issues of parenting and bully(ing)

so rockstar has re-released bully on two new consoles and with it comes the controversy.

oh rockstar, where would you be without controversy?

i mean, i get it, teachers want to protect children from bullying. they want to see violence that is too close to a schoolyard and they want to think that somehow it will be another columbine, or somehow just a widespread increase in locker stuffing, slingshot toting bart simpson wannabes...

the real truth in this, at least to me, is that all they're doing is highlighting a small genre of game and helping rockstar shift copies.

after a quick check, it seems the esrb rated this one teen.

there's no guns, no sex, no alien boobies on gritty looking soldier (a la the mass effect controversy). nope, this is a fairly clean game for rockstar.

but what seems to still cause controversy is that it happens in a school, with a 15 year old protagonist who takes vengeance on people who mistreat him.

now i'm not saying that this is admirable or even tolerable behaviour and i had my share of beatdowns in elementary school. but it's hardly the kind of content to get up in arms over.

oh yeah, and you can kiss dudes in this. not sex, not anything particularly lascivious, but you can have same-gender boyfriends.

it's hardly worth even caring about, seeing as how most 13 year olds i've met play call of duty 4 (which has a lot more than slingshots) and grand theft auto: san andreas (which subs actual prostitutes for girlfriends and grenades for stink bombs).

i know, i know, i agree. they shouldn't be playing those games, but the reality is, most of them are. most of the male (and female) younger set are getting their grubby little paws on these games and they're doing it younger than ever. they're not playing carnival games, no. they're playing games with guns, sex, and whatnot and i don't think actively trying to take them away is the right way to fix the problems.

i think it's all on the parents.

sorry, parents, i love you, but you have two duties towards video games and that's it.

1) know what your kid is playing.

it's dead easy with the current generation of consoles. i know specifically that both the wii and the xbox 360 keep a log of the games played and the wii even shows how much time was spent on each.

but that's not just what i meant. you should also know what your kid is playing. i know they think you're uncool and you want to be. but for god sakes, just play the game once. play it with them, or sit with them and have them explain it. if that fails, look it up on the internet.

2) contextualize.

now, some would take that first point and run off and take the games away. i'm against this kind of behaviour because a) it makes whatever you're taking away seem more desirable and b) they're going to find a way to play it anyways.

all kids have friends whose parents are less observant (or more open) than you.

just because you take it away doesn't mean it's gone.

so, in light of this, along with playing the games, try to explain the context to your kid. let them know that, while in a game it's ok, that in real life, it's not as simple.

this may seem like common sense, but you have no idea how many kids can't see the blurry lines between media and reality.

in my day, it was kids copying wrestling moves and injuring and killing each other. now it can be just as dangerous if there's no adult figure there to explain it.

the bottom line:

if you make games taboo, it just means kids will do it behind your back and at times when they've got no help understanding the images they see.

game with your kids, and stay educated. as always the best offense is a good defense, and the best defense knows the other teams plays.

sorry for the preachiness,

JD