News
Senators Want Harsher Ratings For Wii Games
I'll Kill Them All With a Wiimote and Nunchuk
by Sarah
You know the Wii, Nintendo’s family-friendly console that appeals to gamers young and old alike? Well, apparently, it’s also a glorified murder training device. That’s right. A group of four senators is insisting that the ESRB rate Wii games more harshly because the interactive controls train children to maim and kill others.
The game they use as an example is, of course, Manhunt 2. The senators had this to say about it:
“That system permits children to act out each of the many graphic torture scenes and murders in Manhunt 2 rather than simply manipulating a game pad… This led one clinical psychologist to state that the realistic motions used with the Wii mean that 'You're basically teaching a child the behavioral sequencing of killing.' While this was not cited as the reason for the BBFC decision, we do believe that the ESRB should take the Wiimote controller, and future advances in game controllers, which create more realistic gaming environments, into consideration."
Now I'm really ready to go out and chop some heads off.
I’m guessing that these senators are all about 102 years old and think that video games are still some new-fangled children’s trend, not an activity enjoyed by gamers of all ages. They also seem to have blatantly ignored the fact that the game is already rated Mature, which means that gamers under the age of 17 should not be playing it without parental consent anyway. Also, by their logic, Mario and Sonic will prepare me for the 2008 Olympics, and playing Trauma Center is a good substitute for med school.
Don't worry, I totally know how to do surgery now.
So what’s next? An M-rating for Lego Star Wars because it trains you to rip apart stormtroopers with a lightsaber? Maybe an entirely different set of ratings for the Wii that range from WTTK (Won’t Train to Kill) to WTTTK (Will Totally Train to Kill)? This has gotten completely out of hand. Maybe the government should find better things to do than mess with our industry, like, I don’t know, stop wars or something. Just a thought.
Comments
Playing Trauma Center IS a good substitute for med school.
I think that there may be times where this is true, but not in this case. As of now the rating system stops anyone under 17 from getting the games anyway (in an ideal world) so why make them harder to get?
A better question might be: why single out one manufacturer for what has been a long-coming trend in the industry? I don't think that Time Crisis 4 will be judged more harshly because you have to actually shoot a gun-shaped controller at human looking images on your screen.
This is nothing more than grandstanding politicians attempting to look tough on crime by going after a soft target. It would take a lot of courage for a senator to come out in favor of violent video games. That shit don't play in Peoria.
These senators are closer to the truth than you think. But, it goes much deeper than kids being violent for violence's sake. Nintendo has been working for years to create an army of mindless adolescent killers. The Wii is Nintendo's final stage of their plan to conquer the world. Did you think that glowing blue light was just an innocent message from Nintendo? We are being hypnotized! Our mii's are their way of tracking us and keeping count of the fallen. Just wait until
Mario Armageddon comes out next year! They will all feel the wrath of Nintendo!
All praise Nintendo!
i'll admit that i do have some issues with violent and otherwise adult gameplay (although i don't try to foist those issues onto unsuspecting citizens). but i don't think that the wii is a more egregious offender than other consoles.
also, if playing mario qualified me for the olympics i'd be swimming in gold medals by now :)
What? the question is what kind of parent wouldn't have the common sense to realize its not a good idea to buy your 10 year old a game called "MANHUNT"? Laws shouldn't make up for bad parenting.
i agree with Suavy. Blame the parents AND the kids themselves since they're the ones training themselves to be mindless cold-blooded killers.
Why are the children playing Manhunt? My child doesn't play Manhunt. Dude, if the Wii is training people, I can now perform surgery becuase of Trauma Center, cook gourmet meals because of Cooking Mama, sword fight because of Pirates of the Carribean and Zelda, and play sports like a pro because of Wii Sports. I better get Manhunt so I can cut off some heads.
seriously this game is too censored now to be a training manual. If there were vivd depictions of the outcome of me swinging my arms around like a jackass instead of blurry nothingness, then maybe it would be a valid point. Seriously I have never looked less trained to kill then when I play this game. Arms flailing and such