yellowfire7
New Member
One thing I would like to correct about the article, exposure to violent acts has been shown to increase the likelihood that children will repeat those acts. The Bobo Doll experiment, if anyone is interested, raises a few eyebrows at least. Hitting a doll is in no way a bloodthirsty action, yet it promotes aggression.
I believe that any law like this would, by and large, be useless. In order for a child to buy the game, they first have to get to the store. Assuming the child does not live within easy walking distance of the store, if a child goes to the store and purchases a game without the parent knowing, they:
(A) can drive, making the law mostly negligible as they are almost to the age threshold required, or are taking a joyride,
(B) crossed busy streets without the parent's knowledge or permission, a more immediate worry than what the child may be buying if they are young enough,
(C) were taken by an older friend, or
(D) the parent brought them there and then lost track of them as they made their purchase.
Completely ignoring the possible law at hand, the simple possibility that the child may go the distance seems to be a larger issue in most cases. If you see other ways, please, tell me.
Assuming that they can arrive at the game store without incurring some other concern, however, I would not be in support of this restriction. I don't buy into the argument that blocking the purchase is a violation of rights (whose rights are being violated again? And if it is a right to buy, how can anything be banned?), as if it is in the child's protection, there are precedents which state it to be legal. I do, however, feel that it is an unnecessary and easily circumvented burden on retailers that should already be in effect through other means. For example, the Nintendo Wii can read game ratings and set filters to block certain ratings, effectively blocking the child from playing games with ratings the parents don't approve of, if the parent simply takes the effort to do so.
Blocked from purchasing is not blocked from playing. They can go over to a friends house, order it online, ask somebody else to buy it for them, etc. Again and again, it comes back to the parents simply being aware of what is happening in their house and to their children, and if they cannot manage that, there is more at issue than games. I am not promoting parent dictatorship, just awareness.
I believe that any law like this would, by and large, be useless. In order for a child to buy the game, they first have to get to the store. Assuming the child does not live within easy walking distance of the store, if a child goes to the store and purchases a game without the parent knowing, they:
(A) can drive, making the law mostly negligible as they are almost to the age threshold required, or are taking a joyride,
(B) crossed busy streets without the parent's knowledge or permission, a more immediate worry than what the child may be buying if they are young enough,
(C) were taken by an older friend, or
(D) the parent brought them there and then lost track of them as they made their purchase.
Completely ignoring the possible law at hand, the simple possibility that the child may go the distance seems to be a larger issue in most cases. If you see other ways, please, tell me.
Assuming that they can arrive at the game store without incurring some other concern, however, I would not be in support of this restriction. I don't buy into the argument that blocking the purchase is a violation of rights (whose rights are being violated again? And if it is a right to buy, how can anything be banned?), as if it is in the child's protection, there are precedents which state it to be legal. I do, however, feel that it is an unnecessary and easily circumvented burden on retailers that should already be in effect through other means. For example, the Nintendo Wii can read game ratings and set filters to block certain ratings, effectively blocking the child from playing games with ratings the parents don't approve of, if the parent simply takes the effort to do so.
Blocked from purchasing is not blocked from playing. They can go over to a friends house, order it online, ask somebody else to buy it for them, etc. Again and again, it comes back to the parents simply being aware of what is happening in their house and to their children, and if they cannot manage that, there is more at issue than games. I am not promoting parent dictatorship, just awareness.