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European Parliament wants "Red Button" on Game Consoles

March 20, 2009 in News comments 18

In an amusing and not well thought out move by the European Parliament, they desire a "red button" on consoles for parents to be able to push when they see something "morally objectionable" in front of their kid's eyes. James Walker believes this already existed with the reset button. I would take it a step further and go ahead and say that button is called the "Power Button"

To quote Willmott:

Research shows video games are useful for educational and medical purposes – and they can be good fun. But not all of them have content which parents will be happy with. Online games, which are easy to download on to a PC or mobile phone, make parental control even harder.

Now, I hate to break it to Willmott, but this is a terribly silly idea. Not because games never ever have objectionable content that kids should never view, but because the idea is redundant. You see, video game consoles have had a “red button” of sorts since the very beginning:
PacoDG via bingegamer.net »
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Most recently commented on by on Mar 21, 2009

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  • 0
    Existence Mar 20, 09
    lol at the power/reset button comments. Very true.
  • 2
    ShadowJ Mar 20, 09
    I seriously think the european parliament just want kids to throw tacos into their parent's faces for turning off their consoles/resetting it when they get far into a game and haven't saved

    Terrible idea that will cause world war III across homes worldwide. If parents are that concerned to the point that they will switch off a console or reset a game due to questionable material then they could go the extra mile and research the game in the first place or just not buy it for their kids.

    The thing about this article is simple...instead of coming up with ideas like this, first get parents to actually supervise their kid's gaming activity...once that step is done, then come up with silly ideas like this
  • 0
    HisServant77 Mar 20, 09
    Well I had considered creating a filter that would filter out foul language and sexual content as well as extreme gore from games. I know how it can be done, and could create it, however time is something I don't have in order to get the resources I need and the backing for it, not to mention the creation of the filter.

    But anyways, I believe such a filter is what is needed and not something like this. Just have parents get the filter if they wish to use it, and turn it on and off as they please.
    • 0
      PacoDG Mar 20, 09
      Interesting. I just recorded a podcast last night talking about something of this same subject, but handling different. Basically just how movie studios now re-record lines while making films, to ready the films for broadcast television (ie edited). Game makers would make "PG" versions of scenes/dialog while the game itself is in development, and able to release two versions of games. Also much like how CDs are made edited.

      Of course some content is just too much for children where this wouldn't work (GTAIV for example), but in a lot of cases a cleaned up scene or two would be fine.
      • 0
        The Primagen Mar 20, 09
        quote PacoDG
        Of course some content is just too much for children where this wouldn't work (GTAIV for example), but in a lot of cases a cleaned up scene or two would be fine.
        Like how in Gears you can turn explicit content off?
  • 0
    Zero and X Mar 20, 09
    Wow, this is some powerful stupid.
  • 0
    Shattered Mar 20, 09
    This world honestly likes to fight about the stupidest things.
  • 0
    The Primagen Mar 20, 09
    I would also like the ability to insert/remove peripherals.

    Oh wait..
  • 1
    xxxRockerxxx Mar 20, 09
    I thought the the rating on the game can save the parents the trouble of having to resort the reset/power button.
  • 0
    dwg14390 Mar 20, 09
    wait a minute, so my kid has been playing GTA and there has been a "power button" all along??

    WHY WASN'T I TOLD ABOUT THIS!!!
  • 0
    kik36 Mar 20, 09
    There's also something called a 'power cord' that can be pulled out of the socket, and BAM!!!! No more power.......go figure.
  • 2
    Bale Fire* Mar 21, 09
    So parents are too lazy to figure out where the power button is now?
  • 0
    Taker4ever Mar 21, 09
    It's just the European Parliament up to their usual nonsense again. They have to make it seem as though they actually serve a purpose.

    Anyways, I remember seeing a device in an Argos catalogue a few years ago that could limit the amount of time you could stay on a Playstation 2. Basically you just put the console in this contraption, and it would automatically shut it off after a certain amount of time.
  • 7
    Ameer Mar 21, 09
    If this is such a big problem, why don't the parents' assert their *bleep*ing authority and turn it off/tell the kid to stop playing?

    What happened to parents actually parenting?
    • 1
      HisServant77 Mar 21, 09
      I agree. The problem lies in society now telling parents "Don't hurt your child's fragile development by disciplining them" and then if you do, they arrest you for endangering the child.

      I'm against abuse, but discipline and abuse are not the same. You can discipline without beating the child to death!

      Parents definitely need to be parents. And society in general needs to learn the same.
    • 0
      xxxRockerxxx Mar 21, 09
      That really is a pretty simple solution. Too bad they find it easier to point the finger at something else.
    • 0
      Slumpy monkey Mar 21, 09
      "What happened to parents actually parenting?"

      Government's thought it would be better if they raised people children instead.
    • 0
      ShadowJ Mar 21, 09
      What happened to parents actually parenting? Political Correctness and the ability to sue on the spot.

      Parents can not touch their child like they could 10 years ago. Children now have the same rights as adults (which is no wonder why children think they can play 18+ games). The fact there is no disicipline anymore means a child can run riot while their parents have a nervous breakdown.

      Overall today's society is screwed up. A simple slap on the wrists or a tap to the butt is suffice. Obviously throwing the child around the room or beating their head against a wall like a drum is going too far and is abuse but when I was a kid, I was clipped around the head, had the back of my legs smacked and my butt whacked...Once I turned 10, it stopped because I realised I doing something naughty or something I shouldn't be doing.

      My brother currently does the above to my nieces, he slaps their wrists or their butt when they are naughty and tells them off. They cry but they realise what they did was wrong and they don't do it again.

      However instead today's society would rather state "no to hitting children" and let them to run riot on the streets, I'm not saying lack of disicipline is the cause of why kids are as they are but it certainly has a lot to answer for

      Ontop of all this, parents in today's society are a lot younger, so in fact it's kids parenting kids. Now with this generation having a lot of teenage pregnancies, it is no wonder since the actual parent is infact still in school and their own child starts school just as they leave.

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