The Violent Videogame Debate

Sometimes it seems like you can't turn on the news without seeing someone chiming in on the debate over violent videogames. The subject has been approached by multiple sides, all with different beliefs and ideas about how it should be handled. Some think that they should be banned all together, some think nothing needs to be done, and still others think that it should be a felony crime to sell a child an M rated game.

The problem is that we've gotten so caught up in the "us vs them" mentality that we're not seeing the common ground. Most gamers, myself included, don't think that children should be playing M rated games. Its not meant for their age bracket and we're cool with that. If a parent chooses to buy such a game for their kid then the onus is on the parent, not the industry as a whole.

We don't disagree on the problem, just the solution. Suing people into doing what you want is not the answer. Trying to make laws that fine stores several thousand dollars and lable a cashier a felon are not good solutions either. What has to happen is that we and our critics need to meet and have a civilized talk about what we can do to make the system work better or at least more efficiently.

The ESRB really isn't that hard to understand. The back of every videogame has a content descriptor that explains why a game is rated the way it is. If you find yourself unable to interpret what the descriptors mean, by all means ask someone working in the videogame section of your local store, most of them will be glad to explain what they mean.

We all have to work together here. Its the only way problems are going to be solved.

That's all for now.
To quote the movie: "End of line."