After browsing GamePolitics.com today, I came across this Entertainment Consumers Association Alert regarding the new Video Game Research bill championed by Senator Rockefeller, another blind attempt to research the nonexistent connection between violent games and "harm to children" or "violence in children".... This Bill is a direct threat to our freedoms. I urge anyone who is a gamer to send your Senator a message through the "action alert" link at the bottom of the article to talk to your senator to tell them NOT to support this bill. You can find the Article Here
However, the message ECA is sending does not give the Senators the complete picture. Noticeably missing are the fact that the "link" between Call of Duty and Sandy Hook is a media fabrication, and that groups like the Brown VS EMA Hijackers are probably going to try to sway the CDC or whoever is doing this research into believing utter hoaxes to prove their claims. IF this research is as biased and fraudulent as previous research (a topic I will do a youtube video on soon), then this research is in Danger of being completely fabricated. I urge gamers to use the below message instead. It goes into this problem and the fact the Call of Duty thing is a bogus media fraud.
"Senator Rockefeller has introduced S. 134, the “Violent Content Research Act of 2013.” It calls for a study by the National Academy of Sciences into the connection between video games and violence. We know the answer to that question, because studies have already concluded, including federally funded studies, there is no connection.
• While video game sales have increased globally, violent crime has decreased according to the FBI’s own statistics,
• Countries whose video game spending per capita is more than the United States do not see the level of violence - especially gun violence - that we do.
Those two facts alone show there’s no connection between the two.
Here are more reasons this legislation will achieve little:
• Researchers on both sides of the subject agree that you can’t study violence, only aggression. So there is no way to really come up with answers to the questions posed.
• The charge already has the taint of bias, as the Senator has said he personally believes that there is a connection. Now, no study connected to his worldview will be free of this.
• The CDC has had questionable practices in the past when it comes to studies and their conclusions. They have ignored their own data in past studies and have done so regarding past video game studies.
* No Matter how Questionable the practices of the CDC are there are always groups trying to sway studies and laws relating to Violence in video games. In 2006, during EMA vs Brown, a group from the Midwest (The Eagle Forum) sent in an Amicus Brief that cites known hoaxes such as "Doom Will Become Reality", a phrase supposedly said on Eric Harris's AOL Site, as proof Harris was influenced by Doom only. Only problem is that the site was a fake site according to the FBI. I have severe concerns that a study like this will be hijacked by such groups presenting hoaxes as evidence to sway the CDC. It will tip the Balance forwards the CDC, Severely Biasing the Study.
• No matter the outcome, at least one side will not agree with the conclusions drawn by the study.
• HHS, the FTC and the FCC have been included in this legislation; they have no role in this study and will likely see this as a way to expand their authority, politicizing the issue even more.
• The recent shootings that have occurred have not been by children. More recent such incidents have been gentlemen in their 60s or older.
• An investigation showed there is little evidence recent shooters played video games, and that the claim that they were was a fabrication by the media, especially the sandy hook reports linking Adam Lanza
to the Game "Call of Duty". All of these reports are based on a Tabloid article that did NOT prove that Adam lanza Played Csll of duty, just said his families plumber thought he might have. The Media all cited this non-proof as proof that he did play call of duty, all at once, making up many ideas, that he lived in a basement, that he trained on the game, etc. The Media is known for making up such claims and many fraudulent statements from them about violence in video games go unchecked... The "Doom Will become Reality" hoax listed above was used by the media to demean Doom and similar Games after Columbine.
• This legislation squarely focuses on video games, not including other media children are exposed to.
• There are numerous positive outcomes created by video game play, all of which are ignored by Congress.
• This legislation was proposed without talking to leading experts in the field.
• The legislation ignores past studies, which show that there is no causation between video games and violence, as well as reports by the FBI and the Secret Service that conclude the same thing.
• Congress is ignoring the studies have already been done. Why are we to believe that any conclusion other than what Senator Rockefeller wants will end this subject once and for all?
This study is a waste of taxpayer dollars and will not solve the issue of mass shootings in our country. It is a distraction from finding out the real causes and solutions.
It is within your power to guide this conversation responsibly and not simply blame entertainment. I ask that you represent me, your constituent, by doing so. If you have any questions on this or other similar issues please contact Jennifer Mercurio, the Entertainment Consumers Association’s Vice President and General Counsel, at jenn@theeca.com.
Thank you for your time and consideration."
