aslum

vrylakos

Teens don't tend to come to the library and get a library card just for the kicks. Thus, they don't know what the library has to offer. Video game tournaments are one way to get teen boys - the hardest group to reach - to come to the library. By making ownership of a card mandatory to play, you're getting more cards in teen hand. By spotlighting the other Halo and video game media available at the library, you're perhaps making the library more interesting and useful to teens.

Since the tournaments usually occur in the evening, and storytimes are generally for mothers with kids - often with other kids in school looking for something to take their little ones to, this does not take away staff hours.

Since holding these tournaments, checkouts of the Halo novels have skyrocketed. Many teens didn't know they existed. Not every teen returns to the library after a tournament, but some do - and that's enough for me, frankly.

As for kids having Halo in their home - sure, many do. But they may not have Xbox Live, and they probably don't have a giant projection unit to show the game in progress - the library tournaments become social events.

If we have book talks, if we have movie nights, storytimes, etc. why the hell NOT meet the teens with an event they WANT to attend, and expose them to the library at the same time?

vrylakos

L_K_M

There's a time and a place for everything, and I really don't see what's in it for the library to hold Halo 2 tournaments. It's not like people are going to finish up a CTF round and be like Man, I needs me an ATLAS.

UltraMagnus

vrylakos

soulscreme

soulscreme

@beckerist: A lot of books are challenged for, quite frankly, retarded reasons.

Check out ALA Banned Books Week here: [www.ala.org]

Another good resource (especially for Canadians like myself) is Freedom To Read which has a list of challenged books from the last 21 years: [www.freedomtoread.ca]

bVork

Mister Adequate

Karttikeya

Sadly, it's still wrony.

Karttikeya

"The drama begins somewhere in the 24th century, as an evil race of aliens creates the ultimate planet-blasting weapon called the Halo. Unfortunately, these aliens have decided to blow up Earth.

So, it's up to Master Chief, a superhuman armed with an amazing array of weaponry, to kill aliens and save the human race. "

And anyone who knows even a little about Halo, knows that's bullshit. Could the people who write these articles bother to do any research at all?

matt57488

-

UGOTPWNED

@soulscreme: Have you ever lived in Illinois outside Chicago? I did for 5 years. My friends and I have been stereotyped and discriminated against multiple times by "townies" and other folk even though we're townies ourselves and had our own houses. Until you got experience living in that area I don't think you know what I'm talking about.

I'm just saying what I've been seeing and experienced (even though I agree the "bible thumping" bit might be a little out of line.)

JohnnyLA

I'm a teacher and sometimes have to use permission slips. I realize that some parents simply sign permission slips ignorant of what they are for, but that shouldn't ruin it for the rest of us. As parents we have the right to approve or deny what materials our children are subjected to or allowed to interact with.

My son is 13 and has been playing Halo/Halo2 since age 7. He's no Lil' Poison, but he can BXR with regularity. If we lived there, I'd sign the permission slip in an instant.

VectorScalar

I had heard that Halo was originally rated T, but was later made M to boost sales... is this some sort of urban myth, or is it true?

vrylakos

Sparkamus

Gears of War, Resident Evil 4, Dead Rising... now those are M-rating material.

Toasticus

vrylakos

SomeRandomGuy

If you kid comes needing a note for this tournament, you will want to know what Halo 2 is before signing the note. If you do, and consent, what the fuck is the big deal?

Seriously. This old-ass hipocrites need to change their attitude about gaming. There is no real evidence that games are increasing the violence of our youth. It is just something they have never played, don't understand, and therefore fear. Grow up you old bastards.

sand0789

My only concern is if gamers try to hide behind the "But it's rated T/M/AO, kids shouldn't play it, hands off my game!!" reasoning, then ratings should at the very least be noted and respected-- because if ratings get ignored, people like He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named will be all over it, saying ratings are useless and game makers should be responsible for what people are doing with their game after release.

Justin42

These events went on for two years.
This year, the are no longer allowed (though I was told I - and only I - could host them due to the local success. Other libraries who requested to put on Halo 2 events were denied), despite the fact that the success of my events prompted the library district to purchase 4 Xboxes.

Every week I get 1-3 or more teen boys in the area asking when the next Halo tournament is. We have not had one for a year. This says, to me, that this is a desire that should be met by the library, not run away from due to lots of bad press about video games. Normally, teen boys never ask about future events. This is a coup, IMO. Sadly, it looks like it will not continue.

Tomorrow I host a Dance Dance Revolution tournament with the X360.

In a month, I leave my library district for a smaller one that is less worried about bad press.

Kneejerk reaction can go both ways.

vrylakos

1. Consider that Gears of War is also M for Mature, like Halo 2, but is a far more graphic game with the additions of the curbstomp and the blood-splattering chainsaw and body-splitting grenades. I think the British pictorial ratings system is a bit superior in that it informs you as to what might be objectionable.

2. The rating systems for video games is far to granular and needs to be more explicit especially when the multiplayer content is different from the single player. Essentially, single and multiplayer are two different games in many cases. The rating system is applied to the whole game, cut scenes included. In a tournament, you're only using the multiplayer component, which only contains one portion of the content. When asked by a parent concerned about the rating of Halo 2, I responded that, *in my opinion* the single player cinematic cut scenes and the single player game (wherein NPCs could speak, swear, etc.) were more intense/graphic (Gravemind, for example) and worthy of the M rating, while Halo 2 itself as a multiplayer game was largely very much like paintball if the paintballs in question fire red bullets. Consider that GRAW 2 is T for Teen... I don't see that Halo 2 multiplayer is much different.

3. Many parents were fine with Halo 2 being played. Some had played it themselves, and believed that the Mature rating, while cautionary, was not so applicable that it should stop their teen from participating. Indeed, in the end, while the rating may inform, it is parents who should make the final call, not the ESRB or the library.

4.If teens find Halo to be popular, then it becomes something that libraries should look into as it has media available that can cross promote in the library - novels, art books, magazines, CDs... Familiarity with the content instead of blind reaction to a rating is important.

5. Not noting the rating IS, in my opinion, irresponsible on the library's part. At my events, we posted the rating on the door, with the reasoning behind it.

vrylakos

aestheticity

The Bible.

GrapenutsRobot

The teen rooms have high spec dells (i know but the warranties rock) with battlefield 2,call of duty 2 and a whole bunch of newer fps ,rpg,rts,and sports games.

As long as the games ratings are teen and under we buy and install the games.

We have not had a single parent complain about the games or how violent they are.

In fact we are having a call of duty 2 tournament coming up :)

majortom1981

This thread has nothing to do with the banning of any game. Moreover, to date, the US government has not banned a single game. Ever.

soulscreme

eternalplayer2345

soulscreme

Scazza

However, to remain in a state where this sort of thing is allowed we must make a conscious effort to inform people to the content of said media. The idea is that those who want to experience that content or want their children to be allowed to experience that content can. However, the idea is also that somebody who would be offended by such content can be aware of that fact ahead of time.

I think that many people don't get that I, as a Catholic, would not want to play a game in which the church is profaned in a serious manner. I also would not want to watch a film to that regard or read a book to that regard. Thus, for MY rights as a citizen, I should be informed that such content is included. Also, to raise my future children in a way that I believe is correct I should also be notified when such content may be shown to them.

For instance, "The Last Temptation of Christ" seems like a movie that a Catholic might watch. However, upon seeing it's R-rating I would research it and learn of it's crass depiction of Christ. Those wishing to abolish the ratings system are trying to force their opinions on morality on the general consensus just as much as those who want to entirely ban certain media.

soulscreme

yay venting!

2inches

If I had a guess I'd say that Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Syria are your best bets for nations where The Diary of Anne Frank is banned. A book about a girl who died in the Holocaust doesn't go over well in nations where much of the population doesn't believe that the Holocaust ever happened.

Sparkamus

On top of which, if my kids need a permission slip to attend a function, I'm gonna know what it is exactly I'm signing off on. If that entails a video game, movie, etc. then I have 2 choices: learn about it and make a judgment call, or sign blindly and give up my right to be outraged.

Wei

Kajetan

Like I used to say back in the day:

I bet there's more 12 year olds that have played GTA and Halo than there are 12 year olds who own gamecubes.

otimus

soulscreme

beckerist

soulscreme

There is a lot of bad applications of censorship going on out there, but this one is appropriate and has no greater ramifications.

Pick your battles a little wiser.

PrimetimeFool

The only non Bible thumping holier-than-thou areas in Illinois (for the most part) are in Chicago or in parts of Champaign where the U of I is located.

In between those areas are nothing for the eye to see but corn, soy, pigs, flat land, and people that are about 5-10 years behind the times and about as red as Texas, especially in the south of the state.

I'm not surprised at this at all.

JohnnyLA

soulscreme

In this case, the issue is they're ignoring the ratings and advertising for younger-than-"allowed" players to play, and we're supposed to be up in arms about that.

If you want games like Manhunt 2 or whatever to come out it seems like you should be all for revising this tournament-- the ratings are there for a reason, and if they become so widely ignored as to be useless, it just gives those wanting to entire shut games down more ammunition to say "See, the ratings are useless." At the very, very, VERY least, the nature of the game should be made clear on the permission slip. This isn't even a case of bad parenting allowing a 4 year old to buy GTA- the parents will never SEE the game may rely on information provided. (I can see a kid saying it's a game about going to heaven)

Justin42

soulscreme

t0yrobo

justhesh

soulscreme

RemyDuvalle

Maldron

soulscreme

It's a gamer's blog, the writers are gamers, and if it is relevant to them in a way they feel is relevant to others, they'll put it up. Or if it's cool, or if it's nostalgic - it's their medium to use as they want. And as far as the alternative options go, this is best I've seen.

Maldron

soulscreme

GexX2

kcorbo

soulscreme

soulscreme

Sillender

Drunk-Luigi

Kuraudo

Smokemeakipper

eternalplayer2345