I meant to write something up on this when I first read the article a couple of weeks ago but Blender tutorials and model making got in the way! If you're in the UK be prepared to hear more about politicos soap-boxing about games as the media gears up for the general election that's on the horizon. They're the a reason for 'broken Britain', apparently, or at least according to the latest frontbencher waxing lyrical about the collapsing of society being cause by enumerable things, except the one that matters, personal accountability.
It's the usual thing, you know, games like Mature rated games like Grand Theft Auto being played by little Johnny and Jane - "
We are driving children to lose their childhood, and some video games are incredibly violent, like Grand Theft Auto. They are meant to be 18 but nobody cares what it says on the label." says
Iain Duncan Smith in an editorial he wrote for the Times. But like all politicians he stops short of providing quantifiable solutions to the litany of problems he lists, of offering guaranties he, and the party he represents, will actually do something. Why? It's the same reason it always is with that out-of-touch class of over-paid bureaucrats (or should that be "Euro"crats?), he simple doesn't want to be pinned down, or too, anything - politicians don't answer questions with straight answers for a reason.
Perhaps the games industry should just push politicians out of the way and tackle the problem head on at schools. Kids are interested in playing games, that's a given, so how about using their energy to educate their own parents instead of trying to do it the other way around? Maybe homework for tonight is to get
mom and pops to write 500 words on ratings? Have the kids select a couple of games from their pile of CDs, parents then having to go off and 'educate' themselves on what those red circles with the letter and numbers all mean. I can see it now, dozens of parents lined up at the back of class with teacher looking at them rather sternly "So tell me Mr Jenkins. Why didn't
you do your homework?", "I had to take the goldfish for a walk".
