Texas Attorney General Warns Parents About Video Game Risks
Texas Attorney General Warns Parents About Video Game Risks
June 10, 2009
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott (R) warns parents about a variety of potential threats which he says video games pose to children in an editorial for the Hill Country Times.
Abbott, GamePolitics readers may recall, sued GamesRadar in 2007 for allegedly failing to adequately protect the privacy and safety of children who frequent the website. Abbott later withdrew the suit after GameRadar's parent company, Future, Inc., agreed to make appropriate changes.
While online game predators are the primary focus of his editorial, Abbott also reminds parents about parental control features built into console systems as well as the use of ESRB ratings. The A.G. previously partnered with the ESRB on a 2007 campaign to raise awareness of the video game industry's content rating system. In today's editorial Abbott writes:
When we were young, our parents warned us not to talk to strangers... Today, children are more likely to frequent a digital playground that can be even more dangerous. For example, many game systems have evolved dramatically and now have many of the same capabilities as home computers. In particular, these games’ online interfaces allow users to interact with each other using text, voice or even video chat. Parents should beware of the potential for child predators to use these systems to prey upon and contact their children...
Parents should also consider participating in their children’s game-playing activities. Hand-held gaming devices also pose potential risks to children. Many of these devices have wireless-communication capabilities and are popular among kids who use them to communicate with others who are within range, usually about 30 feet. Child predators may be able to exploit this feature in certain public settings...
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Posted 11/08/09 at 01:07am
Austin_Lewis: Health insurance, brought to you by the same kind of bureacrats who couldn't, in timely fashion, investigate the comments of any of the men Obama appointed Czars. Or their past. Or their history of not paying taxes.
Austin_Lewis: Health insurance, brought to you by the same kind of bureacrats who couldn't, in timely fashion, investigate the comments of any of the men Obama appointed Czars. Or their past. Or their history of not paying taxes.
Posted 11/08/09 at 01:06am
Austin_Lewis: Yes, and what a piece of crap it was. Arresting and fining people just because they don't make a personal choice to buy healh insurance, creating over a hundred new bureacracies, and worse.
Austin_Lewis: Yes, and what a piece of crap it was. Arresting and fining people just because they don't make a personal choice to buy healh insurance, creating over a hundred new bureacracies, and worse.
Posted 11/08/09 at 12:24am
ZippyDSMlee: JDKJ:the only trouble is a bunch of witless hacks wrote it....its going to be a train wreck....
ZippyDSMlee: JDKJ:the only trouble is a bunch of witless hacks wrote it....its going to be a train wreck....
Posted 11/07/09 at 11:33pm
JDKJ: BREAKING: In a photo-finish at the wire, House passes health care reform bill. Relatedly, in a fit of pique, Austin Lewis kicks innocent dog.
JDKJ: BREAKING: In a photo-finish at the wire, House passes health care reform bill. Relatedly, in a fit of pique, Austin Lewis kicks innocent dog.
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:27pm
ZippyDSMlee: man I got alot of junk and dup files too >< god I need orginization...and no not the knee capping media mafia kind :P
ZippyDSMlee: man I got alot of junk and dup files too >< god I need orginization...and no not the knee capping media mafia kind :P
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:26pm
ZippyDSMlee: replaced :P
ZippyDSMlee: replaced :P
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:23pm
ZippyDSMlee: beemoh:hey its like 60GB porn,400GB anime 100GB games and crap I have took from all my DVDs, I hate waiting on dvds to install stuff..... oh and 40GB of my porn was in the found.000 folder...mostly corrupted.... least I got names of wut needs to be repa
ZippyDSMlee: beemoh:hey its like 60GB porn,400GB anime 100GB games and crap I have took from all my DVDs, I hate waiting on dvds to install stuff..... oh and 40GB of my porn was in the found.000 folder...mostly corrupted.... least I got names of wut needs to be repa
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:18pm
beemoh: @Zip: ...and you'd have to spend all that time re-downloading that porn?
beemoh: @Zip: ...and you'd have to spend all that time re-downloading that porn?
Posted 11/07/09 at 03:34pm
ZippyDSMlee: ggrrrrr......vista lost one of my hard drives and I had a heart attack thinking I lost 1TB of data....
ZippyDSMlee: ggrrrrr......vista lost one of my hard drives and I had a heart attack thinking I lost 1TB of data....
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:58am
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:56am
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:51am
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:48am
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:11am
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:07am
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:05am
JDKJ: I'm no psychologist, but I'm told that crazy people have a tendency to do crazy things.
JDKJ: I'm no psychologist, but I'm told that crazy people have a tendency to do crazy things.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:03am
chadachada321: Whoops, was out of the convo for awhile. I do wonder what type of ammo he used etc, but the real issue is WHY he did it, not HOW
chadachada321: Whoops, was out of the convo for awhile. I do wonder what type of ammo he used etc, but the real issue is WHY he did it, not HOW
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:56am
JDKJ: But if it turns out that they actually did, they'll have Hell to pay.
JDKJ: But if it turns out that they actually did, they'll have Hell to pay.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:45am
JDKJ: And I'd tend to rule out the possibilty of FN Herstal supplying restricted ammunition to someone merely because they're ordering it from a military base.
JDKJ: And I'd tend to rule out the possibilty of FN Herstal supplying restricted ammunition to someone merely because they're ordering it from a military base.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:37am
JDKJ: I know you don't leave your gated community and get around much in dark alleys, so you may be surprised to learn that there's this thing called "the black market" where, if you've got enough money, ain't too much of anything which can't be bought.
JDKJ: I know you don't leave your gated community and get around much in dark alleys, so you may be surprised to learn that there's this thing called "the black market" where, if you've got enough money, ain't too much of anything which can't be bought.
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Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
Well done, because internetz must be totally a safe place for children. Screw freedom of speech for adults, kids must be safe.
The cynical side of videogames (spanish only): http://thelostlevel.blogspot.com/ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com/
Not sure what the problem here is. Judging from the excerpts, he has three main points:
1) There are bad people out there who prey on children. This is undeniably true.
2) They can reach said children through online and wireless gaming systems. This is also undeniably true.
3) Parents should therefore be aware of what their children are doing with gaming systems. This is less of an absolute fact, but few people would argue against it.
"1) There are bad people out there who prey on children. This is undeniably true."
The threat of online predators is largely overblown.
"2) They can reach said children through online and wireless gaming systems."
There's plenty of other places where predators can reach them. Online, however, they can't physically touch them -- so they can only "reach" them with words. The real world is actually riskier than the online world, and even those risks are generally overblown.
"3) Parents should therefore be aware of what their children are doing with gaming systems."
I should hope so.
The danger might be overblown, but it's still there.
More importantly, the AG isn't trying to fight this by restricting the ability of adults to communicate over the Xbox and other systems, like Rodrigo was implying, but taking the much more sensible approach of advising parents to actually parent.
"The danger might be overblown, but it's still there."
No it isn't. It's ridiculous to even suggest that it's there. I mean, even if the victim is at all recognizable (many people adopt a fictitious personality when in an online game), in order for game stalking to even be a remote threat, an online stalker would have to be willing to travel thousands of miles to meet up with his victim ('cos in an online game you have no idea where players are located). So this stalker would have to pay travel costs and when he got to his teenaged girl victim he's more than likely going to find she's a 50 year old balding man.
Why bother with internet stalking when there's a school within walking distance?
"The threat of online predators is largely overblown."
Overblown =/= it does not exists, so therefore the statement is still true
"There's plenty of other places where predators can reach them... The real world is actually riskier than the online world, and even those risks are generally overblown."
and parents should look out for those places TOO... NOT an excuse to ignore the internet.
"Online, however, they can't physically touch them -- so they can only "reach" them with words."
Until a predator sends the kid a "We're good friends, meet me at X" message... Which is pretty much how these things happen.
As easy as it is to be cynical about this, what he says is infact true. It could apply to any medium really, I mean IM on computers is equally dangerous.
Based on the excerpts, he doesn't sound too bad. Nowhere near what I was expecting. Though I'm not sure how practical it would be for a predator to try and use local wireless communication like the DS's pictochat.
EDIT: Just read the complete article. Still not sure about the local wireless being much use to predators, but the rest of what the guy says seems fairly sensible.
The DS can't even be used to communicate with strangers. You have to have shared friend codes in order to talk to other people with a DS. There is no way a kid can meet a stranger solely through the DS.
E. Zachary Knight
Oklahoma City Chapter of the ECA
http://www.theeca.com/chapters_oklahoma
at least over the internet
岩「…Where do masochists go when they die?」
Yah, as far as I know the local wireless ap PictoChat doesn't need you to exchange friends codes... but it only has a range of like 30 feet.
what he says is true, lots of sick people online.
"When we were young, our parents warned us not to talk to strangers... Today, children are more likely to frequent a digital playground that can be even more dangerous."
Really? I mean... really?
Aside from the fact that "don't talk to strangers" is, for the most part, not very good advice, the idea that children are more at risk in a "digital playground" than out in the open is pretty ridiculous. As long as you teach your children not to give out their physical location online, a "digital playground" cannot possibly be more dangerous than a real playground -- although neither of them is particularly dangerous.
This is just more political fear mongering by another spotlight-seeking AG.
Ah, you guys have fallen for politicking. That's why you should really think hard about what you're reading because it SOUNDS so sensible, but it's really not. I mean sure, his advice isn't going to really hurt anyone, but it's fearmongering at it's worst.
The internet is far safer in regards to sexual predators than the real world. After all, you can't physically sexually assault someone over an internet connection. I refer you to the two links Adrian Lopez posted for more in depth findings on online sexual predators.
This culture of fear in the western world has really had an impact on kids being kids. No longer can you go down to the park with friends from your street because heavens, there might be a predator there! You can't play in the dirt or climb trees because you might get germs or be injured. Now we have people like this guy, spreading more irrational fear about online interactions, so now kids can't play online games with their friends because good lord, what if a paedophile is on them internets!
I completely agree with you on this one.
It is one thing informing parents what to be aware of.
But it is another thing to tell parents what to do.
This FEAR of the online world is not doing anything good about helping parents get to know something that they have no idea about.
And in the end, kids are only going to be running away from their homes all because of the fear of the online world that their parents are being brainwashed with.
I think that is also what might have lead to the death of "you know who" last year and online games plus Videogame Addiction were being blamed for it.
Politicians don't know anything about the online world except for all the bad things they can easily exploit to gain political votes, so they are not the ones to even be talking to parents about it because they don't understand the good things about it.
You need a young adult, someone in their mid 20s or even 30s to talk to the parents via TV who has had more experience with the internet.
Also online life is not as bad a real life, because in real life you can also be hurt just the same.
Why I see so much news about that?
There are THAT much pervs in your country?
criadordejogos.wordpress.com
I can just say that parents should use the "Don't talk to strangers" line and use it in the online world as... such as
"People who you talk to online should only just be online friends. Until you get older and you are able to look after yourself THAT is when you can visit your online friends if they have known you for a long time in the online world."
That is what I am thinking of telling my kids one day, because there are allot of great people I have met online but I only know them as online friends.
Plus there is also another rule of thumb that I have that says...
"Don't use your real name online, or else school bullies in your real life can use that to their advantage."
Because I have a feeling that school bullies could use the online world to taunt their real victims at their local schools, all because the vicim used their real name online, an honest mistake too.
We need more people like this who are willing to acknowledge video games rather than dismiss them as childish or wastes of time.