What's the deal with blaming video games for violent kids?

What is the deal with video game violence and its effects on children? I've often asked my friends this (gaming and non-gaming) just to see what they say about the topic. Yeah. There's violence in games but no more than what is seen in the movies, read in books or watched on television.

What I keep seeing as I read or write these news stories is that "we're fighting for our children" or "this is detrimental mind rot to the youth of today" .... Blah blah blah.

Okay, i've said this before and have received mixed comments back on this topic ... But, why are we responsible for babysitting someone's kid? If you don't want them to have potentially violent media learn to tell them "NO!"

What? We can say "NO" to drugs but when it comes to games, movies or music we dare not challenge the child's request? Believe me ... it's easy. See? "NO!" Easy to say and so quick you don't have to pencil the word in between all the cursing you'll end up doing just to get the kid to go take a bath and go to bed. No time management skill necessary for that one.

I get tired of this whole: "It takes a village to raise a child" crap. One. I didn't carry the little ones around for nine months and shoved it out into the world ... so why should I care if he one day wakes up and decides he wants to wear his pants down to his knees, baseball cap backwards or lime-green Scooby Doo undies underneath a pair of white pants? I'm just the person in the mall trying not to spew my cola-flavored slurpie all over the damn place when I see that nonsense. Heck if it weren't for the goofy looking dog I'd think the kid crapped his pants.

Of course, I tend to share my new weekend findings with friends and unsuspecting people butting into my business or preaching to me about the evil of games to me in the first place. Which led to an aggressive argument with one religious non-gaming naysayer who claims to have two children of his own. And happens to think Scooby Doo clothing goes with anything in his child's wardrobe.

In his preachings he brought up the ol' "it takes a village to raise a child" spiel and that I should have just told the kid's parents how ridiculous or inappropriate the kid looked.

Okay, I live in an area populated by self-proclaimed southerners. Mutton chops, baggy overalls and any fashion dictated by Hollywood as the latest and greatest cool outfit of the century. Who'd rather put a bullet through my skull for even questioning their fashion sense than yank the kid's britches back up to cover their butts.

"Sorry Cleatus Joe! My bad. I didn't realize rat-tails were the in thing this year. You look great in that mullet and the tobacco pouch is dead sexy ... YEE HAW!!!!"

My comical response sent the man ranting and raving all the way back to his car. Trying to negotiate the child's sense of direction when crossing the street, instead of holding the kid's hands. Well... that and his confirming my one way ticket to hell for being an unwilling to be saved gamer. As he shoves one kid into the car and chases after the other, I managed to squeeze in one last say on the matter before he drove away.

"Well, if it takes a village to raise your child then obviously you should rethink your choice of being a parent or your lack of parenting skills have annoyed your "village" long enough and they've been forced to step in."

Yeah. Never seen a man so angry that his head turned red. Kind of looked like that girl from the exorcist just before her head began spinning around. And in a morbid way as I imagined his head exploding and blood splattering everywhere that all I could think of was "hey ... he's actually kinda hot as a redhead."

After reading the video game report card from MediaWise it sort of proved my point that most of this could have been prevented if parents have stepped in to understand what ESRB means and look at the games their child wants to purchase instead of doing whatever it takes to shut them up.

You've seen them in the game stores. Once and awhile an adult brings their 6-year old into the store. The kid runs through the aisles and finds the game with the cool looking robot on it. Plain as day the ESRB rating on the box said "M-for mature" and mom or dad tries to put it back until junior pitches a fit on the floor.

"PUH-LEASE!!!! I WANT THE GAME WITH THE COOL ROBOT!!!!" Mom and dad ignores them. Next thing you hear before you black out is "I WANT THE ROBOT GAME! Gimmie! Gimmie! Gimmie! OR I HOLD MY BREATH TIL' I DIE BECAUSE YOU WON'T GIVE ME MY ROBOT GAME!!!!" This is often followed by a high-pitched scream.

After what seemed like hours you get up and check yourself. Hoping not to find you peed yourself and wipe the blood off your ear lobes. Look around to see if the couple and their screaming banshee have gone, then scramble home.

Then weeks later we're annoyed by news flashes about how how a violent game ended up in the hands of a 6-year old and your favorite game store is under investigation for selling it to the kid.