freespeech

Anunnaki

ssh83

Please point me to this paradise of a gaming community that is of such quality, civility, and high caliber that it has the ability to deign to consider Kotaku a laughing stock, especially compared to IGN, or Gamespot, or Gamefaqs or Joystiq or any of those other unmoderated (or barely moderated) communities out there.

Or to put in more colloquial terms, "Stop talking out of your ass".

Billkwando

He's not saying these games shouldn't be made, or we should blame the makers for making it. He's not saying the government should ban or censor them either, nothing he said was offensive to the gaming community. The idea is that we should be trying to encourage kids to spend less time on 'entertainment' (not just video games) and more time on schoolwork.

If you think otherwise, you are part of the reason why America is full of fat underachieving morons.

And this is a terrible headline for the Kotaku staff...it's misleading and irresponsible. When did you turn into the mainsteam media?

The1Question

Here's what I said: "Video games did not have the effect they do now 11 years ago. So their ZOMG!-ing because it actually means something now."

That says that they did have an effect, but not the same kind of effect. Which is true, considering that games have become more realistically violent and more involving in the past 11 years.

Please don't argue semantics with me, I really don't like it. Nowhere in any of my posts do I say that the original GTA did not cause controversy.

Granted, the original thing that I posted would look better if it said "Video games did not cause the kind of high profile controversy that the did previously as the level of depth and realism has grown in the 11 years from the original GTA game. Their ZOMG!-ing because they pretty much do that over any realistically violent or over deviant video game."

TheAbsoluteJay

vaga_koleso

L_K_M

And I agree with a couple other posts on here that either many users commenting did not watch the video or have serious comprehension problems.

Replica23

As for this video, I gotta say, it's just one more reason why I like Obama. I mean, the guy's said stuff that basically says "You can't change the world while sitting in front of a Playstation," but he's never been one of the "Oh, we need to start banning all sorts of these horrible games" people. You know that he's probably got almost NO familiarity with the game personally, but he's showing that he's informed about the reality of the situation, rather than the media hype over what some people would like us to think is real.

Yes, there are violent and mature games. Just like there are violent and mature movies. But it's the responsibility of the parents, guardians, older siblings, and even just the adults in a child's life to help guide our young children and to limit or even censor what they see and play on an INDIVIDUAL level, not as a community as a whole. People don't decry Hollywood studios for making horror movies or ones featuring excessive violence and gunplay. What they do is simply try to make sure that their children don't watch those films. And that's what parents need to do with these games. Unfortunately, with the generations the way they are now, parents seem more comfortable with letting their children be raised by a TV set and a controller than in taking an active hand in the child's development.

I do believe that Mr. Obama's shown that there IS a politician that gets it. Now if only I could mention him around my mother without hearing about how Barack and Michelle are anti-American and Rev. Wright's a terrorist and that they believe his rantings. *sigh*

JimTheFly

Parents are much more influential than video games will ever be. They need to take some damned responsibility.

Uzumaki_Kiba

@Rebel Without Applause:
Sorry, here I thought we were posting comments on a blog based around video game news. Nerd facts are still facts, and honestly.. you're original post was about a presidential candidate not knowing GTA4 had multiplayer. How is that not a nerd fact?

ANeM

You fail at reading.

Captain Impulse

He's not bashing video games, he's bashing bad parenting! He's saying parents need to do more with their kids!

Why do I not see any articles on Kotaku about Hillary? She wants to make federal game regulations!

stafax

And trust me I get carded all the time. I haven't really changed in height or appearance since I was 16.

Yeah its embarrassing, but they don't do it entertain themselves. They could get their store fined or worse lose their job. God forbid a "secret shopper" is the ONE person they don't card.

Just show them your card and buy the game. Its just stores doing their part to ensure kids aren't playing mature games w/o their parents permission.

grecords

purplehanz

Xander

KM91

Haniko

Xcite79

Feel like a douche when it happens.

TRT-X

Samos42

A few weeks ago, somebody else posted an article ripping him apart for saying essentially the same thing, and not really listening to what he was saying.

Kudos to you.

Mxylsptlk

meh.

:)

Onizuka-GTO

CEI

_Ted_

npa190

WangBacca

You wouldn't have been arguing with him, because he agrees with you. That is what he is saying, that parents aren't being active in raising their kid.

B52airplane

Off topic but related: I got a PS3 instead of an Xbox because I knew I wouldn't want to interact with my fellow gamers. As it is, I only go online to download things.

janine

I'm guessing you haven't seen his most recent post?

Damn post lag! LOL

Billkwando

I am simply calling people out who are reading the headline, see "Obama" and "Video games" in the same sentence, and go on a tirade about how Obama is just another video-game bashing moron...or how he forgets it's the parents responsibilites.

All the while blissfully ignoring the content of the article, which even includes the full video of his exact statements.

It's not just a problem with Obama articles, it's one of the biggest problem I see on Kotaku (and other gaming blogs). Commenters read the headline and provide their kneejerk reaction, which then completely and blatantly ignores the content of the article.

The fact it's an Obama article is irrelevant. It's just that this particular article has such a deluge of content regarding his exact stance and quotes that its almost painfully obvious when a commenter failed to look at any of it.

And yeah, the "OBAMA 08" posters are just as annoying, but at least they aren't aruging against something that the guy never said.

Let me provide the following equivalent example:

Kotaku Headline:
"New Guitar Hero DLC schedule annouced."
Content:
"Activision annouced today it would release new Guitar Hero DLC every Friday."

Commenter Responds: "Who cares, Rock Band's DLC is weekly and thus will always be better."

There. I just made the same point without involving Obama. Content?

TRT-X

Damn post lag!

Billkwando

The difference is they're not attacking other posters......but again, it was a mistake on your part that started the whole thing, so why not accept responsibility for that fact and acknowledge that we cannot intrinsically know that what you wrote was in error, and therefore our comments stem from said error?

In other words, unwad your panties and move on.

Billkwando

I_Hate_This_Place

Ok, so you misconstrue somebody else's post, then backpeddle like mad, and suddenly I'M the smug asshole? Ok dude.

Whoopdeedoo, I overlooked where TRT-X mentioned banning. The fact remains that no matter who wrote it, my statement to you was correct. No amount of rewriting history will change that fact.

Again on the whoopdeedoo tip, I made an O'Reilly joke. "No spin", geddit? No?

Oh well. I guess a little sarcasm goes a long way.

Let's just leave it at "you were wrong" and not belabor the point.

Billkwando

kw4k

Edutainment is a nice idea, and it works when it's done right. Making education something fun, enjoyable and not wear you out is a nice way to make kids thirsty for knowledge. So that they can keep this thirst up in college and university.

Parents need to participate in their childrens life, this is the "contract" you sign when you give birth, to lead them down the right path, pick them up when they trip. And dust them off, even.

Also, headliner-readers are FTL, worse than the sensationalist media and should be banned.

Itchy (PSN: Kaizoku-ou)

I'm not sure he mentions that his way of living is better than anyone else's.

In fact, I'm not really sure what you are trying to say at all anymore, except the fact that he has no business to comment on anybody's way of doing anything, in which case, you have no business in commenting on him having no business commenting on people's way of life.

I mean, who are you?

TheAbsoluteJay

I_Hate_This_Place

sisedi

I_Hate_This_Place

You're reading it with a partisan slant, when he's really simply saying that people who comment without reading the article or watching the video should be banned .....because if the commenter "tells Obama that parents should raise their kids instead of games" then they clearly haven't watched the video or read the article.

Nice spin attempt, but you're no O'reilly. My original point still stands.

Sorry I missed it in my first search.

Billkwando

mquest

Though it'll be entertaining to watch I_Hate_This_Place try to argue he knows what I'm saying better than I do.

TRT-X

Sailorcancer

I_Hate_This_Place

I_Hate_This_Place

Shaynringan

I see what you did there. Good show, old chap, good show.

stereoa

You have lost my vote

From
A Republican so its not like it mattered in the first place

LobsterBreeder

Perhaps you'd like to refresh our memory as to which person "like" TRT-X you were referring to?

Whomever it was, I'm pretty sure my previous comment is still accurate.

Billkwando

TheAbsoluteJay

Nobody said anyone should be banned for not liking Obama, that I saw. Perhaps that's just what your personal perception filter told your brain after you read it?

Billkwando

doing

The point he was trying to make is that kids are doing things other than studying and that parents aren't completely helping them get in the right direction.

TheAbsoluteJay

dry-roasted-peanuts

Angryrider

I_Hate_This_Place

I think your analysis in saying that Obama and the other politicians have to analyze the real problem to fix it is right on the money.

The problem is that's not particularly what voters want to hear.

Also, I'm not sure that the economy is the complete answer. He said "across the board" many times, one time pertaining to the fact that "media raising youth" is across all classes, not just ones where parents are working more.

I'm not saying the economy isn't a problem and a part of this problem. I'm just saying that's not the problem.

And finally, more specifically to this article and video, Obama was not asked about what the problem could be or how he is going to fix it, it seems he was simply asked about education or some variation thereof.

TheAbsoluteJay

I checked to be sure, but yep......

Billkwando

What surprised me even more is the fact that he even knew what Grand Theft Auto was in the first place :p.

Phlycheez

sedarisan

She's effectively keeping him from sounding like those lovely "experts" on fox news.

sedarisan

Arklop

At no point that I am aware of has he said videogames are in and of themselves a problem; he says that videogames are a problem when they're raising kids more than parents are. This is true. This is true of ANYTHING that raises kids more than their parents do.

This is exactly what people mean when they criticize gamers as reactionary. Anything that even vaguely looks like it might be anti-gaming in any way will instantly be torn apart without any further thought going into it. It won't be checked to see if what we think was said is what was actually said, and what was meant is a distant tertiary consideration to outrage and bombast.

Mister Adequate

sedarisan

If you actually opened your mind and paid attention (I know, you probably watch Fox news, so are not in practice doing either of these things), you would realize that Obama made your point for you. At NO POINT did he blame games for kids problems, he just said that parents have to be involved with their children and make sure they do their schoolwork and not just play games, watch TV, etc. Next time, try listening before speaking first, it helps!

And for those who argue, "what's he going to do about it?" I think the refreshing thing is that he's not, unlike most politicians would, proposing any legislation about games. Rather, what he's suggesting is the use of the presidency as a "bully pulpit" to try to advocate and inspire parents to do better at raising their kids. Wow! A politician who trusts the American people to do the right thing, given a chance! Who'da thunk it?

elpflasa

His job, as a politician, and someone who wants to be a leader of men, is to propose solutions for the people who believe in him to use. As a candidate for the american presidency, America and Americans are, in fact, his business. His job is to be a role model for other adults. To lead by example, in some cases. It's very much his damn business because he doesn't want to see this country go to hell in a handbasket.

TheAbsoluteJay

BongoYoda

This is the 1st GTA console version with multiplayer. Majority of the people playing GTAIV never touched a GTA game on a PC.

GTAIV will have thousands upon thousands more people logging in online games than the PC versions ever seen.

I Spit On Your Comments

ionwaffle

perrinbar

Also, he does have some common sense, but I'm still not buying it. 20 years!

HaydenTenno

sohpi

I love that his campaign has been all about stuff that you need to hear instead of stuff that you want to hear. Nobody else wants to step up and say these sorts of things, they're all about the media attention.

THECapedCaper

He raises some good points.

Witzbold

In fact, I'm not voting for any of them since I don't live in the US.

Rybo5000

I should read the headline see politician and video game in the same headline and comment about how stupid the politician is.

Dumb politician, blaming video games for everything. The parents shouldn't let their kids play the games.

ProfWho

The same goes for video games and politics, imo. The point of video games + politicians = no no still stands. The fact that a politician is telling parent's how to raise their kid's isn't helping anyone. People don't look at this and say who hes right or wrong about how parents raise kids, they just look at it as another video game bashing. That's proven by the fact he mentions GTA on purpose. If I had my way Kotaku would never post about politics, but this video game related and thats why it's here. If you want to debate about politics go somewhere else. I'm talking from a gamer's point of view. It sicken's me to see these many comments about politics on Kotaku. With that said this is dead to me.

exstrat

Did you even watch the video? And what's this self proclaimed messiah of politics shit?

Bah ... I'm done with commenting. These asshats are making my blood boil.

dead_red_eyes

The NERVE I tells yah.

TRT-X

Tesahli

Sadly people like us are the minority around here now. Seems no one wants to read the articles, but rather just comment after reading a headline. The comments on here the last couple of months have been nothing short of shit and doesn't give me much hope for the future.

dead_red_eyes

dead_red_eyes

@jasoncourt:(PS: vote you clowns, no matter who its for, and don't let this issue be your deciding one, because if it is...how very sad for you)

I don't want idiots voting. The uninformed tend to vote for freebies and pork barrel or which candidate is handsome.

battra92

You might as well have said:
"We all know if Hitler had said "be nice to Jews" the post would have been different."

"All of this cult like obama worship scares the shit out of me. What can be worse than a president who is a religious figure?"

Ok, so now you've gone from reactionary to off the deep end. Maybe it's your "cult like" hatred of Obama that causes you to see things this way?

Seriously. I'm a Billary man myself, and to me, you sound like HurricaneDave.

Billkwando

auberondreaming

+ Watch video

Oh that Obama..just take a minute to unwind. Maybe dance a little.

Zenocide

Troll much?

dead_red_eyes

Grimmjow Jeagerjaques

CrazyBlue

I think you should change your name to StrawManDave.

Billkwando

Gray665

Barack is not saying what most senators say "games are bad, ban games!"

nerdBOY01

That said, this is the closest to "accurate" you guys have been about Obama and games so far.

ProfWho

nerdBOY01

blacksamurai87

You guys make some points worth addressing. AbsoluteJay said bad parenting isn't necessarily exposing your kids to adult content, if that content is put in context. And Gort23 said, bullying parents into doing the right thing isn't the answer.

These are good points. I suppose the problem is, in a crappy economy where gas is pushing $4 a gallon, more families are forced to work harder. There is less time for the kids, because people need to make ends meet. Fewer mothers can afford to be stay at home moms, etc, in which case kids are more likely to have to entertain themselves. Some parents, busy as they are, hear about the hype surounding a new game and probably buy it to keep their kids entertained while they aren't there, and right now, there's nothing to stop them. Are more rules, regulations and government bullying the answer? Well, probably not the desirable answer.

But then, as president of the United States, if you want to fix the problem, you have to think about the underlying factors creating the problem and how you are going to fix them.

If you aren't going to put more regulations on sales of mature video games to kifd, then you have to fix the problem by helping to fix the economy, so that parents will have time again with their kids.

Otherwise, it's all just talk. But is it right to talk to parents about these issues? Sure.

DugDawg

as a couple ppl have said alreday, he did say that hes not attacking a particular game, and that the game is intended for adults.. he just said that the news report on GTA REMINDED him that entertainment is raising our kids.. which is true in a lot of cases.

shouryuuken

parasiteartist

Don't blame anything else. I mean its now BS that even though I can have a full berd growing and hold a Car and Motorcycle license for 5 years now, they still card me. When I get carded I don't buy the game, simple as that, I go to another store because there is one thing in asking a teenager who looks on the border and carding a 21 year old!

wickedcobra03

dry-roasted-peanuts

Nothing to see here.

Billkwando

there have always been these kinds of "negative" influences around (sex, violence, etc.) that little kids should clearly not be exposed to. responsibility does not fall on developers, the government, or retailers, it is ultimately parents who have to set limits, and enforce some kind of values.

pine22

"As for his comments on video games raising our children, it really isn't a criticism of gaming in as much as it is a criticism of parents, which I agree with wholeheartedly. It's nice to see a politician who grasps that simple concept"

I'm glad we'll have a president like Obama who isn't just another ignorant politician blaming games for the world's problems. Still, it's too bad we'll still have ignorant commenters like the ones already spewing hate without understanding the context of this post. It's quite sad.

Buttah

DARTH_TIGRIS

TheAbsoluteJay

TheAbsoluteJay

Obama(Barack) seems to get it. He's right there is a little too much time spent on entertainment and not enough elsewhere. He didn't fly off the handle and or make any crazy blanket statements about how horrible games are. Michelle did seem a little more "no no, those video game are bad, I don't like them, no sir"

Now where's my pre-order copy I bought online #$%#'n familyvideo.com :)

jasoncourt

Sure, good and bad parents exist, but people can change, and perhaps if society talks more about what makes a parent good, we'd see fewer bad ones.

My wife is an elementary school teacher. She's taught both second and third grade, and I am constantly appalled at the stories about what some of her kids have seen. There was no shortage of parents who let their eight year olds play GTA3. Not the games fault, of course, but parents need to be told that if they do that, they are likely shitty parents.

(Sure, there are grey areas, but sitting with your kid and watching a quality R-rated movie while giving him context is far different then tossing a controller to the kid because it lets you ignore him for a few hours.)

Gort23

dry-roasted-peanuts

AkumaX

SirCobbins

lol, classy

Shoot2thrill

It's actually dead day so I don't have to go, but I have tons of Homework to catch up on. Plus, I want to spend my Sunday assembling my new computer, so it would be to my advantage to have this cleared out before hand.

You kids play nice while I'm gone. ;)

Pezdispenser

...sorry.

couldn't resist

:look embarrassed:

Onizuka-GTO

Very true. He starts of by mentioning how schools can't carry the entire burden as far as educating our children. Then he transitions into how video games are raising our children. To me it is pretty clear that he means that because parents are as involved with their kids videogames are raising our kids.

I think he doesn't take care to note that working class family parents often have to work two jobs to be able to just get by. It's not just an issues where we can say oh ok.. just get jonny away from the tv set. We have to start by looking at how the structure of our economy makes it harder for working class, and middle class families to spend time together. Working class families have to work two jobs to just make it, middle class people have to work late hours at that one job (they may have more time but the work load is still excessive). Middle class families do have access to healthier more expensive food though.

I for one agree that children should play less video games. Maybe not play less, but exercise more. I swear I've met too many kids who have gotten chunky because they don't play outside anymore. I was one of them. There is nothing that to me could justify staying online playing WOW for 8-12 hours a day. I've never met a WOW player that only plays 2 to 3 hours a day.

I also do believe that the values embedded in these games can and do affect the way we perceive our own world. Do I think it will make us commit violent acts? No. Do I think video games perpetuate racism, sexism, homophobia, etc? Yes, but it's also a reflection of the already existing problem of those things in our society.

almarota1979

Perfectly valid point, but at least he is talking. It may not be much, but hopefully someone out there will actually think about what he's saying and do something positive for a change. Baby steps I suppose...

Pezdispenser

But he is politician and his career is still very young. One can only hope he keeps away from such non-sensible bull.

DefDealer

It's not about stricter rules, more specific ratings. It's about parents getting involved.

TheAbsoluteJay

Does Not Equal

What is there to argue. It was the truth.

Benjamin Linus

DocHolidayVT

MURDERFACE

"Part of the problem with education is not something that the government alone can fix: parents have to get involved."

Communist heathen agent!

Antiterra

Guys, you are both correct. I'm not criticizing Obama for making a valid point: parents shouldn't buy 'M' rated games for their kids. I totally agree with that.

I'm just wondering how talking about parents being better parents is really going to fix the problem.

Sure, kids far too young to experience the content in the game will likely play the game. When I was a young kid, I remember going over to a friend's house whose parents let him watch rated "R" movies with full frontal nudity and I was like, whoa! Bad parenting for sure, but it's just how society works. You have good parents and bad parents.

Unless he -- as president of the United States -- is really going to do anything about it, it's all just talk.

What is he going to do to fix the problem? Make stricter rules for selling "M" rated content to kids. Figure out a way to punish irresponsible parents? I dunno. It seems like talk is just talk.

Aside from that, however, it is nice to see that a politician is not pointing the finger at video games (points at Jack Thompson), but instead, at parents.

DugDawg

Sounds like we have an Obama hate boy on our hands.

According to you Politicians + 90 second clip about games = Major Important issue.

Education and the Economy are both very real issues, it just so happens that video are linked to both. And did I ever say I was an Obama Fanboy? No.

Pezdispenser

I don't really like Obama, seems a bit preachy most times. I'm defending him because he's a political figure who sometimes says something that isn't so bad and deserves to be commended. In this particular case, he has said what many have said and it's being taken as something else.

Listen to yourself when you say things like that. If you knew what Thompson stood for, you'd know better.

@ANeM: Video games did not have the effect they do now 11 years ago. So their ZOMG!-ing because it actually means something now.

TheAbsoluteJay

Didn't Hillary say "God want's all hispanics in America" Yeah... I remember that speach...

Ixero

Ixero

alby13

You continue to prove that you didn't watch a second of that video.

His message is and always has been about parenting. Games, music, movies, TV...those are all examples of things that parents are using in substitution of actual parenting.

Are you actively ignoring the article?

TRT-X

Jack Thompson blames video games for poor behavior.

Barrack Obama blames parenting for poor behavior.

Thompson != Obama. It's a night and day difference. ...if you read the article.

TRT-X

Doomstalk

ANeM

Politicians + video games = no no.

Keep it to the real issues please is my point. Did I ever say his whole campaign is based on video games? No.

exstrat

I find this statement humorous on two counts.

1) The comments for this article are filled with rhetoric beind spewed by people who didn't bother to read the article.

2) This leaves me wondering if the poster himself bothered to avidly read the comments prior to making his own.

But hey, you could really look at ANY Kotaku article, GameFAQs thread, or really any gaming discussion site for tons of examples of people who reply having either only read the initial article...or the headline.

TRT-X

@HurricaneDave: What. The. Fuck.
Are you on drugs? Please, tell me you are... Bringing up the communists, seriously?

Antiterra

janine

Silent Predator

The whole "zomg GTA4 has multiplayer" thing is kind of silly considering the original multiplayer GTA was released ELEVEN YEARS AGO.

ANeM

All of this cult like obama worship scares the shit out of me. What can be worse than a president who is a religious figure?

minus_273

wasanasan

I know I'm reiterating what Pezdispenser said, but I want to say it anyway.

I don't have a problem with you wanting to argue with him. What I do have a problem with if you not listening to what he said. I have a problem with you sounding off like that, giving what I would call a bad name for gamers who are in that aforementioned age group of 18 - 34 who listen.

My mom would kick my butt (figuratively, of course) outside if I was just lounging around for too long. She'd make me do my homework and sometimes read before letting me play games/watch TV.

He's right, and the smart people who get drowned out by the dumb people have always been right. It's not about violence, it's not about sex or any of that other garbage, it's about the parents getting involved.

TheAbsoluteJay

Scorpi

It was a good clip. Hilary's response would be "we gotta ban this game!"

I'm not sure on McCain's stance.

@Pezdispenser: I heard that too. He said the that the parents are responsible. Right there in the clip.

symeon6

But I'm willing to bet avid gamers read more than the average person.
[www.gamefaqs.com]

Also looking at my facebook friends.. around 75% who listed gaming as an interest also listed reading or is a person I know as an avid reader.

mindtoxicity

I wonder if making a goo-gob of money is like making a popcorn ball, but less tasty?

doubtful

I could say the same to you. You claim that Obama would force the government to control everyones lives when the very first thing out of his mouth in this clip is him saying the government can't do everything and that the parents should get involved with their kid's lives.

Can't anyone here do a little research before flying off the handle? Quick show of hands, who here has posted without realizing that the image is actually a video link?

Pezdispenser