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A Comical Newspaper
Here is the letter to the editor of the Seattle PI that I emailed this morning. I do not subscribe to the paper but I will skim it's website with ad blocking enabled from time to time.
I am writing about David Horsey's misinformed comic about video games specifically the PC game Postal 2. That game is rated M and it sale is restricted to all under 17. This is in accordance with the ISDA, an industry body that continues to win praise from social censors such as Joe Lieberman. I am ashamed that such a well respected cartoonist would make such a blatant disregard to the actual facts. I am 25 and I play video games. Should my choices be watered down by irresponsible parents? No! That is why there is a functioning rating system that is enforced by retailers. This is yet another reason why I do not subscribe to your paper.
A non subscriber who is in a market demographic your advertisers would love to get to.
Jake at August 1, 2003 
Games
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Comments
My god, I might be offended by that comic if I could stop laughing. So awesome.
It is afterall, the politial cartoonist role in society to oversimplify issues that they aren't very well informed on in the first place. That's why most people would be wise not to take political cues from cartoons.
Posted by: Marcus at August 2, 2003 7:39 AM
Working in the video game industry and being a parent myself, I have been forced to be an advocate on this subject a few times. Parents who come into the store and are offended that there are games such as GTA: Vice City or the LOK series tend to irritate me. I am not taking away from the adult content in these games, but as a parent, it is my responsibility to make sure my children are playing the appropriate titles. I, myself, enjoy blowing up zombies and killing people on occassion. That is my choice. That is why there is a rating system. To keep children from randomly picking up the same games I choose to play.
Of course, there are those parents who are trying to ruin it for everyone because they don't pay attention to what their children play and then blame it on society. Whatever.
Posted by: Mici at August 2, 2003 9:37 AM
There was an Unreal Tournament level made once based inside Parliament House in NZ. The government kicked a fuss over it and the cybercafe in Wellington had to give it up.
Posted by: Matt at August 2, 2003 1:38 PM
if parents don't care what their children are playing/exposing themselves to, then it is the parents that are creating monsters, no?
Posted by: lilly at August 4, 2003 8:08 AM
Yes but in modern America it is the responsibility of everyone in the world except the parents for how their kids turn out. It takes a village to baby proof and sanitize the freaking village. I mean.. THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!
Posted by: Jake at August 4, 2003 9:54 AM
I kind of think parents aren't even going to be able to police everything their kids are exposed to. For instance, if a parent has a skater kid who plays Tony Hawk Pro Skater and watches skate videos, the parent is likely to think, "Well, that's what a lot of kids are doing. Seems normal." If you watch modern skate videos, you'll see the skaters doing all sorts of daredevil stunts. This isn't pure skateboarding. It's "I want to skate off this set of 40 stairs so the video will be dramatic" skating. Kids watch that and think that's what skating is. So then they focus on all these death-oriented gap tricks and end up breaking their legs and so forth.
In the end, I think it's all part of the natural selection process.
Posted by: Travis at August 5, 2003 4:56 AM
