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Denver, 10:39 AM
Wed Nov 25
54 posts in the last 24 hours
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10/29/09
10/29/09
The complaint came from the 'Australian Council on Children and the Media' they key word there is "CHILDREN" meaning they are worried for people who are under 18. Btw Children aren't stupid my little brother watches and plays some of these games and he know whats right and whats wrong and seem to me he always picks the good guys.
Children aren't allow to buy cigarettes, alcohol, porn or gamble at a casinos because it deem not appropriate for them. So why can't we apply this to video games?
Hell I've read some books and seen some movies which have been way worst and pretty much most people under 18 can obtain them without any problems.
With the way things are going its like Australian classification board and the government is promoting piracy and importing which both will hurt Australia's economy.
Usually I would be swearing in this topic but I have accepted the fact that Australia fucking fails on this topic and this topic still exist because of that one fucking asshole from South Australia (attorney general Michael Atkinson) who vote against the idea of R18+ and is an idiot, just read what he once said.
"I have consistently opposed an R18+ classification for computer games. I am concerned about the harm of high-impact (particularly violent) computer games to children." #modernwarfare2
10/29/09
That being said, when the game was rated, chances are these scenes were noticed, right? Shouldn't the Australian board be aware of the game's content? Plus, this game isn't "promoting" the terrorist acts, but trying to evoke an emotional response in people, and make them feel like they're fighting for something.
Glad I don't live in Australia though. No L4D2, and possibly no MW2? I'd be OUT. #modernwarfare2
10/29/09
I admit I've only glanced over the spoilerish territory in these articles, but it seems that the scene was explicitly mentioned in the report about the rating.
So they knew about it and deemed it appropriate for MA15+ rating (I assume because it would be classified as strong violence, high level themes, where themes seem to be a catch all term for things that might be distressing to viewers) #modernwarfare2
10/29/09
"See that little Timmy ? That's why terrorists are BAD and that is why we have to pwn the shit out of them in the rest of the game, not because they speak a weird language and have a different culture"
Life lessons right fucking there, right in front of them. Terrorism is awful and causes terrible tragedies, violence should only be enforced to protect/defend and cultural diversity is perfectly fine.
10/29/09
I don't like the underlying assumption that kids are unable to deal with things, because I think some are very capable of understanding some things just as well, if not more than adults. So it should be the responsibility of the parent to make that decision, based on the maturity of the child.
Just like how adults should be able to make that decision for themselves. #modernwarfare2
10/29/09
10/29/09
10/29/09
The opening sequence of Inglourious Basterds is unbearably painful to watch. It's heartbreaking, violent, and horrifying. But no one *ever* tells Quentin Tarentino to tone it down. It's accepted that there are 17 other screens playing movies at the theater, and lucky you, there are more than 17 other great games coming out this holiday season. Go get Halo 3: ODST if you can't handle impactful storytelling. #modernwarfare2
10/29/09
*continues reading Halo Encyclopedia* #modernwarfare2
10/30/09
10/30/09
11/09/09
10/29/09
There will always be outraged people crying foul about every new bit of media that contains questionable content. Perhaps their concern is justified in some cases, and it's always debatable, but it's difficult to have an intelligent debate when the opponents of said media are crusading for a complete ban under the pretense of protecting other people's kids whom they wouldn't otherwise care about at all. As with every other person/group of this type, their goal isn't to help or protect others - they are simply working to further their own ends and make themselves look better.
Whether this game is released in Australia or not, the end result will be that it will eventually be forgotten once the hypocrites move on to the next piece of media to scream about and the cycle will continue. Hopefully Australia will implement the R18+ rating and enforce it properly - that seems like it would be a good step towards reducing the amount of influence those people have while simultaneously benefiting the gamers there. #modernwarfare2
10/29/09
10/29/09
I think the best thing we can do to move this situation forward is to propose a new system where adults choices are not inhibited and parents are able to control what media their children consume.
That would have to include consistent implementation of ratings for all media, reasonable control of content not deemed appropriate for children and most importantly something that allows parents to understand the media that their children want to access.
Also, how on earth did I not have you followed? #modernwarfare2
10/29/09
10/29/09
10/29/09
10/29/09
They're acknowledging that the system used to classify games here is flawed because it fails to accomplish one of the principles that the whole rating system is based on:"minors should be protected from material likely to harm or disturb them;"
The problem is that they seem the offer the best way of accomplishing that goal by breaking another section:"adults should be able to read, hear and see what they want"
(If you think I'm taking this out of context to make my point, here is the guidelines for classification where I'm pulling these quotes from.
If the system is flawed, surely the solution is to fix it by making as many tools available to those who are making the decisions. If it's too easy for children to obtain material not intended for them, find a way to make it harder without infringing on the rights of others.
10/29/09
What can I do to ensure that, when I die, my blood is stylish enough to end up in stylised pools? #modernwarfare2
10/29/09
...all the people who think this game is going too far, or are upset by this, don't buy it, don't support it, but please don't be so foolish as to think this shouldn't be happening, or that the game should be modified. I think it's important that if games are ever to be taken on the same level as books, film, paintings, theater, or whatever, that they cross into this territory.
Perhaps for many, games should just be games, but I believe games should be experiences. And by the very nature of an experience, it need not be fun. It could be scary, thrilling, upsetting; it could cross over a whole range of emotions, and yet never exactly be "fun". Games can be so much more if we let them.
Look, if the game was just pointlessly being offensive, I wouldn't appreciate it either. But given the story in Modern Warfare, I'm giving Infinity Ward the benefit of the doubt. Many who reviewed that game said it made them feel what our soldiers must feel while at war. To dismiss this, in many ways, is kind of fucked up. At the very least, it's enlightening and educational to engage in.
I had some mixed feelings about the game "Six Days in Fallujah", but at the end of the day, if done with class, I felt that the experience would be meaningful, and for the progress of games as experiences and commentary on the universe around us, important. The fact that the game was dropped makes me feel that we should at least be able to approach these subjects in a fictional way, a la Modern Warfare 2. Perhaps fiction is the necessary step that needs to be taken first, before real life subjects can be tackled.
But if this is taken away as well, why don't we just all go play Devil May Cry and God of War, because approaching any meaningful subject matter or current events in any striking or compelling way will be out the door and lying in the trash, while the rest of the books and films and everything else marches on...even though video games take the best bits from all of these, and truly have the potential to provide experiences more meaningful than anything out there short of reality. Let's let Modern Warfare 2 do it's thing, and judge it afterwards. Please. Really. #modernwarfare2
10/29/09
Oh man, where's SuperMan Luke when you need him? #modernwarfare2
10/29/09
I have never seen anyone on this site be offended by any of the controversies highlighted by the articles on here, and almost everybody has stated how much they dislike the negative reaction by the media, but for this scene, I've seen several commenters stating that they were unable to watch it, and described it as "sickening."
If the scene is bad enough to evoke these reactions even from hardcore gamers, why would they even add it? It seems all it will do is create controversy and probably lower sales. #modernwarfare2
10/29/09
Anything taken out of context can be perceived as tactless, poorly done or bad. I would wait until we get the full story- understand how the scene is actually used in the context of the game- before we let loose our judgement on the entire product, lest we become like our colleagues in the the mass media or legislatures, ill informed, trigger-happy moralist.
10/29/09
To evoke the reaction. Maybe even some emotion.
Getting kicked out of the comfort zone is a good thing.
It's one thing to know that BadMan is bad because the mission briefing said he was. It's something else to know that BadMan is bad because you witnessed the hell he brought forth. #modernwarfare2