Boycotting EA Games

[JamBurglar]

Yeah, remember all those violent video games Hitler used to play?

The nudity thing is actually funny because in 80s when a lot of us were kids, movies had waay more nudity. A lot of PG movies had nudity (like Airplane II), and when PG-13 game out those movies had nudity (like Weird Science).

Also, in the 80's the bad guys in Star Wars smoked hookas (Jabba). Now the bad guys in Star Wars get a lecture for smoking "death sticks" (cigarettes).

Well, we have sheltered the hell out of our kids and violence is still out there (and nudity too, oh my). I really think it's a parenting thing too for the most part. I mean, some people are assholes regardless of upbringing but I digress. So, we've got much less nudity and much more violence.

I think kids are getting too violent because they're sexually repressed. You heard it here first people!

 

[paulliadis]

I don't plan on getting that game because it's personally just not my type of game. I don't really dig the ultra-violence type games. Just not my thing.

That said, I don't think the game should be censored or banned because a kid might see it. Us adults should be able to have entertainment too, after all.

To be fair, I did not check out the link from the OP, because, well it's Fox News. I'd be just as well informed if I went downtown and listen to the crazy guy screaming at the stop sign as I would from them.

 

[shilmover]

I agree. This is totally up to the parents.

I have 2 boys (13 & 10) and they think I am too restrictive on their gameplay. The 13 year old has been allowed to play games like halo for about 2 years, the 10 year old about 6 months. Although their friends have been allowed to play halo since they were 6 or 7.

They are both banned from games like COD which does not sit well with them, but I really don't give a flying F* about. Its not a game that I want my kids to see or play. Their friends play it so its a bit of a sticking point at our house but whatever, not my problem. Funny thing is that I talked to 2 of the friend's dads about COD and they had no idea what was going on with the game.

 

[ikarispy]

Adult content usually means anything but..Uhh, he said butt uhhh hahahaha hey bevis.

 

[More Cowbell]

Gaming systems unfortunately have this holdover attitude attached to them that they are for kids therefore all of the games should be appropriate for kids. There are many many many adults who play video games, should they be forced to only play E rated games because some kid might play an M game due to bad parenting? If you don't want your kids to play M rated games, don't buy them and don't send your kids to other kids' houses who play them. It's like Mark Twain said, "Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it."

 

[Lindsey]

i'm officially boycotting them.

Were you planning on buying any EA games in the first place?

 

[RareHero]

Gaming systems unfortunately have this holdover attitude attached to them that they are for kids therefore all of the games should be appropriate for kids.

It's amazing that it has been almost 20 years since Mortal Kombat came out, violent videogames were in the public spotlight, and the ratings system was created....and people *STILL* think that videogames are "just for kids" ...especially since many of the people who have kids now GREW UP with video games and know the story! This is like being shocked that kids are going to see R rated movies....Parents- DO YOUR FUCKING JOBS and expose your kids to appropriate content.

 

[ArcRevival]

I agree it should be left to the parent, but the problem is not many parents are doing their jobs and keeping the inappropriate content away from their kids, and in some ways we all end up paying for that. Ultimately , i am against banning the games, but leaving it up to the parents is not working either. There really isn't a good way to solve it. People wanna have kids, they just dont want to be parents.

 

[ArcadEd]

I agree too, parents job. I really don't see the big deal with the ESRB rating being enforced at game retailers. I remember when the PA sticker came out on CDs back when I was in Middle School.

All this hate for EA just cracks me up. Its like there is just all this pent up frustration because of the NFL deal years ago. People forget that EA got screwed by 2k sports on the baseball deal so we all lost.

My best friend works for EA Vancouver and I absolutely loved his last game NBA Jam. The game he worked on before that, facebreaker, was a POS and I let him know. It's just funny the hatred he gets from people because he works at EA. Even though his branch of EA has nothing to do with most of the BS.

I am curious if the same people that are "Boycotting" EA now, boycotted Rockstar a few years back when GTA came out.

 

[pookdolie]

I'm from New England. I know an old-school book-burning mentality when I see it...

 

[ikarispy]

Video games today are not unlike music in the eighties with the offensive lyrics. Maybe it's a rebellion kind of thing. The situation is the same, the media has changed.

 

[jethrokiller]

I don't know about any of this. Me and my kid (he's four now) just play the regular NES.

 

[Level42]

What is really bad is that parents won't pay attention to the violence, and you will see 8 year olds playing it.

That hits the spot !

My son is 8 and no way he's going to see/play these kind of games.
I've seen the thing you describe with my nephew and actually talked with my brother about it and he said "hey it's just a game" but I still think (am I old-fashioned) that this type of stuff is NOT NORMAL....

 

[Riptor]

Whats the difference? Kids these days are introduced to sex, drugs and violence at an early age most of the time at school. If the kids are raised correctly it shouldnt be an issue.

 

[osver]

Parents should raise kids, and look after what they see, not the ESRB and the government.

Personal / Parental responsibility folks.

 

[sosage]

Better boycott the entire medium if violence is your problem. Censorship is and always will be the end user's problem. We can't pass off our personal responsibility higher up the consumer chain, even though past generations have tried. It's irresponsible to our creative community and mentally lazy as parents.

Grow up and realize everyone doesn't want your taste or moral philosophies forced and regulated onto them. At least mature enough to realize society doesn't owe our children a walk on egg shells just because they might see something we're gonna have to explain to them later. Our children sneaking around the rating system is our little growing pain as parents to face. Deal with it.

If you want to boycott EA, at least make it be about their atrocious track record when it comes to employee exploitation.

 

[back2the80s]

Whats the difference? Kids these days are introduced to sex, drugs and violence at an early age most of the time at school. If the kids are raised correctly it shouldnt be an issue.

I agree! you be suprised what my 13 year old daughter tells me about the kids in school now a days, it was nothing like that when I was growing up.

 

[neopolss]

Video games today are not unlike music in the eighties with the offensive lyrics. Maybe it's a rebellion kind of thing. The situation is the same, the media has changed.

Exactly. We as a adults sometimes forget how we were as kids. I do though. I wasn't even out of grade school and you'd hear plenty of profanity, sex jokes, and of course, giddy laughter at whatever so-an-so smuggled away from his/her parents. Don't treat your kids like they're dumb. They've already seen it or played it at a friend or somewhere away from your home. They may not understand it all, but they know what it is. Nothing's changed.

 

[ASilver76]

For all of you not in the know, the Fox article was complete BS

But then what do you really expect from Fox?

Here is the actual state of affairs, complete with citations:

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/02/21/bulletstorm-gate-fox-news-responds/

 

[thebman80]

Well since there no longer making the Command and Conquer series I have no reason to ever buy a game from them again. Plus the fact that they totally destroyed the series which was basically the only computer game I liked. I don't know what they F they where thinking changing the game play totally around for the last game.