A plate FULL of their own ass!
 

I just wrote this letter to the editor of the Star Ledger (New Jersey's statewide newspaper) after reading an editorial about Grand Theft Auto: Vice City being obscene and violent. I just finally got pissed and had to do something. I want to see how you like it and my odds of getting it published. I have already written three in the past and all have been published :)

Dear Editor,
This is in response to Mr. Lawrence Hall's "The games people play reflect a sick culture". I have read just about enough editorials on violent video games to realize that none of these journalists have ever even played the games they are criticizing. Mr. Hall points out that in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City it is possible to kill prostitutes and steal cars, however, it is also possible to chase down criminals and help out the police. Grand Theft Auto was created so players could vent and act out their "vices" without actually affecting anyone. Some studies even go on to say that playing violent video games can be therapeutic.

Mr. Hall also goes on to relate a story of teenage kids who shot at moving vehicles and said they were influenced by the game. I have played about every bloody, obscene, disturbing game in existence and have yet to lay a finger on a weapon. If these people acted on thoughts they had about a video game, there was already something wrong with them from the start.

To the people who accuse video games of "conditioning today's youth to violence", I say "good". That is what the world is mostly comprised of nowadays anyway, so we might as well get teens used to it, because they are about to get a mean slap in the face. We see pictures from wartime every day on the television. To me, that is even worse to show to kids than blood in video games. This is real, pixels and flashes on a screen are not.

To quote Penny-Arcade.com, "Video games can also allow a father and son, separated by 400 miles and 40 years, to play a game of golf together." You've already taken our music, our privacy, and our innocense. Don't take our imaginations too.

Moving to Video Games, 'kay?

The problems with todays youth are a combonation of their parents, their parents lack of attention towards them as they grew up, other human influences and enviorment. If we are to blame games as a sole purpose, then those who do need to go to parenting school to learn up on all the other causes of neglected and bad mannered children.

End of letter. :fighter:

I've never liked over-violent games. Just a personal thing. I generally vent my violent tendancies in constructive ways like, say, beating up my brother ;). but its a good letter. Might not get published, but at least you were articulate.

It's a good letter, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's not published. The editor will look at it and go "Ah, another pro-video game editorial. *toss* HA, first shot into the garbage! I am on a ROLL!" Err, ya. The media just doesn't let good things about video games get out. Remember the coverage Child's Play got? The media didn't even give Penny-Arcade the credit!

It's a pretty good editorial. I would have taken out the third paragraph, or at least changed it, because that paragraph makes it sound like the author you're replying to was right about video games conditioning youth to violence, but other than that it's a very good letter.

That's the spirit. The evil in me, however, feels the need to point out that, while I am in every way supportive of that letter and the opinion it conveys, and while I don't believe video games alone make people violent (or ar majorly responsible), and while I love GTA... only with helping out the police you won't get far in the game.

Ah, but they don't know that, do they?

Pretty good letter. I couldn't have said it better myself. 'Specially cause I'm not articulate and not good with arguments.

lets face it, the media makes more money condemning video games than supporting them.

As for the people who blame their acts on video games, that is just a now-acceptable excuse. Why admit that I did something wrong, or that I didnt watch my children properly when i can just say it was that evil video game and movie companies fault. So much simpler.

Thus is the problem with our culture today.

I've also noticed how every anti-GTA editorial forgets to mention that you can put out fires, save people, Go vigilante, and deliver pizzas (Hey, someone has to do it.)

It just pisses me off when people blame things like music, movies, and games for there screwed up children.