http://gamrfeed.vgchartz.com/story/8399 ... o-rapists/
Ich weiss nicht ob ich lachen, weinen oder Amok laufen soll...
Fox News Says Bulletstorm Turns People into Rapists
What the crap Fox News.
Fox News has warned parents off of the upcoming M-rated game Bulletstorm (calling it "the worst video game in the world"), alleging that it and other games in the same vein are directly responsible for an increase in the incidence of rape. You can't just toss around the word "rape," Fox News. Ask Penny Arcade.
The "Skill Shots" in the game - rewards for shooting people in certain areas/ways - have sexually suggestive names such as "gang bang" for killing multiple enemies or "topless" for cutting a player in half. The combination of innuendo and graphic violence will be very damaging to young gamers, who, Fox News claims, are the target market for the M-rated Bulletstorm.
To back their claims, Fox News quotes various "experts" in the field, like Dr. Jerry Weichman, a clinical psychologist at the Hoag Neurosciences Institute in Southern California: "If a younger kid experiences Bulletstorm's explicit language and violence, the damage could be significant. Violent video games like Bulletstorm have the potential to send the message that violence and insults with sexual innuendos are the way to handle disputes and problems."
And then there's this lovely quote from psychologist/author Carol Lieberman: "The increase in rapes can be attributed in large part to the playing out of [sexual] scenes in video games."
... What. No backing evidence. No examples. This is just a fact of life at Fox News, I guess. The RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network) website (the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization) claims that instances of rape have fallen by roughly 60% in recent years. Who will you believe?
Fox News then goes on to cite the shortcomings of the ESRB, claiming that more laws should be put into place similar to California's, where the fine for selling an M-rated game to a minor is $1,000. Bulletstorm developers Epic Games refused to comment on the story, but publisher Electronic Arts stated simply, "Bulletstorm has been given an 'M' rating by the ESRB, and we have adhered to all their guidelines in regards to the marketing and promotion of Bulletstorm."
It wasn't completely game-hate in the Fox News article, however. Hal Halpin, president of the Entertainment Consumers Association, told Fox News, "Between a great ratings system, parental controls on the consoles and the major retailers inhibiting the sale of Mature-rated games to minors, the matter is really one for parents and adults to consider, individually. I respect the creative rights of game developers to make a game like Bulletstorm in the same way that I appreciate Quentin Tarantino's right to make over-the-top movies like Kill Bill." Hoo-rah.
Bottom line, most stores - the big chains, especially - simply won't sell an M-rated game to a minor. Bulletstorm isn't made for children, so don't let them play it, ok? Fox News thinks it'll turn us into a nation a rapists, but people with common sense know that it's simply not age-appropriate.
Source: Fox News
