Reply #111: SOMEone has to do it: the industry ratings are meaningless...

[Hekate]

...underage sales are not enforced anywhere near adequately, parents really have no way of knowing exactly what's in any given game. The extremely popular "Grand Theft Auto" turned out to have scenes of explicit porn embedded in it -- and it was heavily marketed to kids. When this was exposed (so to speak) the game was pulled and re-rated, but there was no meaningful penalty meted out.

Get a clue -- this isn't about the First Amendment or your rights as an adult. This is about protecting kids. Exposure to violence and porn (not to mention the other nifty themes) actually affects growing brains.

The industry tries to throw this all back onto parents, who are already swamped just trying to earn a living and get dinner on the table. Parents need some help with this particular job. Keep reading.

Society and the law protect the young from alcohol and tobacco as much as possible because it is understood how dangerous these substances are for young bodies and minds. There are meaningful laws on the books, and vendors who peddle booze and smokes to minors face hefty fines and even the loss of their licenses.

The time has long since come for the same to be done with video games. If it's not enough for us to just say it's the ethical thing to do, then let's acknowledge that the science is there (as with alcohol and tobacco) to show how damaging graphic violence and porn is to minors.

Tipper Gore was right, and so are Hillary Clinton and Joe Lieberman. They're good Democrats. If we don't encourage people on our side to work this problem out it will be left to Republicans pandering to religious wingnuts, and we will all be unhappy with the results.

Hekate