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Venezuela to prohibit violent video games
Legislation will be voted on in the near future to decide if Venezuela will prohibit ownership of violent video games. As usual this is being suggested from the position of stopping children being influenced to commit real crime after playing games.
By Duncan 'Thorin' Shields
Oct 5, 2009 19:26
Legislation will be voted on in the near future to decide if Venezuela will prohibit ownership of violent video games. As usual this is being suggested from the position of stopping children being influenced to commit real crime after playing games.msnbc is reporting that legislation has been put forth in the Venezuelan National Assembly to prohibit violent video games and toys. After receiving initial approval last month the final vote is expected in the coming weeks.
The article says:
One has to wonder if the author has ever actually seen Counter-Strike or a console beyond 1990 with talk of joysticks.
Even an internet cafe owner, Jenny Rangel, seems to have a very pronounced opinion on the effect the games have on the youth:
It's best not to try and imagine the carnage that ensued in the mid 80s when Venezuelan children would no doubt run around dressed in overalls bashing the tops of their skulls off the underside of bricks in an attempt to extract coins from those areas. Then in the early 90s when the same hopelessly influenced children would attempt to fly for a short period of time by taking a run up and a jump, holding a feather and wearing a raccoon's tail.
The article continues:
Ironically this is not a new argument, in fact it is one stated in its most basic form over two thousand years ago. The ancient Greek philosopher Plato felt that exposure to art which contained violent images or themes encouraged people to act upon or out those emotional connections. His student Aristotle instead felt that they had a cathartic effect on the individual, allowing him to purge himself of violent or negative feelings in the act of experiencing the art in question. Since no resolution has been reached for either side conclusively in those thousands of years it is interesting some lawmakers feel so strongly they know one way or the other way the outcome of such actions.
This section of the article both points to some ulterior motives behind these moves and suggests some of the difficulties with enforcing such legislation:
Source: msnbc
The article says:
"Shouts of "Kill him! Kill him!" ring out as the preteens train their virtual assault rifles on the last remaining terrorist and spray him with bullets. Blood splatters. The enemy collapses. And they cheerfully wrap up another game of "Counter-Strike."
The most popular video games among kids often imitate life outside this Internet cafe in San Augustin — one of the many crime-ridden slums in Venezuela's capital, where residents say too many of the young players easily trade joysticks for guns."
The most popular video games among kids often imitate life outside this Internet cafe in San Augustin — one of the many crime-ridden slums in Venezuela's capital, where residents say too many of the young players easily trade joysticks for guns."
One has to wonder if the author has ever actually seen Counter-Strike or a console beyond 1990 with talk of joysticks.
Even an internet cafe owner, Jenny Rangel, seems to have a very pronounced opinion on the effect the games have on the youth:
"The message for them is that you must shoot and kil"
It's best not to try and imagine the carnage that ensued in the mid 80s when Venezuelan children would no doubt run around dressed in overalls bashing the tops of their skulls off the underside of bricks in an attempt to extract coins from those areas. Then in the early 90s when the same hopelessly influenced children would attempt to fly for a short period of time by taking a run up and a jump, holding a feather and wearing a raccoon's tail.
The article continues:
"Lawmaker Jose Albornoz concedes that fighting crime requires a multifaceted approach. But he's convinced that authorities can reduce the murder rate by breaking what he says is a direct link between video games and crime — though most studies find no evidence that such games prompt violent behavior in youngsters.
Venezuela would be one of few countries to impose an all-out ban on the "manufacture, importation, distribution, sales and use of violent video games and bellicose toys." The proposed law would give Venezuela's consumer protection agency the discretion to define what products should be prohibited and impose fines as high as $128,000."
Venezuela would be one of few countries to impose an all-out ban on the "manufacture, importation, distribution, sales and use of violent video games and bellicose toys." The proposed law would give Venezuela's consumer protection agency the discretion to define what products should be prohibited and impose fines as high as $128,000."
Ironically this is not a new argument, in fact it is one stated in its most basic form over two thousand years ago. The ancient Greek philosopher Plato felt that exposure to art which contained violent images or themes encouraged people to act upon or out those emotional connections. His student Aristotle instead felt that they had a cathartic effect on the individual, allowing him to purge himself of violent or negative feelings in the act of experiencing the art in question. Since no resolution has been reached for either side conclusively in those thousands of years it is interesting some lawmakers feel so strongly they know one way or the other way the outcome of such actions.
This section of the article both points to some ulterior motives behind these moves and suggests some of the difficulties with enforcing such legislation:
"critics argue the bill is little more than a public relations stunt by supporters of President Hugo Chavez to camouflage his government's inability to deal with Venezuela's rampant violent crime — the country's most pressing problem according to public opinion polls.
Chavez's government stopped releasing complete annual murder figures in 2005 amid rising concerns. But last year, the Justice Ministry said homicides averaged 152 a week, or roughly 7,900 for the year. That's more than five times the murder rate in Texas, which has roughly the same population as Venezuela.
The law could shutter some retailers, arcades and Internet cafes. But the country's thriving market for pirated video games will likely be untouched by the law — another irony pinpointed by Chavez critics. Most vendors of pirated goods are from the working class, Chavez's core constituency, and they ply their illegal yet tolerated trade on street corners in cities and towns across the country.
At the same time, the understaffed consumer-protection agency would be hard pressed to effectively enforce the ban. Its 163 inspectors spend most of their time struggling to ensure that grocery stores don't flout food price controls aimed at stemming another huge Venezuelan problem — double-digit inflation.
"It's a facade that allows them to say they are doing something to lower the crime rate," Sanchez said, "while hiding the fact that existing policies have failed.""
Chavez's government stopped releasing complete annual murder figures in 2005 amid rising concerns. But last year, the Justice Ministry said homicides averaged 152 a week, or roughly 7,900 for the year. That's more than five times the murder rate in Texas, which has roughly the same population as Venezuela.
The law could shutter some retailers, arcades and Internet cafes. But the country's thriving market for pirated video games will likely be untouched by the law — another irony pinpointed by Chavez critics. Most vendors of pirated goods are from the working class, Chavez's core constituency, and they ply their illegal yet tolerated trade on street corners in cities and towns across the country.
At the same time, the understaffed consumer-protection agency would be hard pressed to effectively enforce the ban. Its 163 inspectors spend most of their time struggling to ensure that grocery stores don't flout food price controls aimed at stemming another huge Venezuelan problem — double-digit inflation.
"It's a facade that allows them to say they are doing something to lower the crime rate," Sanchez said, "while hiding the fact that existing policies have failed.""
Source: msnbc
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for no opposition, so its kinda banned.
P.S.: And I speak from experience!
Peace & Love for all ;)