NY gov. Spitzer cites hoax site in anti-games campaign

by Alexander Sliwinski { Dec 19th 2007 at 3:59PM }

New York Governor Eliot Spitzer recently presented a slide show in his ongoing campaign against video games which contained a heavy dose of sensationalism and just a dash of inaccuracy. Created by the New York Department of Criminal Justice, the 20-minute presentation called "Video Games and Children: Virtual Playground vs. Danger Zone" appears to be an ultimately flawed piece meant to warn parents about violent video games.

Originally reported by the Staten Island Advance, GamePolitics breaks down the slide show piece by piece. GP says that the non-commercial V-Tech Rampage -- actually created by an Australian -- gets prominent mention; the presentation also includes a sensationalist clip from Australian television of a teenage World of Warcraft addict. Neither example serve to assist parents in making game purchasing decisions for children based on ratings. There are many more issues with the presentation, but it culminates with a resource page listing Mothers Against Videogame Addiction and Violence -- only problem is that MAVAV is a hoax site created by a student from a New York City school. So take heart, governor, video games can't be all bad. They're at least making kids smart enough to fool politicians.

[Via GamePolitics]

Tags: eliot-spitzer, new york, politics, spitzer

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

NATO_Duke @ Dec 19th 2007 4:05PM

Sucker!

gonk @ Dec 19th 2007 5:06PM

is there a natural law saying that when someone becomes a politician they also become a fucking idiot?

Victor @ Dec 19th 2007 5:46PM

@gonky, if there wasn't, there is now :P

Let's just remember every rule has its exceptions... (:

Victor @ Dec 19th 2007 5:47PM

i dunno how that Y in gonkY got there lol

MasterInsan0 @ Dec 19th 2007 5:55PM

Makes it sound a little more personal.

Personal on a creepy level.

wickedpheonix @ Dec 19th 2007 4:16PM

Wow... I'm trying to decide whether this kind of stupidity (MAVAV being quoted and a hoax site) is worse than plagiarism - in a way, he's at best lying to and at worse defrauding the American public.

In either, case this is why I don't vote... LOSER!

Poisoned Al @ Dec 19th 2007 4:28PM

Yeah! Fight the power by not voting and letting making the fuck-tard's votes count more!

ANARCHY!

jovin6 @ Dec 19th 2007 6:00PM

Seriously. Screw voting. Everyone knows posting on Joystiq is the best way to influence the political process. George Bush reads this site like 10 times a day.

Abscissa @ Dec 20th 2007 12:12AM

@Poisoned Al: You're forgetting the inevitability that whoever runs against these idiots will turn out to be complete idiots as well.

rv @ Dec 19th 2007 4:20PM

As long as its censoring kids, not adults, I don't give a shit. Just like a kid shouldn't see an r rated movie, a kid shouldn't play an m rated game. Hopefully everyone who sells games sees this and steps up and block kids from buying these games (similar to the system with movies) before the government intervenes.

manaknight @ Dec 19th 2007 4:26PM

Wow... I love how our the NY govt probably spend thousands of dollars developing this in MS Powerpoint, rather than doing something useful.

Also notice how the world 'violent' doesn't appear in the America's Army part..haha

God, it's stuff like this that makes me want to isolate myself and/or lash out violently at society.

Jhongerkong @ Dec 19th 2007 4:26PM

Im sick of all these idiots acting against games. If an adult wants to play games for 80hrs straight, let him. If a kid gets an M rated game, ITS THE FUCKING PARENTS FAULT! Im not sure about the other consoles but I know that the Wii has parental controls. If a parent can block playboy on cable then how come they are too stupid to do the same on a console!?

Kids getting M rated games arent the problem, its the idiot parents that cause all of this fiasco thats the problem.

Poisoned Al @ Dec 19th 2007 4:27PM

I suggest a humane culling of all politicians by rounding them up and gassing them with car fumes.

TomCo @ Dec 19th 2007 4:28PM

To anyone who watched the actual presentation,

What video game was that kid at the start playing?

Super Machete Whore Killer DX2?

kinshadow @ Dec 19th 2007 4:47PM

"Super Machete Whore Killer DX2"

That game is so overrated. Intense Puppy Toture 7 is much better.

gonk @ Dec 19th 2007 5:06PM

that was vick's favorite game

Kujel @ Dec 19th 2007 4:36PM

This guy proves Non-Gamers are evil and need to be removed from existence, for the good of us all.

gonk @ Dec 19th 2007 5:04PM

i agree

Synner @ Dec 19th 2007 4:54PM

Yeah, this tool should totally keep his focus on giving benefits of citizenship to illegal aliens.

TomCo @ Dec 19th 2007 5:17PM

Just a few little things that annoyed me when watching the video.

"It has been reported that the V-tech Killer........often played CS"

Yeah sure, it was reported.
But it turned out to be a lie.

"Examples of AO rated games include - Grand Theft San Andreas(sic), Thrill Kill and Critical Point"

SA was only branded AO after the hot coffee hype, I believe its back to M on the current pressings afaik.

Thrill Kill was never commercially released.

Now, Critical Point. "What the hell is that?" I was thinking, I actually had to go look it up. Seems its some 2D Japanese Hentai click-fest game from around 2004.

Hardly readily available.

The risks for children segment was all complete bull, no attempt was made to back up any of the statements made at all.

Pong wasnt the "very first video game".

Americas Army the most popular online game in America? Don't think so.

"What effect does violent games have on children"
Nice grammar.

At one point they compared playing video games and smoking.

"AVOID "first-person-shooter," killographic games"
lol, killographic. That's a nice imaginistic word.

Best of luck to that kid in his quest for "the golden orge" though. Judging on how he was playing, he's going to need it.

gonk @ Dec 19th 2007 5:23PM

omg a politician not actually doing research and not trying to present an unbiased and informative speech? unpossible!

it's sad, i know :(

Geist @ Dec 19th 2007 5:24PM

Oh man I love me my killographic games. They have a spot next to the goretastic titles and slaughterrific genre.

BigD145 @ Dec 19th 2007 5:19PM

Wow. After watching the presentation, I couldn't stop laughing. Having a kid talk about cutting a prostitute's head off with a machete? Awesome. I want to meet the parent that bought that game for their kid and throw gasoline on them, but only if they have body armor on.