If you're a regular GamePolitics reader, you know that President Barack Obama often refers to video games as something to be set aside in favor of presumably more worthwhile pursuits. In the most recent example, Obama, speaking at the NAACP's 100th anniversary dinner, counseled African-American parents to put away the Xbox.
Now, the Entertainment Consumers Association is urging gamers to let the President know that there is a lot of good in video games. Brett Schenker, Online Advocacy Manager for the ECA, writes:
Throughout the Presidential race and continuing into his Presidency, President Obama on numerous occasions has said "put the video games away." As a gamer and a voter, [the ECA is] asking you to email President Obama to point out some of the ways that video games have empowered and educated you, as well as their power to build teamwork and make people healthier...
We know video games can promote fitness. We know games can educate, because we've experienced that first hand. Video games are also not solely consumption entertainment as we're being challenged to create content for some of our favorite games. We're a part of the new global choice for entertainment and the community it's spawned.
We're asking you to speak out now and put a positive face on our community. Make sure to let the President know what we experience every day. Take a moment and make your voice heard.
To assist gamers in contacting the Prez on this issue, the ECA has set up an online action campaign where gamers can personalize their message and have it forwarded to the White House.
Comments
Re: ECA: Tell President Obama How Games Have Benefited You
Agreed. And besides, a lot of idiots play video games.
Every single person I know in an online game fails when it comes to common sense. So the idea of banning video games might not be such a bad idea. It doesn't mean that only idiots play video games, but when the ratio of dumb to logical gamers you meet online is 1 to nothing, it kind of makes you wonder...
Obama is just trying to encourage parents to prevent their kids from becoming psychologically retarded. That's all.
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"Because this town is under the stranglehold of a few tight eyed Tree Huggers who would rather play Hacky Sack than lock up the homeless" -- Birch Barlow
Re: ECA: Tell President Obama How Games Have Benefited You
No, that's NOT all. He's repeatedly using videogames as a metaphor for laziness, underachievement and poor performance in education. No one should be allowed to do that, regardless of what a nice guy you apparently think he is. You would not let an old conservative guy get away with it, and you shouldn't let him get away with it either.
Re: ECA: Tell President Obama How Games Have Benefited You
No, that is what your personal interpretation of what he's been saying.
He buys video games for his own children; does that sound like the actions of a man who believes that playing video games is a sign of "laziness", "underacheivement", or "poor performance in schools"... Point to me the time he has called video games a waste of time... tell me about when he said that children should NEVER play video games... quote for me when he told parents to throw the game controller in the trash...
As far as i recall, his message has been "put down the controller and study", which is painfully easy to interpret as simply "kids need to play less (not never), and study more"... nothing more, nothing less... a nice positive message, when you consider that a lot of kids do not study nearly as much as they should.
Re: ECA: Tell President Obama How Games Have Benefited You
No, it's not my interpretation, and this doesn't have to be as far as you recall - click the links above and it's in black and white.
1. He said that kids should learn "what it means to be a real citizen" as opposed to watching TV and playing video games. So those activities are not what it means to be a real citizen. What he said is actually worse than how I characterized it.
2. He said that taking responsibility for our children and urging them to excel at school "means putting away the xbox and putting our kids to bed at a reasonable hour." That's a direct quote, no interpretation of mine. Again, saying that having responsible parenting habits means depriving children of videogames (yes, along with a bedtime) is worse than how I originally characterized it.
And I maintain this community would not tolerate this repeated behavior from any other politician.
Re: ECA: Tell President Obama How Games Have Benefited You
1. again, when he says that, tell me where he says that kids should NEVER play video games as opposed to, i don't know, something more along the lines of, "Don't play games excessively so that you make sure you have time to study and what not"... i guess his daughters are not real americans (how dare he support unamerican behavior of his children!)
2. Well yes, putting away the xbox is a good way to make sure your kids go to sleep at a reasonable hour; taking it a way is a sure fire way to get them to stop playing... and God knows that there were plenty of nights where i snuck out of bed while my parents were fast asleep to go play video games, go online, or watch TV...
Re: ECA: Tell President Obama How Games Have Benefited You
1. Another straw man. I didn't say he said kids should never play videogames. I said he's using videogames as an example of underachievement and the opposite of what it means to be a real citizen. Those are his words, interpretation-free. We don't need to say what it was "along the lines of". Read the words, the links are still good. Please argue the point or don't argue at all.
2. Regardless, using videogames as a crutch when needing to reference lack of responsible parenting or a description of a lack of volunteerism is inappropriate. Fail to reject being stereotyped now and you lose any credibility to reject it ever.
Re: ECA: Tell President Obama How Games Have Benefited You
Actually, what you've just said proves that your reply to my post IS an interpretation.
Obama is merely stating an opinion and it's not like he's gonna pass a law where kids would have to read books and go outside instead of play video games. That would be highly illogical.
And it's not like he's speaking to kids saying "Put away the Xbox". He's speaking to parents out there who do not know how to discipline their own kids and/or are looking for help in raising their kids. Otherwise, parents who think they are raising their kids well will most likely ignore it, or in this case, complain about it.
That's my interpretation.
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"Because this town is under the stranglehold of a few tight eyed Tree Huggers who would rather play Hacky Sack than lock up the homeless" -- Birch Barlow
Re: ECA: Tell President Obama How Games Have Benefited You
1. I didn't say he's going to pass any kind of law - your straw man fails.
2. He may not be directing "put away the xbox" to kids, but he is directing that remark to parents. Almost exactly those words, in fact. But he is speaking to everyone, me, you, the media, everyone who listens, including we who have a responsibility to disseminate accurate and realistic information about games and gamers, and a responsibility to combat the stereotype the president is embracing and exploiting. Your contention that some who hear it will ignore it does not mean the speaker is not responsible for the content of his speech.
Re: ECA: Tell President Obama How Games Have Benefited You
Mmhmmph.
Twenty or so years ago, they were saying "Turn off the TV". Now, they're saying "Turn off the video games", or "Put away the Xbox" :)
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"Because this town is under the stranglehold of a few tight eyed Tree Huggers who would rather play Hacky Sack than lock up the homeless" -- Birch Barlow