Rebuttal to The Freelancerâs "Rebuttal to ÎRe: See? Square Does Listen!â by Shanoyu"

by Jake Wright

Maybe this shouldnât affect me as much as it does. Iâm 19, after all, and I can get Mature games wherever I please. My parents have no idea what my ten year old brother is playing, but when Iâm home, I keep tabs on it and know that he can handle the hours of Perfect Dark without wanting to take a Magnum and killing his classmates. Then again, I get incensed at the idea of people misinterpreting basic, fundamental principles such as Constitutional Rights and legality very easily. And Freelancerâs editorial has got me seething.

POINT #1

"...quite frankly, I donât see what all the hype is about."

This is a minor point, but a basic principle of hype and controversy, which makes more sense in this particular instance, is that there are at least two opposing viewpoints causing conflict. If the "videogames do not lead to violent behavior" camp would stop arguing their cause, there would be no hype. The issue would quietly ride off into the sunset. Sounds ludicrous, doesnât it? I can assure you that the opposing camp thinks it would be just as ludicrous to lay down their arguments. Two disagreeing sides. Controversy. Hype.

POINT #2

"Well, right at the Entertainment Software Rating Boardâs website, it says this: ÎTitles rated "Mature (M)" have content suitable for persons ages 17 and older. These products may include more intense violence or language than products in the Teen category. In addition, these titles may also include mature sexual themes.â Therefore, it is not illegal to sell Mature games to kids sixteen and younger. It is only illegal to sell Adult Only games to minors, which you can only get from the publisher, anyway."[sic]

First of all, Iâd like to point out that the ESRB is not a government agency in any way, shape, or form. It is a non-profit organization organized (obviously) for rating entertainment software. Just like the MPAA rates movies. They have their say and leave it at that. Do corporations and governments listen to what they say? Yes. Sears has decided not to carry games that have a "Mature" rating. Toys ÎRâ Us doesnât sell "Mature" games to people under 17. But what the ESRB says is by no means law. No, itâs not illegal to sell "Mature" games to minors. If I felt so inclined, I could take my copy of Metal Gear: Solid and sell it to a three year old and not have to worry about the police catching up with me. On the flip side of this coin, however, it is by no means illegal to withhold the sale of "Mature" games to minors. Such an action does not infringe on any Constitutional Rights. Freedom of speech? No. Any minor can get their hands on a "Mature" title by having a Legal Adult (theyâre not called "Majors," incidentally. The only place youâll find a Major is in the Armed Forces.) buy the game for a minor.

It is far from illegal for a minor to have possession of such a game. Is it prejudiced? If it is, so is every age limit/restriction in America. Seven year olds could drive to the store to buy their copies and forty year olds could use their Social Security checks to buy them. If the age limit is prejudiced, then it is theoretically possible for a three year old to get up, get in the car, vote for president, go to the casino, and buy Resident Evil with his winnings.

POINT #3

"Secondly, ItÕs really the parentÕs fault. Anyone smart enough to raise a child is smart enough to go through the olÕ hard drive a use the extremely simplistic Windows Explorer to find a Mature game. And, how can a young kid even get a Mature game without his parentÕs driving him to the store?! Oh, take the bus and hid it in your pocket. Of course. AnywayÉthis relates back to the whole Columbine incident (rest in peace). But, some of these fools drive me crazy! They blame id Software for making violent games...!? ItÕs the parentÕs fault! What, they just didnÕt see the Quake box? Or, did they just not care? Parents will always have total control of what games their kid(s) buy(s) until their kids are majors and can do whatever they please!" [sic]

Is it the parentsâ fault? Really? Was Columbine a result of the "videogames as babysitter" panacea that America so loves? Or does it go a step beyond? Try this: Itâs not the parentsâ fault because they were misinformed. Parents shy away from letting their kids have free reign over the PlayStation because the information they received from people who say "violent videogames equal violent children, period," which shouts its message a whole lot louder than the opposite end of the spectrum. Iâm not saying this is the case, but then again, Iâm not saying it isnât. Parents have control of what their children buy/play to a point. They arenât there when a child goes to his best friendâs house and plays Quake III any more than I am. Iâm not going to try and dissect what happened at Columbine or anywhere else, because there were so many other factors involved and, as Elizabeth Kubler-Ross observed, assignation of blame is a natural and healthy response to loss and part of the grieving process.

POINT #4

"However, they have no right not selling Mature games! It never says, anywhere in the ESRB website, that Mature games canÕt be sold to minors. It says they shouldnÕt, but never canÕt. DonÕt we have some constitutional amendment to protect us from this crime? OhÉI forgot...we donÕt have any." [sic]

Again Iâm using a movie parallel here. If I go to see a foreign art film that has "strong sexual content" or "blood and gore," two descriptors used by the ESRB, But does not carry an MPAA rating, I will see minors told that they cannot buy a ticket to that movie, because the theater reserves the right to determine age restrictions on the films they show. Sure the ESRB doesnât say you absolutely-positively- without-a-doubt CANNOT sell a "Mature" game to a minor. It doesnât have that authority. It cannot say "Toys ÎRâ Us cannot sell Turok to a seven year old." But Toys ÎRâ Us can say "Toys ÎRâ Us cannot sell Turok to a seven year old." They reserve that right.

The Constitution contains more than thirty amendments covering issues ranging from Slavery to Womenâs suffrage. It is abhorrent to lump a minor inconvenience made in the hopes of some sort of show of parental responsibility in the same category as the freedoms of speech, religion, and the right to assemble. And if you want to talk about rights, then all of the stores restricting the sale of "Mature" games are doing what they have every right to do.

-jake

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