"linked to the mind-altering harmful ultra-violent video games…"

"One expert, Pat Brown, a national top criminal profiler and parent, said that these video games are causing our children to become psychopathic killers by 9 years old."

I guess i have to take a shot of prozium and stop playing computerised EC-10 content to prevent violent psychopathic urges...

mind's apparently too altered from 9 years of gaming despite being completely docile.

(in his yosimiety sam voice) I hates anti video game poloticans

I said it before and I will say it again.

DECLARE WAR ON INCOMPETENCE

@nekojin

I think all the represntatives have to be there for a vote to commence, however Jack Thompson was there spouting off lies half-truths, and other less then admirable tactics.

"I am offended The Times and one federal judge would question state legislators’ commitment, integrity and legal knowledge… "

Actually if you really think about it, not blindly accepting what politicians tell you is a trait to be admired (although never trusting politicians is bad as well). If we never questioned our government it could (and probably would) easily turn into an Orwellian style dictatorship. Also I think a federal judge has more say in it, than you.

Like me, during the legislative process, legislators never knew they would vote unanimously on HB 1381, only to have it struck down by a federal district judge, then publicly criticized by him and the media for doing their legislative duty."

If you think politicians (or anyone for that matter) are exempt from criticism you are sadly mistaken (and completely oblivious to the times might I add). And might I add that the judge also has a legislative duty to protect our civil rights, even if you could prove video games are harmful he'd still be obligated to protect our free speech (don't quote me on this though).

"The unsuspected cost of $100,000 to taxpayers for legal fees is but a small price paid to save the life of just one child, given the many killed or maimed, linked to the mind-altering harmful ultra-violent video games…"

He he not grasped that since the bill never passed not one child has been "saved" by the bill and that it really was a waste of money? The only way you could say that the money was not wasted was if some progress was made against the video game "issue", but since the bill never made it the end result was 0 progress, unless it was a trial and error kind of thing but since similar bills have failed this excuse does not work.

"One expert, Pat Brown, a national top criminal profiler and parent, said that these video games are causing our children to become psychopathic killers by 9 years old."

Name me ONE psychopathic killer 9 year old, just one.

"Others, such as Dr. Phil McGraw (psychologist), Bill O’Reilley (Fox news), professor James Alan Fox (criminal justice expert) and Candice DeLong (retired FBI profiler) echoed similar sentiments."

And yet others with similar credibilities have said the exact opposite. Why should they be ignored? Or is it that you are purposely leaving them out to give the illusion of consesus amongst the well educated?

whats next? quoting the onion?

Kingdom of Loathing taught me the dark arts of Pastamancery, how to steal accordians, and why it is important to get falling-down drunk every night.

We all know that puns and pop-culture references are the true reason for the downfall of modern society. This game should be taken off the store shelves. Oh... riiiiight.

looks like there are people dumb enough to believe jack.

Best bit is, Kingdom of Loathing is a text adventure, it's not even animated.

UNSUSPECTED $100,000?

The only thing unsuspected about that is that it was that low.

Burrell sound a lot like our friendly Florida lawyer, exept he is actually speaking somewhat coherent (just barely). Maybe JT is emitting some kind of radiation that slowly turns the people into himself. How much exposure do you think Mr. Burrell has recived?

...A Democrat cites Bill O'Reilly as a reliable source?

I think Joe Lieberman just made a friend.

I'm glad that one of the people who the ignorant vote (and massacre) chasers misquote or attribute false statements to in an attempt to push their own agenda, has had the decency to stand up and say "No, that is not what I said, you are wrong."

I wish that the APA would chase down every instance where Jack Thompson has stated that they found a direct causal link between violent video games and print/declare a correction. They responded on GP before explaining what they really found, a casual correllation that only proved that playing a violent game made some people more aggressive (as football, or basketball or even Bible fragments also do). Maybe they are not aware of it (which is hard to believe as Thompson sends out so many press releases). If not, then this should be brought to their attention, and at the very least they should contact Jack Thompson and explain to him how he is wrong. But then again, that would only prove that they are part of the grand conspiracy, along with the Florida Bar, Take Two, Blank Rome, Area 51, the Smurfs, etc.

While the correction is satisfying to see, I still believe Mr Brown to be wrong in one respect. He states at the end "For this reason, we would be remiss as a society to ignore this public health hazard that has gotten so far out of hand."
Violent video games are not a public health hazard, never mind one that has gotten "out of hand". If they were a health hazard there would be proof! Not stated opinions, or biases, but actual proof. Which to this date does not, and is never likely to, exist.

"I am offended The Times and one federal judge would question state legislators’ commitment, integrity and legal knowledge… Like me, during the legislative process, legislators never knew they would vote unanimously on HB 1381, only to have it struck down by a federal district judge, then publicly criticized by him and the media for doing their legislative duty."

OMFG STFU NOOB!!!!!1111

u got fkin pwned nao gtfo an nevar tri 2 maek a lhaw agin.

lol u fukin suk nub.

Burrell is really talking out of his ass here. How do I know? Because one of the experts he cited, James Alan Fox, had appeared on national TV in the wake of the VT shootings. AT NO TIME did Fox ever say video games - or popular cutlure for that matter - were a factor. Fox was actually one of the more reasonable people who was leaning more towards holding the killer as responsible for his own actions. So either Burrell's memory is faulty or he's willfuly making stuff up.

Burrell is now chasing the waaaaaaaaambulance...instead of being honest and upfront about his failed attempt at passing unconstitutional legislation.

Has anyone read Pat Brown's correction that he just wrote to the Shreveport Times ? Here is it :

"Dear Rep. Burrell,

While I agree with your concerns and approve heartily of working to legislate control over violent video games, I need to correct the quote you attributed to me that these video games create psychopaths by age nine. Violent video games alone cannot create a psychopath. What I have stated often in television interviews is that a psychopath is already a psychopath by age nine. It is a combination of personality and childrearing (by the family and community) that help create that psychopath. Video games can be a part of this picture as they lend to the loss of empathy that is a hallmark of psychopathy and young children viewing repetitive violence and participating in "killing" via video games are living in an unhealthy psychological environment. Furthermore, teenagers who are already psychopathic and then spend a great deal of time with violent video games are being inspired to act out their psychopathy in a similarly violent manner.

Violent video games do not make well-adjusted older teens or adults into mass murderers (although there still could be more positive pasttimes and inputs for these game playng individuals). Unfortunately, however, we must be our brother's keeper in a civilized society and just because not all people will be damaged by these video games, enough of our vulnerable young children and emotionally disturbed teens will indeed be affected (and consequentally become a danger). For this reason, we would be remiss as a society to ignore this public health hazard that has gotten so far out of hand.

Criminal Profiler Pat Brown"

This basically sounds like he's going up on a pedestal and screaming "They're being mean to me!" like a 5 year old.

"unsuspected cost of $100,000"

idiocracy

during the legislative process, legislators never knew they would vote unanimously on HB 1381, only to have it struck down by a federal district judge, then publicly criticized by him and the media for doing their legislative duty.


in other words, it's your duty to vote for failed and failing bills

When people start quoting Bill O'Reilly as a reason for doing anything, you have to question just how far they actually researched the subject matter.

From the sound of it it's like saying 'Well, all the guys down the pub said it was true, so it must have been!'. The BIll was born in Ignorance and Stereotype and passed because of the same.

The Judge was right, had these people actually researched, instead of merely being stupid enough to believe the Media-prostitutes, they would have realised just how much they were bowing to assumption and prejudice.

PWNED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! when will they realize they cant win.


thank god we have some people in the legal system that don't have their heads so far up their rears they cant smell the fresh air.

So, what's the total in legal fees up to? We got $100,000 from here, so what is the total?

If only politicians had to cite their sources....

Oh, for life to be like Wikipedia...

"Do not sell harmful mature video games to minors!"

Also, the video game industry sells it's games to retailers, not children. If you have a bone to pick with anyone regarding children getting their hands on unsuitable content (other than out-of-touch/uninterested parents), then bring it up with the people who ACTUALLY sell them. However, that wouldn't get him far as apparently most retail chains have been tightening up on carding younger customers.

Me ole droogs, we all know that video gamey-wameys is the milk-plus for the youngins. You heard the man who strikes them as "ultra-violent". They get the feeling in their gulliver, clouds their rassoodocks, and put the tolchocks on some unsuspecting citizens.

...

Sorry. I get carried away when claims like this are made. The classic opinion that video games are like a corrupting Necronomicon of violence that, once viewed, will unleash nameless torments upon the minds of children. It's fascinating to see such reckless behavior from politicians.

"[The Video Game Industry] has been repeatedly found guilty of targeting minors for the sale of explicit sexual and ultra-violent video games"

Where? I have yet to see a ruling that has brought about this ruling. If you are saying the industry is guilty of creating the content, then yes we are. If you are saying we are truly guilty of targeting the games at minors, then no we are not. These violent and sexually explicit games are rated 'M' for audiences that are 17 years old and older not 17 months.

"Personally, I have no qualms with this industry if they would adhere to their own "self-regulated" rules: Do not sell harmful mature video games to minors! But the facts are they still do, according to Federal Trade Commission surveys."

Perhaps you misread the report. It stated the 42% of kids ages 13 to 16 were able to buy 'M' rated games. This was down from 64% in 2003. That is a huge improvement. Additionally. you missed the part about 72% of kids ages 13 to 16 who were able to buy 'R' rated and unrated movies. The music industry in no different with its 'parental advisory warning' That was down only 2 to 3 percent from 2003. So the video game industry is doing more to prevent the sales of violent games to minors than the movie and music industry.

"Like me, during the legislative process, legislators never knew they would vote unanimously on HB 1381, only to have it struck down by a federal district judge"

It is your job to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America" So therefore it is your job to know when a bill would violate the Constitution. I am disgusted when a bill is authored with full knowledge of its unconstitutionality and then voted into law just so the legislators look good in front of the voting public. You care nothing of the children. You only care about the votes of the children's parents.

"Maybe our judge and news editor should tune into the national cable stations"

Perhaps you should as well. Then you will see the amount of violent and sexually explicit tv shows and movies are available for children to watch on a daily basis without the knowledge of their parents.

In short, you are a very ill informed person. Legislation is not the key to solving all the world's perceived problems, education is. You should be working with the video game industry and parents to continue doing what they are already doing. When we are doing better than any other media source to regulate this kind of content, you should not blame us.

Additional Note: this has also been posted to the Shreveport Times.

If only we could sue for them making are minds explode with the massive lack of common sense...then again New Orleans really cannot take other budget hit.

To paraphrase Mr. Burrell:

"We wasted $100,000 of taxpayers money on a bill based on no good scientific evidence because we did not understand what we were doing, now you're angry at us? But think of the children! Listen to what these people with nothing to do with issue say about it!"

He was obviously offended at the racist Flash games (as most normal people would be, they are low pieces of trash), but because he is so out of touch and was goaded on by Jack Thompson he still lashed out at the video game industry. This is akin to being offended at a rude limerick written on a bathroom wall, then trying to sue/legislate against a poetry puublishing house.

If you want to consider video games mind altering, then books like Mein Kampf and The Turner Diaries would have to be included. Movies like Triumph of the Will, The Basketball Diaries, and The Birth of a Nation would all be serious contenders in the category of mind-altering. Strangely, I don't hear anyone calling for the heads of the authors and producers of these pieces of media. The aformentioned books and movies have led to more violence and destruction (including racism, a global war, and the bombing of a federal building) than the collective destruction associated with every single video game in history (except for maybe Custer's Revenge).

I think I need to see a neurologist since my brain is clearly not normal- 25 years of playing videogames, and not a single act of violence.

"The unsuspected cost of $100,000 to taxpayers for legal fees is but a small price paid to save the life of just one child,"

Well that's lovely, if it's such a small price to pay maybe he should pay it back out of pocket... Oh sorry Louisiana, who in the government would willingly pay back money that they knowingly squandered it on a fruitless bill?

@Father Time:

"I think all the represntatives have to be there for a vote to commence, however Jack Thompson was there spouting off lies half-truths, and other less then admirable tactics."

Not true. Louisiana's Senate and House of Representatives have the same quorum rules of a simple majority - in other words, out of the 39 State Senators that they have, only 20 must be in attendance for business to proceed and votes to be tallied (or 53 of the 105 Representatives). And for a bill to pass, it requires only a simple majority of the attending Senators. So, it's actually possible for fewer than a third of the total elected Senators/Representatives to vote for a bill, and still have it pass.

@Beardogg-X: Roy Burrell, not Pat Burrell. Pat's a baseball player. Roy is a Louisiana State Representative (District 2).

[...] Source Game Politics [...]

Speaking of Bill O'RLY, doesn't his site offer his radio show as a Podcast?

I'm sure if you listen to that, then iPods are the greatest thing since Gag Orders to him.

[...] Ainsi que l’a souligné GamePolitics, les “témoins de moralité” de Burrell sont parfois plus que discutables. Ainsi Bill O’Reilly, dont tout le monde sait que c’est une source d’information viable et objective. Ainsi Dr. Phil McGraw, qui s’est permis d’accuser les jeux vidéo le jour même de la fusillade de Virginia Tech alors qu’on ne connaissait même pas encore le nom du tueur. De même, Burrell prend bien soin de ne jamais mentionner Jack Thompson, pas plus qu’il ne revient sur ses propres tactiques lors du vote de sa loi, comme par exemple, quand il a cité Border Patrol de façon erronnée. Enfin, il ne dit pas que la Federal Trade Commission, dans son dernier rapport, a reconnu que l’industrie du jeu vidéo dans son ensemble n’avait plus recours à la vente et au marketing de “jeux violents” aux mineurs. [...]