doodledee

Is it just me or has the eterna-issue of video game violence been getting even more coverage than usual this holiday season? It can't be just me, because it's everywhere. I suppose it shouldn't be surprising when you consider that the two big games on every pre-teen's wishlist are Halo2 and Grand Theft Auto 14, but still, it seems as though the Moral Values Revolution has cranked up their outrage machine a notch or two higher than in years past.

My favorite story so far was the one the Strib ran a few weeks ago that blew the lid off the "kids don't like violent video games" myth. Brace yourself... apparently they do. Who knew? The best part was when the reporter tracked down some mom who purchased Halo2 for her 11 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER.

The mother justified her purchase thusly:

She said she doesn't "necessarily approve of these games." So she allows [her kids] to play video games only on weekends, rarely for more than a half-hour at a time, and monitors her kids while they play - enough to know that son Rafael, 14, is "really good."

"As long as I know I'm teaching my kids appropriate values, they're good students, make good decisions, I'm OK with it," she said. "They see more violence on the evening news."

HALT.

Ok lady, we get that you feel a little guilty about buying your 11-year old daughter a game based on blowing up basically everything that moves, but come on, the "evening news" excuse is so, so lame. Because while I may not have known that 11-year old girls now prefer Xbox over My Little Pony, I do know that NO KID watches the evening news. In fact, according to a slightly more recent story in the Strib, basically no adults are watching the evening news, either:

Viewing numbers for Twin Cities broadcast television stations are down dramatically, and the only bright news seems to be on cable.

And just to be clear, I'm hardly pro-violent-video-games-for-kids, but how about instead of pointing the finger at Tom Brokaw Dan Rather Don Shelby, we instead look at ourselves and the choices we make © Jesse Ventura.

Oh wait, then we can't all be victims anymore.

Well screw that, then.

Violent Video Games: Myths, Facts, and Unanswered Questions [apa]
KARE still leads TV news pack, but fewer tuning in [strib]