry, but violent games should not be allowed in the hands of young kids.

Based on some of the other comments on this article, at least most people aren't so quick to allow kids to play violent games. That's certainly reassuring.

Phil, I fully understand the effect that violent games can have on children. I even understand how non-violent games can cause kids to become agitated or fidgety. However, I think that politicians are addressing the issue in the completely wrong fashion.

At the moment it feels more like politicians trying to assert their own opinions of violent games on the masses. The scaremongering statement which relates cigarettes to violent games is an excellent example of this.

However, I definitely agree with you that (in the main) violent games should not be allowed in the hands of young kids.

Tim (#41):

you cannot blame your brother's behavior entirely on video games. it's obvious that he has serious problems expressing frustration and anger and needs help. i grew up playing games like mortal kombat (from the time i was 5!) and i am not only able to resolve my problems in a mature, civil manner, but i can do so better and more calmly than most of my friends.

perhaps your brother plays more violent video games BECAUSE of his problem. it's quite possible that he takes his frustrations out in these games, or even that he's simply attracted to them because of their nature.

the bottom line is i doubt the games cause your brother's problems. he obviously has problems and should see a psychiatrist.