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Hundreds of children queue up in Gibraltar to buy violent computer games
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•What are the authorities doing about it?
by Man About Town
What does Remembrance Sunday mean to the young of today? Well if the recent last occasion when we paid our respects to the war dead is anything to go by, not a lot, as apparently many kids had other things on their minds.
Whilst many people were honouring the brave at the British War Memorial, just over their shoulder in Main Street, it was another important day for kids, not the poppy day ceremony, no; youngsters were nervously anticipating the release of the ‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’ the supposedly ‘adult video game’ that is also played online and which under-aged children are getting hold of.
Hundreds of youngsters as young as ten years old, some accompanied by parents, had broken from their customary Sunday morning routine of staying in bed or playing on their computers.
The other Sunday duty called for a multitude of our ‘intrepid young video and virtual foot soldiers’ as they all descended on Main Street with £50 in hand, and their own Special Mission of being the first to purchase this very violent realistic computer War game, which is extremely popular locally and is played by a large number of youngsters male and female but mostly male gamers.
PRESENT DAY
This 18-age certificate video game is the latest in the ‘Call of Duty Video game franchise’ which was originally a game that simulated the infantry and combined arms warfare of World War II, but in the last two games in the series released, including the current Modern Warfare 2, the game is set more or less in present day, it involves terrorists who stole some nuclear bombs from Russia and stirred up a bit of a revolt in some made up Arab country, the Western World has decided to kick some backsides hence the game revolves around two characters during the game, first is an SAS trooper called Soap McTavish, the second a Captain Price a US Marines.
Players take part in a series of first-person challenges, which puts them in the place of soldiers in the game. Among the most controversial in this latest game, is a situation where the gamer must decide whether to kill unarmed civilians at a Russian airport in order to infiltrate a terrorist group. The scenes have been deemed so shocking that there are warnings and included 'checkpoints' in the game giving players an option to skip some episodes (what a choice for a young kid).
The games Multiplayer options allow gamers to share consoles or link on the internet to play together as characters in the videogame as an alternative to going solo and continue the killing spree!
This latest game has caused quite a storm in the UK with Ministers and public alike complaining of the very explicit nature of violence and the glorifying of killing people.
INTERNET THREATS
These games are played by thousands of young kids and not so young around the world, but how many parents know what their youngsters are confronted with when spending hours upon hours in their bedrooms on the computer and playing these type games amongst other well known internet threats?
In the United Kingdom for instance the British Government commissioned a report that reported back saying that video games can harm the development of children's beliefs and value systems – making them less sensitive to violence.
This high powered Commission recommended that shopkeepers or retailers who sell games to children under the age set on the box should face a £5,000 fine or a prison term of up to six months.
It is understood that current video games age ratings in the UK, which are piecemeal and partly voluntary, would be replaced with a new legally-binding system with every game rated in the same way as films - which are classed U (universal), PG (parental guidance), 12, 15 or 18. The age guidance would be printed clearly and prominently on its sleeve in a way that can be understood by parents who are not computer-savvy. At present very few computer games - those featuring "gross" violence or offensive sexual images - are covered by an age classification system overseen by the British Board of Film Classification. Other games come under a separate, entirely voluntary European-wide scheme, meaning that very few games carry an 18 certificate.
LOCALLY?NOTHING...
Locally there appears to be nothing by way of legislation or enforcement to protect youngsters against the high dosage and exposure to violence contained in these games which are played by a very large majority of underage youngsters around the Rock, many who are under the 18-year age certification of the game.
Last year a major study of 7,000 online computer gamers revealed that one in nine of them were displaying at least three signs of addiction. The subjects, mostly male and with an average age of up to 21, had symptoms of dependence syndrome (as outlined by the World Health Organisation Guidelines) which include cravings to play, withdrawal symptoms, loss of control and neglect of other activities, does this description or symptoms remind you of anyone you know!
Locally I believe the protection of youngsters against violent or sexually explicit video games merits further looking into, this with a view of introducing some form of control in line with the proposed new legislation protecting the abuse of kids on the internet generally.
It’s frightening to think how society (not only here) is developing, many young kids are living in a virtual world of make belief, with their daily dose of sex, violence, terrorism, war, killing and the maiming of human beings all thrown in for good measure!
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