British parents in Cheshire are on notice: Let your kids play a “mature” videogame and this will not go unnoticed by the state.
This new level of micromanagement comes to us from SpikedOnline nnzbkesabf
writer Nancy McDermott, who says, “Amazing how abuse has been defined down to patents making a banal decision others don’t agree with.” The story? ITV reports:
Parents have been told by headteachers [the British word for “principals’] that they will be reported to police and social services for neglect if they allow their children to play over-18 computer games, according to the Sunday Times.
The newspaper reported (£) that a warning was issued by primary and secondary schools who found children had been watching or playing games like Call of Duty and Gears of War or Grand Theft Auto. [Gracious me! How ever did they find that out? They must have amazing research powers!]
The group wrote to parents, saying sexual content and violence and sexual content in the games are inappropriate and could lead to “early sexualised behaviour†and leave children “vulnerable to grooming for sexual exploitation or extreme violenceâ€.
Clearly, all those children are in immediate danger and need the state to save them. Now let’s see. According to The Pew Research Center, 97% of kids 12 to 17 played some type of video game, and  two-thirds of them played action and adventure games that tend to contain violent content.
So that means about 2/3 of families would be reported to the police. Maybe we could just move each child one house to the left, so they could all be reared by someone who is not their parents.
As for the fact that crime (even child abuse) has been going down as the number of violent video games has been going up?
Pay no attention to that pesky little correlation! Who cares if there isn’t any actual problem? Remember the 3 D’s of child safety: Deplore! Dement! Demand action!
I’m coming…to get your parents!
LOL,
I just saw this and was about to bring it to Lenore’s attention.
Let’s get something straight. Those ratings are parental guidance only on video games. They do not even enforce them at point of sale.
How the Head Aholes at the school can even figure this is a legal or cps matter is beyond me.
First time that the cops or cps showed up at the house…………………..”My attorney’s card. You can direct all further communications to her. She will be happy to tell you to mind your own business.”
Then I would be doing whatever I possibly could, be it petition, media pressure, civil suit or anything to get these idiots removed from their positions.
Next they will start calling the cops for kids getting a sip of champagne on New Years, or listening to music they don’t like………………………….damn what we needs here is a good ole fashion book burnin, Yeehaw!!! In this case a video game burnin………..nope the chemical smoke would be to risky. Okay a good ole fashion video game shreddin and recylin.
Guess I better be careful if they go after the FPS games next, for “desensitization to violence”, just another reason to say no when my son asks me again to let him play Halo. I’m hesitant enough with him teaching his younger brother how to play Minecraft so they can share something.
This goes to show that the ignorance behind all this is not limited to the North American continent. Nothing like overreach to really bring a school and community together.
What about R rated movies?
My son saw American Sniper and Lone Survivor at the theater with friends at age 13. He had my permission and really enjoyed both movies. Would these principals see that as neglect too?
well is it somehow illegal to play call of duty? If not, then they can report away all day long but nothing would come of it as long as they found no other proof of neglect or abuse.
and the whole desensitized to violence thing is not true for each individual kid. I was watching horror movies like Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th regularly as a pretty young kid at like 9 or so. They never really scared me. I found them funny. I have not taken anyone out with a machete yet. I have never even thrown a real punch in my entire life.
Now my kids are not like me. They would pee themselves and cry for weeks if they saw a horror movie. They were terrified and had nightmares just from watching the trailer for Annabelle that came on tv. Ghostbusters scared them. I don’t know how I got such wimpy kids about that, but I did. So while one kid can handle something just fine, other kids may not. So its up to the parents to make that call.
This is again the inability to tell the difference between “I don’t like it” and criminal or neglect or abuse. Personally, I don’t think kids should play these games (heck, I’m not keen on adults playing them) and I think it’s poor parenting that a friend plays them with his 5 year old sitting on his lap. But poor parenting and criminal behavior are actually two different things. Occasionally they intersect, but not always.
Around about 20 years ago, when I was in college, one of the professors in my department would come in at night to the computer cluster with his three daughters (ages 9, 12, 15, I would guess) and they would all play Doom against each other. No, not the cooperatively play mode.
I agree with Warren. I mean, what good is a “parental guidance” rating on a movie or a video game, if the parent provides “guidance,” and deems the game acceptable, but that’s overruled by the police and Child Protective Services? Every child is different. I can see a teacher being worried if one of the kids starts acting in a violent way (legitimately violent behaviour; not like the L-shaped Pop-Tart situation), but in that case, the correct course of action is to talk to the child, then the parent(s); not to call the authorities right away. So, does “PG” now stand for “Police Guidance” instead of “Parental Guidance?” How are there even enough police officers and CPS people available to micromanage families’ entertainment choices, while also staying on top of the real crimes and abusive situations? Confession time: I played violent video games when I was a tween/early teenager. At the time, those games were things like Doom, Heretic, and Duke Nukem 3D, and I didn’t grow up to be a violent person. I don’t even like those games now, but I think I had to be exposed to them to come to that conclusion. If you ban something outright (barring a medical reason, like an allergy), then it’s just going to become a “forbidden fruit.” Even if kids continue to enjoy these types of games when they get older, that’s fine, as long as they learn the difference between reality and fantasy, and that the violent behaviour should stay confined to the screen. Unfortunately, I don’t think the police and CPS people have grasped that.
Oh, no more video games, ok so just send your kids out to play at the park– no wait, that’s “illegal” too.
I’m an American living in England, and it has been my experience that the whole country finds extreme government interference to be the norm, and barely questions it.
Video games do not contain violence. They contain simulated violence. Conflating violence and simulated violence is like claiming you mastered table tennis by playing Pong. To a gamer, the simulated violence (and simulated table tennis) are simply ways to earn points in a video game. It does not lead to mastery of, or even interest in, the real-life activity being simulated.
I think this is definitely over reaching. If they want to stop kids from playing violent games, they should have stricter rules on kids playing them or make them illegal. I personally won’t let my kids play games, violent or otherwise. They need to be outside playing.
BDK, if “they” want to stop kids from playing violent games, they should tell their children no. My children are none of their business.
I actually wonder if violent video games might decrease actual violence, by giving people (especially young men) a safe outlet for their competitive instincts. Ever wonder why pretty much every civilized society throughout history has had some version of sports, often rather rough sports? We need a way to vent that aggression and engage the spirit of competition that makes humanity so good at war, but isn’t so useful in times of peace. Video games appeal for a lot of the same reasons.
If violent video games make people violent, then so do paintball, American football, rugby, hockey, etc. Sure, actually going outside is good because of the exercise and fresh air, but video games have their place, too. Even the violent ones.
There is an enormous difference between “over-18 computer games” and “action and adventure games that tend to contain violent content.” ENORMOUS. Many of the latter are rated well under “over-18” (which would be “M” or “A” under the ESRB system). Conflating the two and then claiming that 2/3 of families might be subject to investigation is not just absurd but it is, yes, fear-mongering.
Shame on you, Lenore.
Actually, it’s pretty easy to work out how they found that one out. One of the ever-popular essay topics is “What did you do over the weekend/holidays?”
All it takes is for a bunch of children/teens to say ‘I played COD over the weekend’. Not touching the reaction but that’ll be why they know, I suspect.
@sam fisher I think you need some school lessons. At 14 your writing should be far more readable and understandable.
Little Brother and me played Carmageddon and Grand Theft Auto 2 far before we turned 18 (both games were our older brother’s, who let us play them as an (his) act of rebellion against our parents). Together, we’ve stolen hundreds of cars, run over many a pedestrian and killed a fair number of cops, too – but no, we’ve never done anything like that in real life 😀
@Warren – actually it is illegal in New Zealand to sell R16 or R18 games to under age persons. It’s also illegal to allow your kids to play them. That said, I have never heard of anyone being prosecuted, and it must be the country’s most flouted law (the playing part anyway ) because most kids with gaming systems appear to be using these gesture, at least among the primary schoolers I work with.
I think they’re a waste of time, and kids should be out playing. But occasionally they do provide learning, and some funny moments. The brightest kid in my Junior group, who at five was the youngest, had us all in stitches when he explained to me quite seriously that a contract was what one used to procure the services of a hitman. All I wanted was for them to sign a behavior contract, but whatever 😊.
@Buffy
“sam fisher I think you need some school lessons. At 14 your writing should be far more readable and understandable.”
As you can see in the main story, schools are completely instruments of social engineering, and have no interest in teaching language or any other legitimate subject. The teachers can probably do no better themselves.
We could always go back to the Mayan/Aztec ball game where the captain of the team (not sure if it was the winner or loser) was decapitated in a ritual. I’m sure playing that game caused kids to be violent too.
CALLing 911 is part OF their DUTY.
GTA! Horrors!
(I have to admit I played Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards and it was a bit racy too, but I would have preferred GTA but had to live with the EGA adapter in my PC).
If the children are raised properly, either they won’t play, or they will but not absorb anything bad.
If the children aren’t raised properly and they are feral instead of civilized, video games are the last thing anyone should worry about.
Put down the controller and go outside and do what we did at that age.
We went hunting, with real guns, and spilling real blood. Then we would clean and dress out kills. Only to feast on the flesh later on.
I remember being 8 yrs old, and helping the men gut, skin and quarter a bull moose. That night in the shower washing my hair, and watching moose blood go down the drain.
And video games are going to turn kids into psycho killers.
@Warren – how many guys does it take to carry a moose out of the bush? They look huge on the telly, don’t recall seeing one in real life. I assume you cut it up at the kill site, or do you go hunting with a truck?
Mostly it’s deer or pigs for the blokes down here, but I have only ever had a go at pigs, wallabies, goats or possum. A moose sounds seriously cool, and a darn good feed.
No, why did I put pig? Never been pig hunting. …only enjoyed the spoils 😊.
hineata,
These days with all sorts of off road machines it has gotten easier, thank God. As the youngest in the group, I get the heavy work detail.
If we are in an area that we have to do it with man power only, six can do it in one trip. We have heavy canvas tarps that we use to wrap up the sections. Head and 4 quarters. Once the sections are wrapped we have rope and straps the basically hook each guy up around the shoulders and chest, so we can drag easily. The biggest bull our group ever took was estimated aroung 1350-1400 lbs. If we are lucky the ground is frozen, if not it is nasty dragging that weight in the mud.
We prefer to take it out in whole so that we can do a clean job on the hide. We usually give that to the indians where we hunt. I did take one and make a powwow drum out of it. But moose hide is too thick for my hand held drums. I use muledeer for that.
My dad went hunting on the west coast with his brothers that lived out there. They shot a cow way back in deep bush. Now both my uncles were high ups with BC Hydro at the time. They called in a favour, and the pilot took one of the helicopters for a nudge nudge wink wink, maintenance flight.
Sounds like a heap of work, but a lot of fun! I can imagine that it would be easier with frozen ground, but must get ruddy cold.
And you call the natives in Canada Indians too? Always wondered about that.
Wish we could get moose meat in NZ, but not likely. Would love to try it. Any idea if they sell it in Vancouver, or is it just wild stuff?
Good way to tell a 14 yeat old to shut up is by picking on the writing skills and not engaging them on the subject. Tnx Buffy.
Sam, you are correct. Games don’t make everybody agressive. But it might make some more agressive and particularly young kids (6 or 7 year old) who in general have more trouble seperating fiction from real. (You know the crowd that still thinks santa is real too and bunnies can lay eggs) the next problem is the sexualized context of that violence… Yes again that can be problematic and that is a whole discussion under the header Gamergate elswhere on the internet tubes.
None of takes away the right of a parent to let their kids do stuff that might be considerd stupid or dangerous by others. If we start policing eachother we will be ruled by the strictest and fear mongering among us.
We are headed towards 1984.
Nadine,
Unless they have emotional or mental issues, kids do not have problems with separating fantasy from reality. The whole Santa, Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny and other lies kids believe are not the same. The reason they buy into those myths and believe is easy to explain. Their parents are telling them to believe, and rewarding them with gifts and such for believing. That is a big difference than a violent video game that parents actually tell them to remember it is only a game it is not real.
hineata,
Don’t know of anyone selling moose, sorry. We don’t see it so much as work. We get a weeks vacation in nature, hanging with family, and if we get our two moose, we each take home quite a lot of meat, not to mention the heart and liver which are awesome.
“vulnerable to grooming for sexual exploitation”
Grooming was a big story inn the UK a few months ago:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotherham_child_sexual_exploitation_scandal
I didn’t want him to shut up; I wanted to be able to understand him. You really believe that writing without punctuation, capitalization, and spelling is appropriate for a 14-year-old? Well, I don’t.
@Warren – what a shame! So jealous 😊. That must be a great vacation.
And maybe you or the other outdoorsy NA’s could tell me whether these days, if you get a bear before it gets you, does it make good eating?
To bring this back to the original topic, wouldn’t it be wonderful if, instead of stupid GTA or Call of Duty, we could get games showing hunting, or pioneering skills, or even a stroll around the streets of Rome? I can look around Florence briefly on Assassin Creed, but some idiot with a sword wipes me out before I can see much. Why all the violence? Why not some educational ones?
No way your average Kiwi suburbanite is getting to go moose hunting, but they could have a go through a game.
Moose tastes fantastic. I wish we had it where I lived.
Given the money that is involved in video games, there is a substantial body of research on video games and real world violence. The vast majority show that there is no causal link. In other words, playing violent video games will not make your child more violent or more likely to commit a violent act.
In my opinion, bear doesn’t taste all that great, but there are some people that love it. It is probably my least favorite of the wild game I have had.
hineata,
Bear isn’t bad. Just needs to be prepared properly to tenderize and knock down the gamey taste a bit.
Have run into a few bears in my time. And they want nothing to do with humans. Same as most wild animals. I love wolves, and think they are an amazing animal, but I find them more intimidating than bears. The whole pack hunting. But they to have no use for us. I don’t think it is because they don’t see us as food, rather with all our artificial stuff, clothing, soaps, deodorants, metals, plastics and so on, that they cannot process out scent as a food source.
sam,
I happen to agree with Buffy. Even more so when you are going to enter a discussion with adults. Before you hit submit, proof read, Dude.
Now you owe Buffy and apology, and the rest of the people on here.
Next, you never ever threaten a woman with violence. You never ever attack a woman.
If you really think you are man enough, I am right here……………..TRY ME!
IF OUR MODERATORS WOULD BE SO KIND, a patronizing grammar Nazi and a tantrum-throwing boy-child are carrying on in the discourteous modes particular to their types in some of the above posts. Both of these problem children would benefit enormously from receiving the appropriate counsel & discipline. Thanks ever so much.
Here is a follow up to the story.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-04-02-he-suddenly-became-incredibly-sullen-angry-and-frustrated-he-was-10?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialoomph
I posted twice, which is hardly carrying on, and you don’t know from patronizing. Please refrain from calling me a nazi.
>My children in my class are eight.
This sentence is from the linked letter – written by a teacher. In addition to the obvious mistake, I strongly dislike the possessive here.
The letter goes on to make the point that, when things go wrong, the schools are blamed – but the schools are also blamed when they are proactive. I fail to see why this argument should be persuasive to those of us who, when things go wrong, do not blame the schools. It amounts to “you should support us in doing this because other people complain when we don’t.” Sorry – I think those other people are wrong.
okay number 1 that is snitching and bogus
Nunber 2 let these little kids play their rated m games it there parents fault
Number 3 thats almost controlling there parents and there kid (s)
Number 4 I don’t wanna go to the uk anymore or where ever this is it’s a free country right?
I agree with Powers. There’s a difference between “action and adventure games that tend to contain violent content” and those which are rated for players 18 and over.
One may involve shooting other characters who just drop to the ground, and the other may include raping prostitutes or hacking off limbs. Huge difference.
This is not even remotely legal, even in the UK, which has no formal bill of rights.
@Ron Skurat
“This is not even remotely legal, even in the UK, which has no formal bill of rights.”
Nothing in Magna Carta that covers this?