The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Last week, the Manitoba government became the first in the nation to introduce a bill which will see a compulsory rating system introduced for video games for sale. The bill will see a system much like the one used for movies. A board will rate games for coarse language, adult content, sexual content, and violence. The game will then be assigned a rating ranging from "G" for General to "R" for Restricted. Following the introduction of this system, retailers will face fines of up to $5,000 for selling adult rated games to children. The previous government of the province researched introducing a bill such as this one in 1999, but this is the first time the legislation has gotten this far. In the past year, concerns over levels of violence and sexual content in video games has skyrocketed. The provincial governments in both B.C. and Ontario have restricted access to a particular game in the past year in the face of public concerns and pressure, but Manitoba will be the first province to have an all - inclusive, permanent system. Games such as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (where the main mission is to recoup a drug loss by killing other mobsters), Manhunt (where the main character is an escaped death-row inmate attempting to kill as many people as possible before being recaptured), and Soldier of Fortune (where the game is about killing as many people as possible while serving as an anti-terrorist mercenary), have been in the forefront of the news, as well as the concerns people have about the software which children have access to. Time and time again, research has proven to be inconclusive about the effects that video games have on children's behaviour. A number of school shootings in the U.S. several years ago, culminating in reports after the horrific Columbine shootings that the two boys involved had practiced by playing the game Doom, led many researchers, legislators, and parents questioning the effects that video games have on children, and their place in our homes. Research shows us that video games appear to be like any other medium that is present in our homes. The number of hours spent consuming television programs, magazines, or video games adds up quickly, and parents should be aware of what their children are doing or watching, and should be prepared to restrict access to certain products. However, children are growing up in a multimedia, digital world where they are constantly bombarded with all types of information and pressures, and where they cannot be indefinitely sheltered from the influences of society. Parents would be well to spend time discussing these issues with their children, and using these moments to talk about reality verse the fantasy, and setting family guidelines. Be involved, know what's going on in your home. ([email protected])
