http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/633/633763p1.html

For those of you who are too lazy to read the letter, it's basically a bunch of empty threats towards the video game community, and some rather pointed insults towards Doug Lowenstein. The best part of the article, however, comes towards the end.

Our "fledgling industry"? Let's take a look at some of the companies this letter was directed towards:

Electronic Arts
LucasArts
Microsoft Corporation
Nintendo of America
Sony Computer Entertainment America
Vivendi Universal Games
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Inc.

However, this statement makes clear the reason politicians are so interested in video games. They still see it as a young industry, which makes them (unlike more established mediums such as film, television, and literature) easier to control. And if they honestly believe they can take on the likes of Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo, more power to 'em.

They underestimate the power of the dark side of the force...

What saddens me is people like this always win. **** I'm so ****ing depressed right now, I shouldn't be forming an opinion on this bull****. Gah.

Um... the video game industry creates more revenue than Hollywood.

What pisses me off about these things is they always put emphasis on the people that do something bad, such as shootings and murders, and none on the other few million people that are perfect citizens who also just happen to play those same video games.

Meh, nothing to really get worked up about though, things like this have been happening since video games were first made.

how is this letter going to change anything? To me, it just seems like idle threats and meaningless bull****ting.

From a guy who has pull with Hillary Rodham Clinton who may be running under the democratic ticket to be our next President.

The letter might not change anything, but the man behind the letter just might.

That's kind of the point. Nothing is changing. Another year, another video game "scandal," and even more half-baked allegations thrown at developers and publishers. The video game industry has to learn to fight back, or eventually some crackpot like Jack Thompson is going to get into power and make good what you put off as idle threats.

Ok, just for situations sake (plus I'm kind of curious as to what the responses to this might be), what if some crackpot like Jack Thompson does get into power? What exactly could he do to the video game industry? Tell game makers to clean up their act? Sure, but once the games get released, game editing communities with take the game, crack it open and learn how to edit the hell out of it, and make what they want of it. Thus rendering the threat of making game companies clean up practically un-needed because the third party consumers made the game into what they wanted it to be.

Ok, people, time to stop the Bush bashing. Here's some stuff all of you will like, a whole lot. :p



And I think that's the truth.



As for the intent of the letter, the guy is just trying to scare people a little bit with some absurd empty threats. Until there is actualy proof that there's a link between video game and violence it's all a bunch of hot air.

hahahah I love the part where it talks about the tax break to Id and that part about the Secretary of Defense should be "catching terrorists, not training them". hahahahahahah OMG FREAKING COMEDY

I think it's quite funny when he starts talking about the First Amendment and how it doesnt apply to video games... or something, I couldnt follow his thinking.

Also, I saw a news bit recently that said the average gamer was 30. We have ratings for movies, we have ratings for games. I've heard that parents still enforce rules like "no R-rated movies," so why is it so hard to enforce "no M-rated games" ? Is it because that would take more effort on the part of the parents to be involved in their child's life?

Yep. You don't have to admit you're a bad parent when you have something else to blame.

I hate how he tries to turn around the bad parenting argument to apply to the victims' parents. The whole bad parenting argument is based on the fact the perpetrator's parents don't take responsibility. Yes, it's tragic for the victims and their families, but it's not those parents that are responsible for the video games.

What maniacal idiots. For starters, not every game is as excessively violent as they seem to think they are. And then there's the fact that the people who have seemingly acted due to the violence of videogames were psychopathic anyway.

Violence is a part of life. These eggheads can take away all of the games, movies, books, etc. that they want and there would still be just as much violence going on. And once they've taken everything away, their heads would implode because they wouldn't know what to do with their lives anymore.

These are the same nuts who banned books like Catcher in the Rye from school reading lists because of foul language and pre-marital sexuality, neither of which the book does anything to support.

I can fully agree with the statement Bush made, this kinda bs goes to show that both sides of this liberal/conservative nonsense can be pretty reactionary.

Unfortunately, a lot of the replies on this thread do nothing to prove the opposition to video games wrong, and in some cases, only give them more credence.

If you guys want to show that video games can be mature individuals, I suggest you not respond to attacks against the video game industry with excessive swearing, or calling the attackers "maniacal idiots" and their attacks "bs." For sure, they are misinformed, but all they are trying to do is what they perceive to be the right thing in response to something that they truly believe is an influence on America's youth, causing them to be more violent. You have to understand that and act maturely if you want to show them otherwise.

With the excessive swearing and bickering by the players that goes on in today's games and online game communities, it's no wonder that gamer's opinions are very rarely respected by those who oppose games.

DSettahrs one of them!
GET HIM!

I agree with DSettahr. Some individuals (most of the gaming community) are just credidentials to why people oppose video games.

(dat n00b taht t0t4lly p05t3d h3r3 4b0ut r ju5t g0ing PVP 4g4in5t vIdEo GaMe 'p053rs...posted for the people I'm talking about, which I assume only speak "l33t sp34k")

This sort of thinking might have applicability if the people who were trying to get rid of violent videogames were gamers, rather than aloof politicians who had never once been among gaming communties. Seriously, did you really think I said my "maniacal idiot" comment in hopes a politician might come across it? You make it sound like me and the others here who have said unflattering things would blatantly insult them if we were attempting to address them on the issue, which, at least in my case, is not true.

Microsoft will buy whatever stands in its way.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of every, or even the majority, of gamers.

Then of course, you have to assume that these politicians are out for a cause they believe is just, and aren't just looking for a scapegoat to further their career.

DSettahr is the blinding beam of reasoning and logic that prevents Massassi from going completely to the dark side.

*applause*

+1 for maturity

The majority of immature gamers are kids who wouldn't represent the gaming industry anyway.

Some people like to say that the content of a video game will influence a persons actions. I think its a load of BS. I don't think the content of the games has anything to do with a persons behavior in real life or on-line at all. If ANYTHING has an impact on a persons actions in life, its the parents. A man isnt gonna go outside and start killin people because GTA told him too. Hes not gonna go start a fight with some people cause MK told him to. He's gonna do it either because he's mentally challenged, or because he never got his a** beat by some sort of parental figure(s) as a kid. To make a long story short, if the parents are worthless peices of trash with no regard for anyone or anything, most likely, the children are gonna end up travelin down the same road. I don't mean to offend anyone, and im sorry if i did, but thats just way i feel about the subject.

Have a nice day.

Jack Thompson is a known anti-game crusader and has made many threats(maybe even attempts) that he was going to get rid of games. He is just a blowhard looking for attention for his agenda but realistically can't do anything, so pay him no heed. As a wise man once said, "Don't feed the trolls."

We don't need to act mature to what we see is extreme ridiculosity(my new word), we are video gamerz, and we know that video games only just good fun.

..Anway, he keeps refering to columbine which happened years ago and nothing as big as that happened since makes him seem like he has nothing to go on. he also does his best to make Doug Lowenstein(SP) look bad, but wtf does that have to do with games making people terrorists. Somwhere in there, he somehow tried to twist the 1st Amendment. he also threw in hitler. This guy is just an extremist. he just be hatin without basin his **** it on nottin (lol)

But there should be more cohesiveness between the gamers and the industry. If the gamers dont stand with the industry on this fight, than the industry doesnt stand a chance. Because the gamers are the only ones that can prove the government wrong on this issue, there is no way that the industry could do so by themselves.

Another thing... Using a gamepad or a mouse/keyboard cannot make you a better handler of guns... 90% of gamers wouldn't even know where to load a magazine or a bullet into a gun they were "trained" to use.

What we need to do, is, since we all are "trained efficent killers" why not put this to the test? Take a few gamers and put 'em in a shooting range with fully automatic weapons, and see how they fare. Screw gun training, play Doom!

I could do that. I shot guns before I ever played video games.

Heheh, would be funnier if it weren't true...

As much as I may dislike Microsoft's business practices, it would be very entertaining to see them fight back.

A whining, flaming guy who acts like a 9 year old. Nothing to see here. :roll eyes:

Look at what the world has come to....

Arguments like these always remind me of a line from Masters of Doom...

And how many killings has the Bible inspired?

Or rather, religion in general.