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The previous generation of parents already fought against porn and violence in video games, movies, and music. And they lost. Now their kids are re-fighting the

The previous generation of parents already fought against porn and violence in video games, movies, and music. And they lost. Now their kids are re-fighting the same fight. Why? Didn't we already establish that these things don't turn people into serial killers and rapists? Isn't that a solved question? A school shooting game is no more offensive than a driving sim where you run people over or a war shooting game. The only reason people are offended is because real life school shootings are popular exciting news so they also come to the forefront of people's minds as something they're supposed to get offended by.

DanAndersen 8y ago
Much of the moral outrages of previous decades came from groups that might be labeled 'moral majority' or 'religious right'; think of the panics about D&D being 'satanic'. In the current era, the urge to censor is increasingly coming from elements of the Left, where socially or politically "problematic" material becomes the new "blasphemous". From the quoted article: >"Unfortunately this also means they'll likely be taking a similarly hands-off approach regarding wildly sexist, racist or homophobic content." That's my guess as to why this isn't yet a "solved question" -- the fringes of both sides have to get their attempt at busybodying in before a stable synthesis can result.
- flukus 8y ago
  > That's my guess as to why this isn't yet a "solved question" -- the fringes of both sides have to get their attempt at busybodying in before a stable synthesis can result. That's optimistic. My prediction is that the pendulum will switch all the back once sexbots become affordable.
John_KZ 8y ago
If you can't see how games and movies changed an entire generation in the last 20-30 years, you're blind. Morally, ethically, every aspect of their lives is different because of those influences, and in most cases not in a good way. I would never allow my kid browse that kind of shit, even if they're 17. VR schoolgirl rape? Seriously? Why are people defending this. How can this be good for you psyche? Not to mention the more depraved shit that are going to arrive.
- lackbeard 8y ago
  > I would never allow my kid browse that kind of shit This is exactly the right attitude, you should be paying attention to what your children are consuming--it's not Steam's job to parent them for you. > Why are people defending this. How can this be good for you psyche? Because as with things like smoking and alcohol, some people enjoy them, and in a free society we let people make their own choices even if it harms them. (And it's not even clear that porn and video games are bad for you.)
flashman 8y ago
There's no comparison. The previous generations' fights were about the negative effects of video games on the players, which are measurably minimal. The current generation is arguing that certain games are equivalent to hate speech, and that those games should be filtered from the same public spaces that hate speech is filtered from.

DanAndersen 8y ago

Much of the moral outrages of previous decades came from groups that might be labeled 'moral majority' or 'religious right'; think of the panics about D&D being 'satanic'. In the current era, the urge to censor is increasingly coming from elements of the Left, where socially or politically "problematic" material becomes the new "blasphemous". From the quoted article: >"Unfortunately this also means they'll likely be taking a similarly hands-off approach regarding wildly sexist, racist or homophobic content." That's my guess as to why this isn't yet a "solved question" -- the fringes of both sides have to get their attempt at busybodying in before a stable synthesis can result.

flukus 8y ago
> That's my guess as to why this isn't yet a "solved question" -- the fringes of both sides have to get their attempt at busybodying in before a stable synthesis can result. That's optimistic. My prediction is that the pendulum will switch all the back once sexbots become affordable.

John_KZ 8y ago

If you can't see how games and movies changed an entire generation in the last 20-30 years, you're blind. Morally, ethically, every aspect of their lives is different because of those influences, and in most cases not in a good way. I would never allow my kid browse that kind of shit, even if they're 17. VR schoolgirl rape? Seriously? Why are people defending this. How can this be good for you psyche? Not to mention the more depraved shit that are going to arrive.

lackbeard 8y ago
> I would never allow my kid browse that kind of shit This is exactly the right attitude, you should be paying attention to what your children are consuming--it's not Steam's job to parent them for you. > Why are people defending this. How can this be good for you psyche? Because as with things like smoking and alcohol, some people enjoy them, and in a free society we let people make their own choices even if it harms them. (And it's not even clear that porn and video games are bad for you.)

flashman 8y ago

There's no comparison. The previous generations' fights were about the negative effects of video games on the players, which are measurably minimal. The current generation is arguing that certain games are equivalent to hate speech, and that those games should be filtered from the same public spaces that hate speech is filtered from.