2) Irresponsible Parental Unit
Now don't get us wrong: we know parenting is an incredibly tough, under-appreciated job.We know what we put our own parents through, and know it's going to be hellish when our kids do the same to us. And we know that everyone has free will and even without great parents, you should be able to realize that unloadinga semi-automatic rifleinto a crowded restaurant is wrong.But it is nonetheless a parent's job to reinforce and develop this basic common sense by monitoring and controlling what their kids are doing, seeing, thinking, and playing.
The best way for parents to do this is through the ESRB ratings for games.It is not the Politician's job to protect little Timmy. Nor is it technically the job of thegame store. It is the job of the parent, in whose house the game is being played. If a Timmy had an intelligent, observant, and caring Parent, he would never be playing M rated games that are inappropriate for him. He would understand the context of in-game events, and wouldn't confuse what you can and can't do in a game to what you can and can't do in real life.
Above: This Sim family is celebrating a fun birthday. Not Shown: that little boy just got Gears of War for his birthday
Sadly, may parents don't realize the importance of this job in time. Timmy is playing these games. Parents seem almost supernaturally unable to grasp the idea that some video games aren't meant for younger players, so they buy the kid whatever he or she wants and then go into shock and blame everyone but themselves when they come home to find their young daughter just purchased a strip joint to compliment her hired killer and drug running businesses. And as a result, they enlistpoliticiansto get involvedin a clumsyattempt toprotect the kids that aren't being protected by their parents.
How do we fight them?
It's easy to say "make parents do their jobs," but that attitude will get us nowhere.Just as with politicians, it's all about education. Through educating parents about games and game ratings, Timmy will be playing what he should be, the politicians will find new causes to fight for,and mature gamers will be able to enjoy the games that they want without fear of being accused of corrupting America's youth.
