Proven yet again…

Proving yet again that criticism over overreaching morality is directly related to whether there’s an R or a D after your name, [tag]Hillary Clinton[/tag] and [tag]Joseph Lieberman[/tag], two hard core conservative Republicans caught a huge backlash of people who just weren’t happy with their tinkering in the video game industry.

Well, not exactly…

In fact, not at all…

On a day where the two Senators (well one Senator and one who plays one on TV) made the announcement of the bill, there was little shock, outrage, and annoyance from the same people who think that evil Christians are trying to take over the world:

Clinton sprung into action after a controversy earlier this year involving the latest edition of the “Grand Theft Auto” game which could be modified to include graphic sex with a modification called “Hot Coffee” available on the Internet.

“I have developed legislation that will empower parents by making sure their kids cant walk into a store and buy a [tag]video game[/tag] that has [tag]graphic[/tag], [tag]violent[/tag] and pornographic content,” said Clinton, a possible 2008 presidential candidate.

“Today’s report is yet further proof that we need to make sure parents have the tools and support they need to make informed decisions for their children.”

The legislation would make it a crime for any business to sell or rent a Mature, Adults Only or Ratings pending game to anyone younger than seventeen.

Imagine if a conservative Christian Republican had said such things. How long do you think before the parade of outrage(tm) would be rolling down your street into your front yard?

Whether I’m for or against this bill is not the issue. What is the issue is why the same people who would’ve been screaming from the highest rooftop over this if, let’s say Rick Santorum, had introduced it, are utterly silent now. Must be that whole D and R thing again.

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  • http://spencer.sokols.us/ Spencer

    I bitched for weeks (or at least I’m sure it seemed that way to Heather) when she hinted about this sort of legislation. Apparently she didn’t listen to me.

  • justis

    As an avid videogamer, and a strong critic of most forms of censorship, and as someone who thinks Sen. Clinton is naught but an opportunistic grandstander who floated into national office on her celebrity, I have to say that I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing.

    We are already accustomed to this same kind of restriction. The MPAA rating system ostensibly keeps minors from viewing ‘R’ rated films without parental supervision. And I would venture to assert that most parents like it that way. The ESRB is the electronic gaming industry’s attempt to impose self-regulation by rating games in a way similar to the way movies are rated. The problem is that some retail channels are not following these recommendations, and are allowing minors to purchase games like GTA:SA with “Mature” ratings. If the industry won’t clean up its act, then maybe someone else needs to.

    Will this stop minors from getting access to these games? Not entirely. But it will impede them, and may get parents more involved in what kinds of media their kids are exposed to.

    I think your postulation about Christian conservatives is a little off-target. The difference is that these Senators want to keep violent/sexually graphic games away from kids. Many of the Christian action groups want them banned altogether. And that is where I have a problem. As an adult, if I want to play GTA:SA, that should remain my decision whether God or Jack Thompson like it or not.

  • http://www.insignificantthoughts.com Vinny

    See J, you’re making arguments about games that those same wackos (like the Parents Television Council) are trying to make about TV: trying to protect the children.

    Clinton and Leiberman are taking it a step further and making it a crime.

    The comparison is not off-target and if you inserted Pat Roberts or one of his ilk into this, you’d have instant outrage.

    And I agree with your comments on Hillary wholeheartedly.

  • http://spencer.sokols.us/ Spencer

    It’s safe the say the gaming community is outraged. There have been six stories submitted to digg.com in the last 24 hours regarding this. I think we’re not seeing the mainstream outrage on this because it’s video games, which, while big business, I would say is still quite a small niche, demographically speaking.

  • http://spencer.sokols.us/ Spencer
  • http://spencer.sokols.us/ Spencer

    I bitched for weeks (or at least I’m sure it seemed that way to Heather) when she hinted about this sort of legislation. Apparently she didn’t listen to me.

  • justis

    As an avid videogamer, and a strong critic of most forms of censorship, and as someone who thinks Sen. Clinton is naught but an opportunistic grandstander who floated into national office on her celebrity, I have to say that I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing.

    We are already accustomed to this same kind of restriction. The MPAA rating system ostensibly keeps minors from viewing ‘R’ rated films without parental supervision. And I would venture to assert that most parents like it that way. The ESRB is the electronic gaming industry’s attempt to impose self-regulation by rating games in a way similar to the way movies are rated. The problem is that some retail channels are not following these recommendations, and are allowing minors to purchase games like GTA:SA with “Mature” ratings. If the industry won’t clean up its act, then maybe someone else needs to.

    Will this stop minors from getting access to these games? Not entirely. But it will impede them, and may get parents more involved in what kinds of media their kids are exposed to.

    I think your postulation about Christian conservatives is a little off-target. The difference is that these Senators want to keep violent/sexually graphic games away from kids. Many of the Christian action groups want them banned altogether. And that is where I have a problem. As an adult, if I want to play GTA:SA, that should remain my decision whether God or Jack Thompson like it or not.

  • http://www.insignificantthoughts.com/ Vinny

    See J, you’re making arguments about games that those same wackos (like the Parents Television Council) are trying to make about TV: trying to protect the children.

    Clinton and Leiberman are taking it a step further and making it a crime.

    The comparison is not off-target and if you inserted Pat Roberts or one of his ilk into this, you’d have instant outrage.

    And I agree with your comments on Hillary wholeheartedly.

  • http://spencer.sokols.us/ Spencer

    It’s safe the say the gaming community is outraged. There have been six stories submitted to digg.com in the last 24 hours regarding this. I think we’re not seeing the mainstream outrage on this because it’s video games, which, while big business, I would say is still quite a small niche, demographically speaking.

  • http://spencer.sokols.us/ Spencer