MP: British Govt. Obsessed With Video Game Violence Issue
MP: British Govt. Obsessed With Video Game Violence Issue
September 11, 2009
Shadow Culture Secretary Ed Vaizey (left), a consistent supporter of the UK's video game industry, said this week that the British Government was too focused on the video game violence issue and not paying enough attention to helping the industry grow.
Develop reports that Vaizey made his comments while registering for the new London Games Conference, which will be held in October. The Conservative Member of Parliament said:
I’m delighted to be speaking to the London Games Conference. The games sector is one of the most successful creative industries in the UK, but it has been forgotten by Government.
While Canada and France aggressively compete to attract talent, all our politicians can talk about is video games violence.
Yet games should be a dream for a politician – it recruits people qualified in difficult subjects, like maths and computer science; it’s regional; and it’s successful and world-beating. Government backing should be a no-brainer.
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Posted 03/19/10 at 06:42pm
Valdearg: Sage advice, Zip. Sage advice.
Valdearg: Sage advice, Zip. Sage advice.
Posted 03/19/10 at 06:37pm
ZippyDSMlee: Don;t talk to MS/LIve users that you do not know....is jsut easier that way...
ZippyDSMlee: Don;t talk to MS/LIve users that you do not know....is jsut easier that way...
Posted 03/19/10 at 06:14pm
Flamespeak: Didm't steal anything or other people not knowing what the heck Tribes was but felt inclined to tell me it wasn't Halo.
Flamespeak: Didm't steal anything or other people not knowing what the heck Tribes was but felt inclined to tell me it wasn't Halo.
Posted 03/19/10 at 06:13pm
Flamespeak: stealing 'new' game ideas from Tribes while marketing them as something 'new and shiny'." I was blasted by people claiming Halo
Flamespeak: stealing 'new' game ideas from Tribes while marketing them as something 'new and shiny'." I was blasted by people claiming Halo
Posted 03/19/10 at 06:12pm
Flamespeak: I told some Halo fans that 'with the inclusion of jet packs in Reach, Halo has successfully completed its mission of totally
Flamespeak: I told some Halo fans that 'with the inclusion of jet packs in Reach, Halo has successfully completed its mission of totally
Posted 03/19/10 at 05:39pm
Valdearg: @JDKJ: Well, it's not like you were very subtle, there..
Valdearg: @JDKJ: Well, it's not like you were very subtle, there..
Posted 03/19/10 at 05:18pm
JDKJ: @Val": You got me there. That one was pure troll. And posted in memory of DarkSaber, who hasn't been around much, lately.
JDKJ: @Val": You got me there. That one was pure troll. And posted in memory of DarkSaber, who hasn't been around much, lately.
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:36pm
Andrew Eisen: JDKJ - Probably the widow/widower.
Andrew Eisen: JDKJ - Probably the widow/widower.
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:33pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:who gives a shit about you :P
ZippyDSMlee: JD:who gives a shit about you :P
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:33pm
Valdearg: Lol.. Wow, JDKJ. Troll much?
Valdearg: Lol.. Wow, JDKJ. Troll much?
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:27pm
JDKJ: Who gives a rat's ass about the children of fallen soldiers?
JDKJ: Who gives a rat's ass about the children of fallen soldiers?
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:16pm
Andrew Eisen: I completely agree.
Andrew Eisen: I completely agree.
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:15pm
Valdearg: If they really wanted to help the troops, they should donate their money to a legitimate charity with a good cash in/out ratio.
Valdearg: If they really wanted to help the troops, they should donate their money to a legitimate charity with a good cash in/out ratio.
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:14pm
Valdearg: It's just offensive that people who attend these things think they are helping the troops, when in reality, Hannity is using MOST of the money to live large in the cities he travels to. He could at least scale down his accommodations..
Valdearg: It's just offensive that people who attend these things think they are helping the troops, when in reality, Hannity is using MOST of the money to live large in the cities he travels to. He could at least scale down his accommodations..
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:13pm
Andrew Eisen: Val - But they did get something and that's better than nothing. Also, the Freedom Concert site is clear that expenses are subtracted from the donated amount so while it’s not fraud (from what little I’ve seen) it is pretty crummy.
Andrew Eisen: Val - But they did get something and that's better than nothing. Also, the Freedom Concert site is clear that expenses are subtracted from the donated amount so while it’s not fraud (from what little I’ve seen) it is pretty crummy.
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:12pm
ZippyDSMlee: fou fundrasier, from a fou consertive, who would have thought :P.
ZippyDSMlee: fou fundrasier, from a fou consertive, who would have thought :P.
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:11pm
Valdearg: The problem, Zip, is that barely ANY of the proceeds are going to the children. It's all going so hannity can line his own pockets and enjoy a life of luxury. He is a grade A Piece of Human Crap.
Valdearg: The problem, Zip, is that barely ANY of the proceeds are going to the children. It's all going so hannity can line his own pockets and enjoy a life of luxury. He is a grade A Piece of Human Crap.
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:09pm
ZippyDSMlee: Hanaity cn afford to pay for it himself so all proceeds go to the childernz or whatever. .....
ZippyDSMlee: Hanaity cn afford to pay for it himself so all proceeds go to the childernz or whatever. .....
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:09pm
ZippyDSMlee: But anyway you want to pad your rep with a funrasier get 80% to the people its suppose to go to....
ZippyDSMlee: But anyway you want to pad your rep with a funrasier get 80% to the people its suppose to go to....
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:03pm
ZippyDSMlee: VLag:thats ture but alot of cop and fireman and other thigns are under 10% to what they give to what they are raising money for
ZippyDSMlee: VLag:thats ture but alot of cop and fireman and other thigns are under 10% to what they give to what they are raising money for
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Comments
I hate this guy, just because he's a Tory who speaks perfect sense. What more should it take? It could very well be too late, given the speed other countries are providing benefits to developers.
And it's mainly one guy, Keith Vazgina, that's the most obsessed out of the UK pols. Very rarely you see anybody else in the UK complain about video game "violence".
Geaux Saints, Geaux Tigers, Geaux Hornets, Jack Thompson can geaux chase a chupacabra.
What is "Shadow Culture"? (well, maybe I understand the meaning of it, but I can´t believe they have a secretary for that.)
And of course british goverment is obssesed with games. They are an easy target, more easy than real life issues like unemployment, crime, health, education or corruption (right, Mr. Vaz?)
The cynical side of videogames (spanish only): http://thelostlevel.blogspot.com/ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com/
In the UK, the opposition spokesmen are generally treated as counterparts to government ministers and are called 'Shadow Ministers'. So at the moment, the conservative's home affairs spokesman is called the 'Shadow Home Secretary' and their spokesman on cultural affairs will be the Shadow Minister for Culture, Media and Sport (if I remember correctly).
Which is a bit of a shame. I quite like the evil-overlordish aspect of my country having a shadow culture or even a shadow government.
Yes, it sounds very weird, but in America they have "conservatives" and "liberals" to say "good" and "evil" (which side is each one is up to people to dicide, we all know politicians are all the same :)
The cynical side of videogames (spanish only): http://thelostlevel.blogspot.com/ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com/
I always get a vision of some kind of 1950's villain twirling his moustache and saying 'I am.... the Shadow! Mwahahaha!'. Problem is, the closest we have to a 1950's villain in the government is Peter Mandelson.
Peter Mandelson has more in common with THE villain of the 1930's and early 1940's.
Very true, unfortunately.
And of course british goverment is obssesed with games. They are an easy target, more easy than real life issues like unemployment, crime, health, education or corruption (right, Mr. Vaz?)
Those issues are discussed pretty much daily. The government don't have a one track mind, you know that can actually deal with multiple issues at any one time. Yes Keith Vaz is annoying with his unfounded comments on games, but he's not in the cabinet and is one out of 600 and so MPs. Don't say that the government focus on games and nothing else because that is false and even when the government do talk about it, it doesn't mean that they are talking about it instead of other issues.
Also "Shadow" is simply for the opposition party, it doesn't matter whether that party is a liberal or conservative based party. The conservative or liberal minister wouldn't have any meaning (although it would lead to confusion due to the political party names).
I don't really think that it is a case of the brittish gov being obsessed with videogame violence, I think it is more of every time when videogames are talked about there is always someone who has an issue on the violence of videogames, as if they feel that kids should not play those games.
And in the end, it sounds like the gov don't really understand that adults play videogames too because most people in government would not comprehend that even adults love to play videogames like we do because we have grown up with Videogames, they haven't.
and when they think of us gamers, they only see little kids because that is how they percive us.
I also think that there has to be more accurate and detailed information to arguments before making such generalisations on both sides of the generations.
So... MP goes to group of people and says what they to hear?
Cynical? Me?
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