This blog has come to be as a result of the news of the new gaming legislation. "Bipartisan Video Game Ratings Enforcement Act could become federal law, requiring retailers to post AO- and M-rated game descriptions, check IDs of purchasers." In effect this bill really only means it is illegal to sell M- or AO- rated games without checking ID, so what's the big deal? It's that the government in this "free" country is telling us through laws how to raise our kids. My argument actually has little to do with the bill in question and more to do with why it exists in the first place. Parents.

Now what i'm really ranting about is the lack of responsibility of parents today. We've all heard the usual statements; parents are too lazy to monitor their kids, parents need to do their research on the games, don't spend enough time with their kids, etc. My real argument here is that parents are overprotective. Censorship is not protecting your kids, you're excluding them from valuable lessons in life. Lessons that teach kids there are consequences and lets face it, time-out, is not a consequence.

You're not going to be a parent forever. So would you rather teach your kids how to make good decisions (I say good because I don't believe in the concept of "right or wrong" decisions), or teach them to avoid it entirely so they are unprepared for life when they have to figure it out on their own. You never really understand anything in life that hasn't happened to you. You know how you learn not to touch hot metal? By touching hot metal. Mom and Dad can tell you not to touch it and you believe, but when you touch it yourself you know.

But then where does actual parenting come into play here? When kids are young and impressionable and they believe that Mom and Dad are in a sense, God. I know I remember a lot more of what my parents taught me than anything teachers said in school. So instead of telling kids not to watch violence explain it to them. Explain why you watch/play violent movies/games. Be less concerned with them being exposed to it, and more concerned with how they are exposed to it. It's better coming from you in an environment of understanding then them learning it from the media, random people, peers, etc. And don't forget your children have been exposed to violence, period. Life is violent. Teach them how to deal with it themselves. The only thing more dangerous than the real world, is not knowing you're in it.

This bill is just another slab of pavement over our rights. A stepping stone to government regulated parenting. And if we want these freedoms later down the road, we're going to have to go through the trouble of digging up the road.