Jack Thompson vs Dr. Phil

I've seen news cast after news cast, and post after post about Jack Thompsons war on video games, and their affect on society. He seems to think that everything from the rising crime rate to the state of our education system, can be blamed on the amount of sex and violence in video games. And he isn't the only one on this little crusade. The jihadists sponsoring this little invasion of our media range from overprotective mothers in MAVAV to CBS with their unoriginal portrayal of video game based crimes.

However, an episode of Dr. Phil that was aired in early December of 07 points to a source that is far more probable. And that ladies and gentlemen, would be, wait for it...the parents of today. Oh my...the shock, I may have to sit down...and Jack Thompson, well, the man needs a medic...and a trip to the loony bin, but hey, who'm I to judge?

Story goes that 13 yr old Lexie is addicted to the MMO hosted at there.com. Apparently she spends four hours a day making out with her online boyfriend via this 'service', and it's causing some real trouble. Her grades have dropped, she's stopped doing her after school activities, and she doesn't have time for her rl friends. Her mother is starting to wory, and, in the mantra so common to parents today, just "doesn't know what to do". Dr. Phil, however, cut through right to the underlaying issue.

"Four hours a day? It's ridiculous!" he says. "Mom, you've got to step up and shut this down. Once she's at a point where she can play the game instead of being absorbed in the game, then perhaps, she can attempt to go back to it."

First, I'd like to applaud him. The mom needs to recognise her part in all this. Don't know what to do? Dear, your daughter is *thirteen*. If you really can't keep her off this thing there is such a thing as password protecting the computer, or better yet, getting rid of the internet connection altogether until your daughter proves she can handle it like a sane person rather than the way Ethan handles Everquest.*

Point is...He tells the mom to step up and take responsibility for her daughters misbehaviour. He doesn't blame the game for being uneducational, or a waste of time...and let's face it ladies...getting that much action on screen really makes it hard to get a life off screen...but Phil seems to understand that that isn't the fault of the game. It is the fault of the person for not having the restraint, and in this case the fault of the mother for not teaching her daughter how to handle an obsession.

If you ask me, that principle can be applied to a much broader spectrum within the topic of video games. Namely, our policies on violent video games. Many, like Jack Thompson would like to ban these games, or penalise the designers for damage done to children.

Maybe I'm just clueless, but I just can't see how it is Rock Stars fault if a four year old is playing Grand Theft Auto. It is up to the parent to keep games like that out of the child's hands. It's not as though the child is likely to be able to get ahold of a game like that without help.

While the detrimental effect on the childs behaviour is documented, parents have the responsibility, and the tools to prevent that from happening. Unlike candy on Halloween, M-rated video games aren't handed out on street corners to any kid that asks for one. Like with R-rated movies, Mature rated video games can only be purchased by a child with the permission(and in most cases, presence) of their parent.

The next issue would be the funding for that violent video game habit. Most children do not have their own cash. Something or other about child labor laws applies here...so at twenty bucks a pop for used copies, I don't foresee the average four year old being able to afford a collection of violent games any time soon. So who is buying them? The parent.

Parents need to start to make an effort to ensure that they know what their child is playing, and they need to teach them to limit the amount of time they spend playing. The video game company isn't responsible for that. Read the labels, check the ratings. It is your job.

Let's stop shifting the blame from the person spending the money to the product. If the buyer doesn't try to be well informed before they buy, then the results of their purchase are simply not the fault of the corporation. I, for one, think it's time we step up and take responsibility for not paying attention when we fork over our cash.
Agree with me, show your support with a comment. Think I'm being to harsh? Bite back, with a comment.




To read up on the game ratings, and what is appropriate for your childs age group, check out this page.

* Ethan is a character from Ctrl + Alt + Del comics. He is Lilahs boyfriend. Others will tell you he has another role, like main character, but don't let them deceive you. Lilah has breasts, and a brain, and is therefore far more important to the story. Beginning of the everquest obsession story line. It's probably the best online game comic ever done. If you aren't up on it...you should fix that.