Warning labels for games
Posted on Mar 26, 2008 under WTF Department | No Comment Editors Note: This story is region based in the UK. All research and facts are also based on stats from the UK.“Computer games to get cigarette-style health warnings”, Says the headline of the news story. (1) Now, last I checked, this was the warning label on cigarettes: “Smoking seriously harms you and others around you”. (2) So whas it supposed to read? Video games harm you and those around you? WTF! Sure, video games are violent. Sure, it causes issues.
But a freakin warning label on them? Come on. Thats a bit much, dont ya think? “Warning, this game is violent”…. uh, thanks? I think most people can figure out if a game is violent based on looking at the cover. Seriously, if it is anything like those warnings on the cigarettes someone is going to be hearing from me. Although, granted, the UK does not have a video game rating system like the US does.
“In the end, what their children are doing is still the parent’s responsibility”
- says gamer Archie Monji.
There are better ways to warn people about the violence in video games than big warning labels. Yes, there are rare cases that people have enacted violence they saw in a game - but there are also cases of people who enact things in movies. A much higher rate. Should we start warning people about that too? The mental affect it may subconsciously have on you? Warnings are a great idea but this is a bit much, in the wrong direction. Parents need to step up to the plate and control what their kids do, just like they need to control what their kids eat instead of blaming it all on McDonald’s.
Image Credit PCWorld