Special Comment

I'm doing something a little bit different:

Today I saw a CNN report about the violent video game debate going on in California and whether or not it should be illegal for minors to buy violent games. This is my comment on CNN's report as well as the issue itself:

First let me start by saying that CNN's coverage of this issue was absolutely 100% biased! They didn't even have the guts to bring someone onto the program who had a different view from the people discussing the issue. Instead all I heard was Campbell Brown voicing her own opinion (which correct me if I'm wrong isn't exactly something that a journalist on a "fair and balanced" news network should do) and the other two men basically echoing her. You can try and say that CNN was just stating the facts but actually CNN did NOT state the accurate information in that report! According to Campbell Brown and CNN, the game "Grand Theft Auto IV" features scenes of dismemberment and sexual assault. Both claims are absolutely FALSE! Grand Theft Auto does feature scenes of strong violence (scenes that are no more graphic than an episode of Law & Order. In fact I believe Law & Order is worse: it features REAL actors) but there are no scenes of body dismemberment and there most certainly are no scenes of sexual assault (something that Law & Order DOES feature) Here's a thought CNN: how about you do some REAL research and actually PLAY a game instead of report things that you simply heard from some other source?

And for the parents:

Video games have ratings, and they aren't difficult to read. Here's the 411: E = Everyone, T = Teen (13+), M = Mature (17+), and AO = Adults Only (I hope this one is self-explanatory but in case it isn't: 18+) Not only do these games have ratings but they even have content descriptors to tell you what kind of content these games include. I happen to own a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV so I will read you the content description for this Mature (17+) video game: Grand Theft Auto IV is rated M for: Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol. Seems pretty detailed to me! If you don't want your kids playing a video game that might not be entirely suitable for them then don't allow them to play it. Also if you are afraid that your child might be so desensitized by violent entertainment that they would go out and actually hurt people because of what they saw or did in a video game then have a conversation with your kids and explain the difference between what is real and what isn't real. That being said, if you are a parent of a TEENAGER who has a problem understanding what is real and what isn't, then much more serious issues regarding your child need to be addressed IMMEDIATELY! YOU need to be the parent, NOT the government!