Mothers Against Violence discuss GTA, emphasize parental responsibility, on BBC

by Ben Gilbert on Apr 8th 2010 4:00AM

During a BBC Radio Leeds discussion on violent video games earlier today, a spokesperson for Mothers Against Violence urged parents to take responsibility for their children rather than blame the games themselves. "I'm not directly blaming games, I'm blaming parents. If someone doesn't do something, where does it stop?"

Eurogamer transcribed pieces of the discussion, which range from the relatively mild, positive quote above, to the misinformed ("Why is it okay to beat up a prostitute, but not okay to pick up a normal civilian?" -- regarding the Grand Theft Auto series), and even to the legalese ("[Rockstar Games] submits every game to the appropriate ratings body. [GTA is] 18-rated and is entertainment clearly aimed at an adult audience." -- Rockstar's response). The MAV spokesperson reiterated that, while she worries about the effect violent games have on children, the onus is on parents to "study what games are all about." We're just gonna put this out there -- hear, hear!

Source

Tags: bbc-radio-leeds, grand-theft-auto, grand-theft-auto-iv, gta-iv, mav, mothers-against-violence, parents, rockstar, rockstar-games, rockstar-leeds, violence, violent-video-games

Reader Comments (46)

Wow, are people finally about to stop blaming the games themselves?!

What a twist!

My goodness... It's almost as though SANITY is entering their ranks. What's going on here? This is a scam or a late April Fool's Day joke or something, isn't it? It's REAL?! Sweet.

You mean PARENTS should be responsible for their CHILDREN? Not game companies who make entertainment aimed solely at adults? PARENTS are at fault for what their children do??? My god... that means that having children means... you have to care for and raise them and watch over them and direct their lives to a certain degree. Do they have a word for that yet? Oh right...

...PARENTING...

New concept apparently.

hear hear indeed!

Its a bit late for an April Fools joke. Mothers Against Violence blaming the parents?! This just in! Parents start adhering to game ratings, hell freezes over.

It's right to blame parents for most of the ferral youth running rampant across the UK. But the blame also lies with this labour government who are soft on crime. Criminals are simply not afraid of going to jail in this country because they are let out after a few years, even for stabbing someone to death. In the part of London I live in people are literally being shot and stabbed in the middle of the day in crowded busy streets. Most of it drug and gang related. But the police and this government do nothing. So if you're going to blame parents at least blame this useless government for letting things get like this, they stopped carrying out stop and search on these scum bags and always try and defend their human rights while ignoring the victims.

Do you read the Daily Mail?

Actually, Margaret Thatcher is to blame for the feral youth running around the UK.

Is your surname Griffin?

The Tory spin doctors read Joystiq?! Who knew?

Of course! If we vote in Cameron he will save the streets with an iron fist and a silver spoon. Conservatives have such a successful history.

THAT FAT BITCH!

I bought my 8 year old son a car the other day. Since it didn't have an age rating on it I figured it would alright and perfectly fine. Besides, he plays GTAIV all the time so it's like he already knows how to drive like an adult. If he crashes or anything happens, I will just blame Toyota. I mean, they DID make the car and they have been getting bad publicity lately. I'm sure it will work...right?

*facepalm*

They should get together with Mothers Against Canada, just to see what happens.

@Monsieur Tea Bag:
Well at first I was like wat.

But then, ALL OF MY HATE WITH THE FORCE OF A THOUSAND SUNS.

I bet she blames the food manufacturers for making her rotund.

I guess bitches are finally going to stop blaming the games and are now blaming it on bad parenting.

That's good and all, but they still need to get back to the kitchen.

Hey MJ.. How about a cameo in Zombieland 2?

He already has a cameo in this, but it takes a while to get to it.

http://armorgames.com/play/5349/infectonator-world-dominator

It's weird how the kitchen is full of crazy lethal shit I can't operate yet I can drive a car just fine. Women perplex me.

Is anyone still "discussing" GTA?

Maybe it's retro now? Or it's just the largest and most well known target, your choice.

' Me: "How are you explaining it to him? You've essentially made yourself part of the problem by not taking an interest in your son's life." '

Yeah, we believe you said that. Cool story bro

Hey. Hey, ill trooper. You missed the notice at the bottom, I don't blame you, the font is tiny.
"dramatic reenactment"

At any rate I hate people like that, sure, I played the higher rated games before I should have age wise, but my parents knew what I was playing and were fine with it. I think as long as the kids can tell the difference between real life and video games then they're mentally mature enough to play them on their own. Online is a different matter altogether though.

@Monsieur Tea Bag
I do believe that people can actually try to hold a conversation like that with annoying people. It is probably not possible for me though. I become passive aggressive too quickly.

ಠ_ಠ

@Monsieur Tea Bag
I do believe that people can actually try to hold a conversation like that with annoying people. It is probably not possible for me though. I become passive aggressive too quickly.

I got GTA:SA when I was 12 nearing 13, I still think I was old enough to play it then so I can understand her kid having it, but to buy it for your kid when you think of it that way and then blame the company deserves a slap.

Maybe I could just run her over with a car, for some reason that idea just springs to mind.

Well, it's more reasonable than the stance of Mothers For Violence. My God, the beatings you get should you refuse to play GTA...

NO MA'AM

I let my 11 year old play GTA IV, but not the missions, which are the only bits that are really R rated. The rest is just slapstick hi-jinx with a funny soundtrack. I know this, because, unlike the panicmongers, I've actually played the game.

He's fairly indiscriminate with his gunfire, one pixelated target is a good as another, and he wouldn't recognise a whore if he saw one. Spectacular suicides are another favourite pastime. I'm fairly certain he knows it's not real.

It's playing with dolls, and who amongst us didn't crash Steve Austin into a concrete wall when we were kids?

"The rest is just slapstick hi-jinx with a funny soundtrack"

I didn't know gunning down citizens is considered to be "slapstick hi-jinx"

@ Jason Statham:

But......yesterday, when I went on that killing spree downtown it seemed like fun--

--OH SHI--**

@Jason Statham

It is if you play Yackety Sax in the background.

Just replace "Game" with "Drugs" & "Alcohol" & this is the problem with a fair amount of modern parenting. Either they fail to realise the distinction or they realise it & won't admit responsibility.

oh, and what a stupid fat bitch

@Darthpaul
I can understand parents giving Alcohol to an underage kid a bit because I have seen it happen (the mother was a bitch aswell as her daughters) but what parent in their right mind would give there kids drugs?

That's rich coming from you, Jason Statham.

Btw, loved your work in the Transporter series. Of course, I wouldn't let my kid watch them.

I Just email this this link to Gamepolitics. I hope Pete, the editor of the site take a look at this.

Cage Match: Put Mothers Against Violence and Jack Thompson into a room together, mic them up and run for your life.

I bet her kid is like 200 lbs, too.

Yesterday I was playing MW2, this 13 year old said to this dude "aren't you a little bit old to be playing Call Of Duty?" he replied "I'm 21...". I'm fairly certain he just muted him after that but it just goes to show what parents are teaching their kids.

What I don't get is how there's supposed to be some magical age where people mature enough to take violent media in the context it's supposed to be taken, when in reality that age and level of maturity depends on the person in question.

In America, we apparently draw that line at the most arbitrary number: 17. 18 is the age at which you can legally smoke, and 21 is the age at which you can legally drink. How are such numbers conceived?

Ah, but now I'm getting into a whole different topic.

What the frack is wrong with you MJ the kitchen is not a woman's responsibility.

That fat bitch. She is like every soccer mom stereotype in one person.

At last, someone that thinks logically! (MAV spokesperson)

Goddammit, who divided by zero? And why is the world suddenly rotating the other way?

Mothers Against Violence discuss GTA, emphasize parental responsibility, on BBC

Reader Comments (46)

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