Japanese State Bans GTA

[Griking]

TOKYO (AP) - A state in Japan has decided to ban a U.S. video game from being sold or rented to minors, after officials deemed it harmful and capable of inciting violence.

Link (http://apnews.excite.com/article/20050531/D8AE5N5O0.html)

[badinsults]

And in other news, GTA is a very violent game, and should not be purchased by minors without parental permission, much like R rated movies.

[Tachikoma]

A "state" in Japan?

[Wavelflack]

Restriction = ban?

NRA logic at work here.

[Dart]

That's stupid. Government should not ban video games from anyone, period. Video games do not cause violence. If a video game can convince you to go out and kill someone, you were obviously already messed up in the head.

[Vectorman0]

I really hate how videogames are starting to be used as an excuse for poor parenting. My parent's never questioned me with a mature game when I was yet to become a teenager. They were fortunate that I was sensible. I don't even blame them, considering how foreign it is. Compared to the movie rating system.

I can't grasp why it is so difficult to make a rating system similar the MPAA's, and make the R equivalent restricted by law, like in the movies. It would stop all of this nonsense and take away another excuse that can be used in place of ignorance.

[Saabmeister]

That's stupid. Government should not ban video games from anyone, period. Video games do not cause violence. If a video game can convince you to go out and kill someone, you were obviously already messed up in the head.

Although I agree that the government shouldn't ban video games from anyone, don't see the problem with restricting them from being sold to minors. I dont think young kids should be playing GTA, or graphically violent video games. And video games can convince you to go out and kill someone, and you might not already be messed up in the head. If you aren't taught what is right and what is wrong, you may make the wrong decision.

[Xexyz]

If somebody goes out and kills someone because they weren't taught right from wrong, then that person has some ****ed up parents. Sadly, the game would become the scape goat.

[Gamemaster_ca_2003]

A "state" in Japan?
He means Preficture (Sorry if Its not spelled Right)

[zektor]

Don't we do this here? Don't you have to be 18 or older to buy or rent games like GTA here? What is the big news other than Japan following the same guidelines? By reading the topic I thought that the game(s) were just plain out banned.

[Gamereviewgod]

No, there's no law that says they can't be sold. Store Policy dicates that. Numerous states are trying to pass a restriction on sales to minors.

In other news, store employees are not your kids parents and it's not their responsibilty to monitor. When someone shows me a proven link there's a connection between violence in games and real life, I'll say it's neccesary.

Japan banning a game isn't normal for them. They have very little censorship when it comes to violence, and games liike GTA generally don't go over well anyway, simply becasue they see so little attention. Japan also has one of the loewst violent crime rates in the world (though it's increasing).

[jajaja]

That's stupid. Government should not ban video games from anyone, period. Video games do not cause violence. If a video game can convince you to go out and kill someone, you were obviously already messed up in the head.

Your right about the killing. People who do this are already fucked up. But ppl who are fucked up shouldnt be watching violent movies and play violent games.

Same goes with kids. I dont think GTA is suitable for any kids under 15. It is a very violent game acctualy. Another solution to not banning games is that you have to show ID before buying the game (maybe it is like this already, dunno). Personaly i dont care one bit if they ban a game. They have their reasons. I think they are doing the right thing.

[CartCollector]

It's not banned...

The game will receive a "harmful" product label in Kanagawa prefecture, or state, where retailers will be barred from selling or renting the game to anyone under age 18.
Thank goodness they didn't overreact *cough*Australian government*cough*.
I agree with Vectorman0. I think that the MPAA and ESRB should get together so that the ratings are the same. I mean, it's not that hard: E = G, E10+ = PG, etc. Then parents couldn't claim ignorance if the rating since most people know the MPAA ratings. It probably won't be necessary 10 years down the road, though, since video games are such a big part of culture nowadays.

[Gamereviewgod]

Your right about the killing. People who do this are already fucked up. But ppl who are fucked up shouldnt be watching violent movies and play violent games.

So what's this law going to do to stop them? Nothing, the same way it doesn't stop them from getting guns.

[sharp]

It isn't taht strange, in Europe there are quite a number of games which are rated by the British Film Comitee wgich I think means that it's forbidden to sell the game to people below the age mentioned on the package (I'm not 100% sure, it's the way it works in the Netherlands with movie-rating as far as I know. I don't know about the UK, but I excepect it to be much like here, as there people under 18 are not allowed to visit a cocert if they sell beer at the place).

I think it is ok to prevent younger people from extreme violence or adult content. I think it is not taking over the position of parents, but just help preventing kids get to see this stuff without knowledge of the parents. So I can understand the rating, although it can be bad for the sales of a game (Soul Caliburn for DC was 15+ if I'm right).

On the other hand the ratingsystems don't work that well. It is really a mess. I remember the Digital Picturesgames for Mega-cd by which one got a higher and the other a lower rating for the 32X version, evne though both games were exactly the same. Another stupid example was the Mega-CD of A Space Adventure (Cobra), which was rated 18+ by ELSPA and the British movie people said it was all ages. Also European games are sometimes full with agerating from all different countries which makes it a mess. So a clear system is needed when you have such a system.

[Vroomfunkel]

The BBFC actually gave Space Adventure a "PG" certificate, which is "Parental Guidance" ... but I am guessing that is only because they didn't get to the bit in the game with the topless shower pics!

ELSPA, who probably had some employees who actually knew what video games were, presumably did manage to access this section, hence the more stringent rating!

And Snatcher managed to get rated 18, as it had a scene with someone decapitated right at the beginning ... even though the graphics were poor enough, and so briefly displayed, that you could hardly see what it was supposed to be!

Vroomfunkel

[Cthulhu]

There are no states in Japan. Kanagawa prefecture recently passed legislation saying that GTA games cannot be sold to kids. They didn't "ban" it at all.



Japan banning a game isn't normal for them. They have very little censorship when it comes to violence, and games liike GTA generally don't go over well anyway, simply becasue they see so little attention. Japan also has one of the loewst violent crime rates in the world (though it's increasing).


Wrong on several counts. 1) The Japanese game review group CERO is stricter than the US ESRB system in many ways regarding violence. This is why Biohazard 4 and Shadow of Rome are heavily censored. 2) GTA 3 and Vice City were very successful in Japan. 3) Select foreign games and many adult games actually get a lot of attention. It all depends on the game. Capcom actually went and advertised GTA 3 at nightclubs to get recognition from adult customers.

[XxMe2NiKxX]

And in other news, GTA is a very violent game, and should not be purchased by minors without parental permission, much like R rated movies.

No, it shouldn't be purcahsed to immature PEOPLE who are going to take it seriously. Age should not be the restriction. Comments like that anger me, they really do.

[hydr0x]

And in other news, GTA is a very violent game, and should not be purchased by minors without parental permission, much like R rated movies.

No, it shouldn't be purcahsed to immature PEOPLE who are going to take it seriously. Age should not be the restriction. Comments like that anger me, they really do.

so, how do you want to decide if someone is mature or not if not by age?? do you want to force everyone to get analysed by a pychologist and carry a paper with the results with them all the time or what?? x_x

[Moon Patrol]

The ESRB is pretty useless. People bitch and complain about how violence in video games effects their children, but they don't realize they are responsible for it. At the time, they are like "oh this game looks ok, even though its rated MA, I'll still buy it for little johnny." A month later, the kid mimicks something from the game, and the parent is furious and blames the producer of the game for releasing it "to their child" and not doing enough to restrict violence in video games.

Bottom line: Video games don't kill people, irresponsible parents kill people. :snipersmile: :oops:

[Gamereviewgod]

2) GTA 3 and Vice City were very successful in Japan


This is from IGN:

"GTA III arrived in Japan September 2003 and managed to sell more than 300,000 copies before the year ended."

That's not a high number. It's just not their style of game. Admittedly, for that type of game, especially a US developed one, that's a high number. But comparitively to the US, that's nothing.


1) The Japanese game review group CERO is stricter than the US ESRB system in many ways regarding violence.

I can't find any information on that, but I have no reason to believe it's not true. They've also recently been established, within the past few years, right? Before that, what did they have? [/quote]