A Letter To:- Alan Titsmarch
Dear Alan,
I feel I should congratulate you on your recent television debate with industry experts about the dangers of violence in video games. This discussion was both well informed and conclusive, but I shall get on to the results of it later in my letter.
Firstly, let me just say that I was completely oblivious to the fact that computer games can indeed be picked up by anyone, unlike modern cinema which, as you rightly stated, is safeguarded against the abuses of underage consummation by the ratings system. The fact that my four year old son can walk into a video game outlet and buy violent games such as “Left 4 Dead 2” is deplorable to the extreme and must be addressed with utmost expediency.
The views of Julie Peasgood were somewhat moderate and, to be honest, she could have displayed her viewpoint a little more overtly. Obviously she is the kind of expert you would want on a debate about violence in video games. After all, she did voice a major character in the survival horror title “Martian Gothic: Unification”, so she should know a thing or two about violent games.
Who was that guy sitting next to you? You said he was some kind of journalist? For video games? I was unaware that such a low brow media form as video games supported its own journalism. This Tim fellow didn’t even have the common decency to shave for this reputable and definitive television debate about the future of video games. I suppose we should at least be grateful that this layabout was clothed. It was nice to also see a proper journalist, Kelvin MacKenzie, helping to bring some professionalism to an otherwise ignorant guest.
Furthermore, the 3-1 ratio on stage really highlighted the ignorance of this “journalist” Tim, who clearly likes nothing more than mindless killing within these video games. To help really send the message home, the studio audience were a delight! The crowd participation aided in both supporting the factually accurate views of yourself, Kelvin and Julie, whilst serving to quell the lies that were spouted by Mr. Ingham. It’s a shame the camera did not pan out to display the lit torches and pitch forks that were handed out to audience members before the debate began.
Violence in video games must be stopped. I appreciate that without these violent games, actors such as Julie would be out of work, but as she rightfully pointed out, it has been scientifically proven that these games instil behavioural violence in children. I for one don’t want the “Tsunami of violence in the home that will corrupt a generation” and implore you to help bring about real change in censorship laws to ensure games such as “Call of Duty 2″ and “Modern Warfare” do not see the light of day, let alone the innocent and corruptible face of my four year old.
Yours sincerely,
Tom Wallis
Concerned parent
It's not a letter unless you post it...
Tom has been an avid gamer since his parents invested in a Commodore 64 back in the early '90s. Classics such as Goblin 3, Soccer Kid and Lemmings created an addiction from which he will never recover. Tom has been given the opportunity to write for GAME and EA, sometimes even treading foreign shores to bring you gaming words... Oh, and he's an Aquarius.
I feel it my duty to point out that this letter may contain elements of the base-humour style known as “sarcasm”
Also: officially our 200th post. Woop woop!
It’s amazing how ignorant these people are. They kept saying that kids could just get these games and casually ignored the guy, who kept telling them there is a comprehensive rating system.
It’s the parents that buy these games for their kids in most cases.
WOOHOO! this letter (and the previous) is awesome tom, great use of sarcasm lol. you should consider making this a weekly hobby of yours.
find some twat
write a letter to him
await results
Tom…you didn’t forget to put the anthrax in did you?
Poor sweet, garden loving Alan, all he wanted was to protect the young and innocent children and you’re being cruel and sarcastic to him. Let’s hope he’s strong enough to cope with it all. Frankly, I couldn’t agree with him more, it’s dreadful war games like Call of Duty and the like, based, incidentally, on real brutality and far too realistic, that make kids want to go out and kill each other. Why can’t the poor little children stick to good old fashioned hobbies like stamp collecting, whittling and pop music? Why can’t they be satisfied with innocent, fun loving pop videos by multitalented megastars like Lady Gaga?
I enjoyed this letter very much, and would just like to add that I loved how Captain Groundforce managed to conviently ignore the presence of titles such as Flower (non violent) and Batman Arkham Asylum (massively popular character as old as the Lone Ranger that he mentioned being a part of his childhood) in the titles being nominated for Baftas.
The fact that a game has violence in it does not mean it has no value whatsoever – just look at films like Saving Private Ryan, The Godfather, Apocalypse Now. Very violent films, but at the same time critically acclaimed. It is shamless ignornace on their part, plain and simple.
On a serious note, as a father of two game-playing children, it astonishing that this actually aired. I think if the segment had gone on any longer, the daft woman would have sat there with her fingers in her ears going “lalalallalala I can’t hear you, lalalalalala”. It is the parents fault for buying these games for the kids. It is the parents fault for letting the consoles babysit the kids. It is the parents fault for being too lazy to actually learn a bit about what their kids are doing.
Damn right If I didn’t know what games my child was playing and what films he was watching, I’d consider myself a failed parent. I recently caught my Wife’s younger brother letting my son watch him play GTA4. I was fuming. It didn’t turn him into a murderer by any stretch, but I still had harsh words.
None of the people I know, who play games are violent.
None of the violent people I know (sadly I’ve known a few) play games.
Anecdotal, I know.
Entertaining/10.
I was about to type that I’d have liked the letter to be a more rational, measured and counterpoint-filled response. Then I remembered who you were writing to, and the content of his show. Good work.
i like computer games that are first person shooting and strategy games .
video games can be very addicting that is why sometimes i limit myself from playing too much of it ‘
when it comes to video games, i enjoy playing those that have very nice graphics and story like Plantz and Zombies “,-
lollll