Violence In Video Games

The California Supreme Court ruled today that prohibiting the sale of "violent" video games was unconstitutional, something much aga on the gaming twitterverse. 

Personally, I'm okay with making suggestions and educating the consumer population about the content of video games.  Parents who are averse to exposing their children to violent video games (like violent films, or books, I suppose) should be able to know the basic premise and level of violence the game contains.  Thank god for sites like GamerDad's - which specifically take a no-nonsense, honest and fair approach to gaming with children.  The above site does it in a way easy for parents to understand.  For example, when describing the "Kid Factor" of Super Mario Galaxy, GamerDad writes: "you stomp fictional creatures called Goombas, who vanish in a puff of smoke, revealing a coin."

However, not all games are of the puff of smoke, reveal a coin variety.  Games like Call of Duty present real and substantially violent situations, appropriate for mature gamers, but possibly not age-appropriate for developing children.

My background on this issue blends from both my youth as a gamer and my education in childhood development.  Simply put, while I agree with the ruling, there are some fantasy situations (whether by video game, film, or novel) that developing minds will have trouble differentiating from reality.  Considering the medium of delivery, parents should (as best available) be responsible to observe and curtail any influence that could be detrimental to their children's healthy development.

However, with some parents barely even to meet their children's basic needs, perhaps there is a place for government intervention of the sale and furnishing of all media based on developmental level.  Of course, the issue becomes much, much more subjective, and I can't count on the guy in GameStop as being able to assess a child's readiness to look down the scope of sniper rifle and disassociate that with real-life scenarios.

Fantasy play is important to childhood development, and children can benefit greatly from the introduction of age-appropriate gaming, but just like you wouldn't expect a child to appropriately play Canasta, or Texas Hold 'Em, we also shouldn't be forcing games (through advertisement, primarily) to children who won't be able to enjoy or understand the medium.

Save Yourself Mammal!

How on earth could I have neglected to include Save Yourself, Mammal!: A Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal Collection?  Zach Weiner (hehehe), author of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal (one of my favorite webcomics) compiled a lot of free, electronic comics into a not-free, hardcopy version of his work.  With commentary, etc.  Full of winning.

Other Birthday Thoughts

I cannot promise this will be the last birthday post, but probably...

I just wanted to through a shout-out to ThinkGeek.com which has oodles of brilliant geek-related gift ideas.  Sure, I may already have an Aperture Science Mug, but what about a Vintage Aperture Tee?

Also, check out this awesome Simon Pegg book.  After lisrtening to him on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me (the brilliant NPR News Quiz that I love to listen to, possibly because of Carl Kasell's voice) I decided that this was the sort of thing I'd want to advertise. 

Plus, you know Shaun of the Dead - brilliant, really.  Zombies + humor + Nick Frost = win!

Finally, I wanted to buy this shirt for my parents, because I feel like it encapsulates awesomeness, which for them should be celebrated.  It's based on The Cure's idyllic song, Friday I'm In Love: