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I'm extremely disappointed that an image of Statesman would be used in such a way. I know that we designed City of Heroes to appeal to "children of all ages." My proudest accomplishment with the game is that many parents (including my brother) play with their children...sharing, I hope, the same joy for the comic book world that I've had ever since I was 8. I cannot express the shock that I felt seeing that a character created by Cryptic would be used in the same sentence as Columbine.
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To be frank, when I saw the shot of Stateman in the trailer, I thought it heavily undermined the credibility of the film because of the very reason you give. How a game that espouses Superman-esque morals is in any way comparable to the [censored] and murder of everyone's favorite example of violent video games is beyond me.
And don't get me started on the logic or lack thereof behind the flight simulator-9/11 conspiracy theory...
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Pretty much. The entire thing was just plain and simple fear mongering. I find it disgusting.
People always have to have a scapegoat. This time it's gaming. Thing is, it's up to the parents to police what the child is and isn't exposed to. If more parents would do that, this kind of crap would be history. If your child isn't ready for violence, don't expose them to violent types of media. Simple, no?
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The damnedest thing about that flight simulator thing. I actually kept trying to fly certain planes in between the Twin Trade Towers. Most notably the only one I could get was a 737 which kept blowing up on the wings!
Ah yes, Flight Simulator 98...I must be a terrorist, or the game taught me how to be! Not like I'd try stunt flying a jumbo jet in real life, that's just crazy 
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It sort of reminds me of the saying "anything can be a weapon". This is most prominant with things like guns. I used to go to school in NW PA, and it was a very rural area. Many guys in their late teens would target shoot. A few actually had those fancy single-shot pistols, meant specifically for target shooting. That doesn't mean that a person couldn't use it to kill. Heck, a rock can be used to kill. I guess my point is that it is not the inanimate object, the computer, or even the weapon that's to blame. It's the person who turned it on his fellow man.
How come no one asks "why" when it comes to these acts of violence? "Why" did the people who committed the Columbine shootings do what they did? Could it be because they weregetting beat up at school & nobody lifted a finger to help them? Could it be that they had certain mental ailments that could result in violence? Could it be because people ignored the warning signs? I'm sure videogames were a piece of the puzzle, but did anyone even stop to notice that they were using the game as a planning tool? Should we ban pen and paper since they wrote down a list of people they wanted to kill? Maybe if we had, they wouldn't be able to remember who they wanted to kill...
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I'm extremely disappointed that an image of Statesman would be used in such a way. I know that we designed City of Heroes to appeal to "children of all ages." My proudest accomplishment with the game is that many parents (including my brother) play with their children...sharing, I hope, the same joy for the comic book world that I've had ever since I was 8. I cannot express the shock that I felt seeing that a character created by Cryptic would be used in the same sentence as Columbine.
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Statesman is the iconic representation of a game where people kill other people with huge broadswords and fireballs with attacks named things like 'head splitter' and 'disembowel', so it is kind of a waste of time to play innocent victim. 99% of the content in City of Heroes is violence. It is the only way to solve any mission in any area of the game. To act shocked and dismayed about it is beyond hypocrisy.
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Do you think that a person, by age 13, should know the difference between fantasy & reality, and that hitting/killing is wrong? If so, then playing any game will not affect them, as those values are already developed. If you do not think that a 13 year old would know the difference, then I ask how playing a game would change their behavior as opposed to watchign the news, or prime-time tv. Heck, cartoons show people swinging sword, shooting fireballs, etc. Also, I'd be very impressed if a 13 year old knew what "disembowel" meant. And as far as language goes, how is "head splitter" and "splitting headache" that different, especially in the example of the kid that dopesn't know right from wrong. In that case, it is the parents' fault for not instilling such basic values in their child. Anyone below age 13 that is playing a T-rated game usupervised & commits an act of violence is entirely the parents' fault - the ratign is there but they chose not to be aware of their child's activities.
I , like most of the people I know, knew all that stuff by the time I was eight, tops, so someone with five extra years shouldn't have a problem.
Talk about an assumptive thought process!
"I turned out ok, so everyone else should be ok too"
Unfortunately, that's not the case. I wish it weren't so, I wish we were all (as in within society) well-balanced individuals, with well-rounded personalities.
But me wishing it doesn't make it so.
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I'm extremely disappointed that an image of Statesman would be used in such a way. I know that we designed City of Heroes to appeal to "children of all ages." My proudest accomplishment with the game is that many parents (including my brother) play with their children...sharing, I hope, the same joy for the comic book world that I've had ever since I was 8. I cannot express the shock that I felt seeing that a character created by Cryptic would be used in the same sentence as Columbine.
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Statesman is the iconic representation of a game where people kill other people with huge broadswords and fireballs with attacks named things like 'head splitter' and 'disembowel', so it is kind of a waste of time to play innocent victim. 99% of the content in City of Heroes is violence. It is the only way to solve any mission in any area of the game. To act shocked and dismayed about it is beyond hypocrisy.
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Er...what? Are you seriously comparing the violence (pretty damn cartoony violence at that) of City of Heroes with real life violence or the encouragement there of? Do you feel the same way about comic books? Fiction in general? And if you really feel that way...why are you playing this game?
There are also a couple minor points I might make: 1) we are, heroes side anyway, theoretically arresting people, not killing them. (Yeah, yeah, I don't know how you arrest someone by disembowling them with a broadsword either, but it isn't as though the game actually shows anything of the sort. Never mind that our characters are just fine after being similarly broadsworded by the enemy.) 2) There are missions you can win without fighting a single enemy, at least if you're careful and have invisibility. Could there be more? Sure. But they do exist.
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Talk about an assumptive thought process!
"I turned out ok, so everyone else should be ok too"
Unfortunately, that's not the case. I wish it weren't so, I wish we were all (as in within society) well-balanced individuals, with well-rounded personalities.
But me wishing it doesn't make it so.
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But is the fact that some people are not well balanced the fault of video gaming or any other media? Sorry, no.
Bottom line: If your children are not ready for something and you expose them to it, who's to blame? That something or you for exposing them to it before they are ready? If you put a two year old in the driver seat of a car and he crashes it and gets hurt, do you blame the car manufacturer and the automotive industry? Of course not - you're the one that put him there, knowing he couldn't have the skills required to operate it.
It's no different with video games. A friend of mine had a child that would become violent after playing a hulk game on one of the consoles - start throwing stuff, taking swings at a younger sibling. He tried to explain to the young child the difference between real violence and game violence and it wouldn't stick - the child didn't seem to comprehend the difference. What did he do then? He didn't sue the video game industry, instead he took the game away from the child until he could tell the difference between game violence and real violence, at which point he gave it back. Is the the fault of the video game that the child got violent? No, it's the fault of the parent who gave the child access to the video game before he was ready to handle it, plain and simple, and this parent was savvy enough to recognize that and deal with it.
If you can, take a moment and expand the article on wikipedia, its sorely lacking in....anything.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_Kombat
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expand the article on wiki
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May I include this opinion-statement below in that Wiki article?
VVV
Well, your not notable. jack is notable, especialy in relation to his game and his character. your just....you. so probably not, sorry.
I got a note to see the school career-counselor, once. He said, 'I have a great future ahead of me in the Arts and Entertainment industry, but would I please stop doodling on the desktops?' Does that count? 
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For an excellent tretise on the positive uses of violence refer to the Novel (Dear god not the movie) Starship Troopers. I hear it's the only work of fiction that is required reading at Officer's School.
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/QFT
Best...book...EVAR!
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Originally Posted by Hyperstrike
English does not borrow from other languages. English follows other languages down dark alleys, hits them over the head, and rifles through their pockets for loose grammar.
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Please don't take this the wrong way, but basically here are the options open to the legislators:
1) Implement multi-billion dollar education, daycare, and rehabilitation programs to alleviate and offer alternatives to solutions that spur people to violent acts.
2) Find a scapegoat, blame it on that one source, and pat yourself on the back for having done a good day's work.
To address the issue of violence you have to look at poverty, self-esteem, mental health, outlets for aggression, and other such factors. But why do that, when you can pin the blame on something and call it a day?
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Close, but you're missing a few setps:
1) Hold "hearings" to find the scapegoat.
2) Suddenly realize that your scapegoat is too well-backed and popularly supported to really touch (and it doesn't make much sense, for all that matters), so just grill them heavily on the testimonials (to appease the extremists)
3) Declare the entire issue inclusive, but, paradoxically, requiring action.
4) Release funds to research the issue (paid to influential extremists, to buy them off)
5) Encourage the industry to spend a few more bucks in a PR campaign run by some congressman's second cousin
6) Release more funds to the pro-game movement's PR campaign (to keep them from exposing the whole charade... and to make sure that congressman's second cousin can afford the new mercedes)
7) Prepare speech on how Congress managed to protect kids and the first Ammendment
8) Present speech at $1000-a-plate fundraisers for next election.
9) Pose for the cameras.
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For an excellent tretise on the positive uses of violence refer to the Novel (Dear god not the movie) Starship Troopers. I hear it's the only work of fiction that is required reading at Officer's School.
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Heinlein FTW!
(Also read "Stranger in a Strange Land", please.)
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Don't just read it. Grok it.
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Freehold was pretty interesting too - free too! (webscriptions.net) Of course, I prefer my paperback copy.
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I didn't really like Freehold all that much. It was OK, just not one of my favorites.
I enjoyed all the 'teen' ones he did, like Starman Jones and Have Space Suit Will Travel. Interestingly enough, Starship Troopers was originally written to be part of that same 'teen' contract, but was rejected for being too violent, so it was published separately.
My second favorite is probably Job, a Comedy of Justice. Or Friday. Or Stranger in a Strange Land. Oh, nevermind, I'll never make up my mind.
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Originally Posted by Hyperstrike
English does not borrow from other languages. English follows other languages down dark alleys, hits them over the head, and rifles through their pockets for loose grammar.
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Talk about an assumptive thought process!
"I turned out ok, so everyone else should be ok too"
Unfortunately, that's not the case. I wish it weren't so, I wish we were all (as in within society) well-balanced individuals, with well-rounded personalities.
But me wishing it doesn't make it so.
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Indeed. How about this?
"I turned out ok, so there must be other factors which contribute to someone not turning out ok after being exposed to the same experiences. Why don't we explore the effects of those other factors instead of focusing on what we percieve to be the easiest fix"
Take a look at this:
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But for Halpin, the most important interview in the film is the one with the San Jose Mercury News journalist and industry observer Dean Takahashi, who shared his feelings about violence in video games. Takahashis brother was assassinated in 1993 the same year the hit game Mortal Kombat came out in a case of gang warfare and mistaken identity. Everyone on the set that day had puffy eyes, says Halpin. That was when we chose the title Moral Kombat.
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So, Mortal Kombat has to do with a gang-related killing as a result of mistaken identity how? Are we arguing that without such a game gang violence itself wouldn't exist? What exactly is the significance here, if not solely for sheer emotional impact? Is even the naming of this film the result of specious logic and emotional appeals?
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But Halpin is no sensationalist seeking high drama and cheap tears. Hes taken pains to present a spectrum of views as the film looks at how games are created, distributed, regulated, sold and received, and he bristles at any comparison to a Michael Moore-style attack. Were very careful to avoid the whole titillation factor, he says pointedly. Interactive entertainment is the next major media form and the most important issue in terms of the young generation. I want to show how and why games are developed and what experiences they offer, which can have positive or negative effects on children.
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Oh, well I guess I'm placated then. He says he's not being sensational. Carry on.
Way to go Sayer & LadyMage!
Take what I said, slightly out of context, and not read what had been posted previously?
My comment on 'assumptive thinking' was a direct response to the previous two posters. If you'd read my comment just prior to THAT, you'd see my stance... and thus not be so quick to attack.
Please... I agree with the gist of what you state, & I'll repeat the main part of what I *thought*...
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I have not seen Moral Combat. Thus, can't comment on it specifically... but it is no secret that our societies aren't the places they once were. This downward spiral started to occur before 'gaming'... and any fingerpointing at gaming is at best, naive, and generally done by people who have little knowledge about the games themselves. The fact that they use CoH in it just highlights this. Using a game that generally has positive values?
Indeed, *Media* on the whole is to blame. And the gaming industry has to wear at least a part of this. But what about Hollywood? What about the fact that the most violent thing kids can watch these days is usually the evening news? Simple fact is that both Hollywood & big-business media-moguls are just too powerful to attack. Thus, point the finger elsewhere.
I really applaud the call for 'responsible parenting'. But too many parents these days find it easier to use the computer as a default baby-sitter. Increased laziness allows this to develop into default parenting. And with what folks can access on the internet these days, that's flat-out scary.
Nothing beats the influence of a solid family environment. A solid community around that.
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Perhaps reading all of what a person has said, before you *think* you know what they're on about... ?
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But Halpin is no sensationalist seeking high drama and cheap tears. Hes taken pains to present a spectrum of views as the film looks at how games are created, distributed, regulated, sold and received, and he bristles at any comparison to a Michael Moore-style attack. Were very careful to avoid the whole titillation factor, he says pointedly. Interactive entertainment is the next major media form and the most important issue in terms of the young generation. I want to show how and why games are developed and what experiences they offer, which can have positive or negative effects on children.
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Oh, well I guess I'm placated then. He says he's not being sensational. Carry on.
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*Snrk* Hawhaw!
If he didn't want the reaction, HE SHOULD'VE NOT MADE THE TRAILER THAT WAY.
My Motto: "Debt is merely another Goal."
"Wow Abalest--you manage to start a discussion even when you ain't given a topic" -Ghostman
Abalests on Infinity:
Miss Fulcrum
Dark Soul Golem
Power Drain
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Way to go Sayer & LadyMage!
Take what I said, slightly out of context, and not read what had been posted previously?
My comment on 'assumptive thinking' was a direct response to the previous two posters. If you'd read my comment just prior to THAT, you'd see my stance... and thus not be so quick to attack.
Please... I agree with the gist of what you state, & I'll repeat the main part of what I *thought*...
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I have not seen Moral Combat. Thus, can't comment on it specifically... but it is no secret that our societies aren't the places they once were. This downward spiral started to occur before 'gaming'... and any fingerpointing at gaming is at best, naive, and generally done by people who have little knowledge about the games themselves. The fact that they use CoH in it just highlights this. Using a game that generally has positive values?
Indeed, *Media* on the whole is to blame. And the gaming industry has to wear at least a part of this. But what about Hollywood? What about the fact that the most violent thing kids can watch these days is usually the evening news? Simple fact is that both Hollywood & big-business media-moguls are just too powerful to attack. Thus, point the finger elsewhere.
I really applaud the call for 'responsible parenting'. But too many parents these days find it easier to use the computer as a default baby-sitter. Increased laziness allows this to develop into default parenting. And with what folks can access on the internet these days, that's flat-out scary.
Nothing beats the influence of a solid family environment. A solid community around that.
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Perhaps reading all of what a person has said, before you *think* you know what they're on about... ?
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Well I apologize for taking your words out of context. Glad to see we agree.
Don't know if this has been posted in this thread before, but here's a blog of opinions on this movie.
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/200...kombat_sp.html
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So stop being disappointed and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. You won't allow the radical Christians/conservatives etc. to sander your creation without responding with your own comments on how flawed their logic is, will you?
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I should point out, if someone has not already, that the man in the video is a liberal democrat and is Jewish. Do not bash religions or political affiliations as you can find nuts on either side of the fence.
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BTW, Lieberman is not a liberal OR a democrat. He was defeated in the democratic primary specifically because he's not liberal; he was a Bush yes-man on many issues. He left the democratic party to run independently. He won, and caucuses with democrats to give them the Senate majority in return for keeping his seniority, but he's not a Democrat.
(Although the point is still correct; if someone asked me who the biggest video-game-fearmonger politician is, I'd have to say Hillary Clinton... it seems like, as a rule, Democrats try to police violent content, and the Republicans try to police sex content; they both need to go mind their own business)
From what I've seen, it's gone like this.
ZOMG! Radio Plays will ruin our children! They'll try to act out what they hear! BAN IT! Think of the children!
and that didn't work. So
ZOMG! Comic Books will ruin our children! They'll try to act out what they read! BAN IT! Please think of the children!
THAT didn't work. So
ZOMG! MOVIES will ruin our children! They'll try to act out what they watch! BAN IT! Will you PLEASE think of the children!?
Again, it didn't work. So
ZOMG! Dungens & Dragons will ruin our children! They'll try to act out what the RP! BAN IT! Will you *PLEASE* think of the children already?!
Again, same reaction. (You seeing a pattern here?) So
ZOMG! Rock and Roll will ruin our children! They'll act out what they're hearing! THINK OF THE CHILDREN ALREADY!
Once again, Head On: applied directly to your forehead. So
ZOMG! Video Games will ruin our children! They'll act out what they do in the games! BAN IT! Why won't you think of the children?!
It ain't working, and I'm quite sure it won't work in the end. We still have comic books, rock and roll, radio plays (though those aren't as big as they used to), movies and all that.
Granted, when the government actually does get involved and tries to ban games, we all jump on their backs and make them remember that They work for Us and we can make sure They no longer do and we find someone Else to work for Us.
I sit in my zen of not being able to do anything right while simultaniously not being able to do anything wrong. Om. -CuppaJo
It is by caffeine alone that I set my mind in motion. It is by the beans of Java that thoughts acquire speed, the hands acquire shaking, the shaking becomes a warning. It is by caffeine alone that I set my mind in motion.
Now I'm not so naive as to suggest that computer games are the seat of all things evil, but... the thing is, society has regressed behaviorally over the past few decades... why?
Why is it not feasible for a woman to walk down the street after dark? Why in many stadiums in Europe can't you take your kids to a football game? Why do we shrug off reports of violent crime so easily now? Why are we not *shocked* any more? Have we grown so numb?
Maybe I am being naive... and part of it is that I'm experiencing the trepidation of impending fatherhood... but I really do wish that society as a whole was a safer place.
I think the easy access we have within the media to violence has somewhat deadened our reactions. Not just video games (and let's be honest, politicos - that's a very small part of it all) - but all of the Media. Problem is, very few real "statesmen" (I use the word in the political sense!) exist that are willing to take it all on, because it would be career suicide.
Currently, I live in Japan - generally a much safer county than the US, or even my native Australia (& I'm assured by friends, much safer than England too). Hell, a murder here is a national headline, purse-snatching makes page 2 in the nation's media. My pregnant wife goes out with her friends, and then walks home from our inner-city-suburban subway station, and is safe doing so.
But it's changing. There are parts of our city that you don't go into late at night (not the case even 5 years ago!), even considered 'unsafe' for a reasonably large foreigner (in Japan, I went from being 'a little big' back home to 'pretty-damn-huge' here in Japan). Change, and with a tyke on the way, it scares me a little.
Bullying within schools increasing tenfold, extortion rampant, and generally a country famous for it's sense of community is growing more & more selfish day by day.
I don't have answers, I don't know what is to be done. But for us to sit back & state that nothing's wrong is just as naive as saying that it's all <insert latest pariah>'s fault.
As I said earlier, I do think that in part, responsible parenting and being a 'better' community is key. Surely, part of that has to be the acknowledement is that stuff isn't where we want it to be, and realising that we all (as a community) need to take steps to make it better. An "I'm-ok-therefore-nothing's-wrong" attitude helps us little. A more responsible attitude towards those around us is a step in the right direction.
Hell... now I sound like I'm preaching - I shouldn't be. God knows I can be just as selfish as the next person, probably more than most.
And understand that I'm not talking about gaming - it's incredibly naive of those involved to place society's ills on the gaming industry...
[ QUOTE ]
From what I've seen, it's gone like this.
ZOMG! Radio Plays will ruin our children! They'll try to act out what they hear! BAN IT! Think of the children!
and that didn't work. So
ZOMG! Comic Books will ruin our children! They'll try to act out what they read! BAN IT! Please think of the children!
THAT didn't work. So
ZOMG! MOVIES will ruin our children! They'll try to act out what they watch! BAN IT! Will you PLEASE think of the children!?
Again, it didn't work. So
ZOMG! Dungens & Dragons will ruin our children! They'll try to act out what the RP! BAN IT! Will you *PLEASE* think of the children already?!
Again, same reaction. (You seeing a pattern here?) So
ZOMG! Rock and Roll will ruin our children! They'll act out what they're hearing! THINK OF THE CHILDREN ALREADY!
Once again, Head On: applied directly to your forehead. So
ZOMG! Video Games will ruin our children! They'll act out what they do in the games! BAN IT! Why won't you think of the children?!
It ain't working, and I'm quite sure it won't work in the end. We still have comic books, rock and roll, radio plays (though those aren't as big as they used to), movies and all that.
Granted, when the government actually does get involved and tries to ban games, we all jump on their backs and make them remember that They work for Us and we can make sure They no longer do and we find someone Else to work for Us.
[/ QUOTE ]
You missed Television, but yeah. It's pretty much scapegoat. "Kids are getting violent - what can we blame it on?" Ultimately, the blame falls on the parents, because it's part of parenting to figure out what your kids should and shouldn't be exposed to. If your kid's whacking his siblings with tree branches because he's gotten a little too worked up over power rangers, don't let him watch power rangers until he's ready to understand where fantasy violence falls in the scheme of things.
Oh wait - that might fall into the category of taking responsibility for our actions and denying our children something they may whine for, regardless of if it's good for them or not. My bad.....
[ QUOTE ]
Now I'm not so naive as to suggest that computer games are the seat of all things evil, but... the thing is, society has regressed behaviorally over the past few decades... why?
Why is it not feasible for a woman to walk down the street after dark? Why in many stadiums in Europe can't you take your kids to a football game? Why do we shrug off reports of violent crime so easily now? Why are we not *shocked* any more? Have we grown so numb?
Maybe I am being naive... and part of it is that I'm experiencing the trepidation of impending fatherhood... but I really do wish that society as a whole was a safer place.
I think the easy access we have within the media to violence has somewhat deadened our reactions. Not just video games (and let's be honest, politicos - that's a very small part of it all) - but all of the Media. Problem is, very few real "statesmen" (I use the word in the political sense!) exist that are willing to take it all on, because it would be career suicide.
Currently, I live in Japan - generally a much safer county than the US, or even my native Australia (& I'm assured by friends, much safer than England too). Hell, a murder here is a national headline, purse-snatching makes page 2 in the nation's media. My pregnant wife goes out with her friends, and then walks home from our inner-city-suburban subway station, and is safe doing so.
But it's changing. There are parts of our city that you don't go into late at night (not the case even 5 years ago!), even considered 'unsafe' for a reasonably large foreigner (in Japan, I went from being 'a little big' back home to 'pretty-damn-huge' here in Japan). Change, and with a tyke on the way, it scares me a little.
Bullying within schools increasing tenfold, extortion rampant, and generally a country famous for it's sense of community is growing more & more selfish day by day.
I don't have answers, I don't know what is to be done. But for us to sit back & state that nothing's wrong is just as naive as saying that it's all <insert latest pariah>'s fault.
As I said earlier, I do think that in part, responsible parenting and being a 'better' community is key. Surely, part of that has to be the acknowledement is that stuff isn't where we want it to be, and realising that we all (as a community) need to take steps to make it better. An "I'm-ok-therefore-nothing's-wrong" attitude helps us little. A more responsible attitude towards those around us is a step in the right direction.
Hell... now I sound like I'm preaching - I shouldn't be. God knows I can be just as selfish as the next person, probably more than most.
And understand that I'm not talking about gaming - it's incredibly naive of those involved to place society's ills on the gaming industry...
[/ QUOTE ]
I attribute the rise in violence to a few different things:
1. Worldwide communication is everywhere & is obtained & transmitted much more easily, and in greater amounts, than ever before. So, we are hearing about killings, disasters, etc, much more often & in more mediums than we ever did before.
2. The population of the world is increasing rapidly; you have more people sharing the same amount of space; more people means that even a smaller % of incidents is numerically greater than when the population is smaller.
3. Availability of substitute caregivers; instead of having children entertain themselves w/ sports, reading, drawing, etc, you have tv & videogames. Now, I am not faulting these media, but because they are more interactive, it is easier to just park a kid in front of one of them & have them engaged by it for longer periods of time. If a child is drawing, playing catch, etc, they need supervision. While the same *should* be true of tv & videogames, it is easy for irresponsible parents to forgo this.
4. Change in family dynamics; in the past, there was typically a financial provider for the family, and a care-giver. Now, most families have to have 2 working parents to make ends meet. This means less time to dedicate to child rearing.
5. Financial rewards of violence & sex - it is pretty clear that sex & violence sells. If enough people simply stop buying products that contain sex & violence, other avenues will emerge. Parents should unite & simply stop buying games that contain these things & their prevalence will drop...
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Make sure to watch this response as well. I feel that the argument was summarized very well with this response video.
I have to wonder, is there going to be a counter-documentary like there was with Farenheit/Farenhype 9/11?
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Response there lost me in the first few seconds with spelling errors. Small thing, perhaps, but if you're going to go through the bother of making it, why not take the time to check your spelling too?
I have not seen Moral Combat. Thus, can't comment on it specifically... but it is no secret that our societies aren't the places they once were. This downward spiral started to occur before 'gaming'... and any fingerpointing at gaming is at best, naive, and generally done by people who have little knowledge about the games themselves. The fact that they use CoH in it just highlights this. Using a game that generally has positive values?
Indeed, *Media* on the whole is to blame. And the gaming industry has to wear at least a part of this. But what about Hollywood? What about the fact that the most violent thing kids can watch these days is usually the evening news? Simple fact is that both Hollywood & big-business media-moguls are just too powerful to attack. Thus, point the finger elsewhere.
I really applaud the call for 'responsible parenting'. But too many parents these days find it easier to use the computer as a default baby-sitter. Increased laziness allows this to develop into default parenting. And with what folks can access on the internet these days, that's flat-out scary.
Nothing beats the influence of a solid family environment. A solid community around that.