Parents against the Wii Zapper

[mr-paul]

Absolutely ridiculous:

The 'games make kids violent' furore has now turned its fiery attention on Nintendo as the company gears up to launch the gun-shaped Wii Blaster Remote attachment.

Angry parents are in fits over Nintendo's decision to release the peripheral for the family-orientated console. "Great, this is what we need," said one furious parent blogger. "Children with guns learning how to aim and shoot. Then we can sit back and wonder what is happening to our country with kids killing kids."

They added: "What's next? Could we make it squirt blood, too?" Well, no because it would go all over the TV and that would be rubbish.

"Why don't they enclose an application to the NRA (National Rifle Association) in every box as well? The marketing person who came up with this brain child of an idea should be fired," commented a "very concerned grandparent".

Another said in the US blog: "I think it's irresponsible for Wii to come out with a controller that looks like a gun. What kind of message are we sending as parents when we buy these things for our kids?" If you think it's irresponsible, why would you buy it for your child?

Is it not down to the parent to take responsibility for what games their children own and play?

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=172049

It's not like they have an obligation to buy it, so why are they complaining?
Idiots.

[LazyBoy]

Where is this blog, I feel like an argument.

[ShadowV7]

So to them a shell = The end of the world.

Well my advice to them is be a good parent, discipline them when needed and we won't have any problems will we?

[Zechs Merquise]

For pete's sake! What a storm in a teacup, we've had the NES Zapper, the SuperScope and the lethal Enforcers gun, plus countless other lightguns for other systems that look far far more realistic than this.

Some people should have more to do in life than just try to stir up rubbish.

[ShadowV7]

And what about arcade games aswell? I'm sure parents have seen them at Airports, Bowling Allies,and Laser Quest and that's more life-like than the zapper and I don't see them moaning at that. But no, when a shell which is less like a gun than those arcade machines get's announced, all hell get's stirred up.

[Cube]

I would say that Nintendo designed it to look nothing like a gun in an attempt to avoid stuff like this. Pity it didn't work.

[Maiky-NiSuTe]

they worry about this? ABOUT THIS!?!?! for god sake go on x-box live and play any kind of shooter out there and you will find under aged kids playing the most bloody aggressive games out there THAT IS WHAT THEY SHOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT!

[MunKy]

Why was "brain child" used as an insult by the "very concerned grandparent"?

Chalk up more points for right wing morons who will blow this further out of proportion.

[Owen]

Have parents always thought that a white piece of plastic called a Zapper, looks like a gun?

Jeez. :indeed:

[welsh_gamer]

Well my parents never complained when I was playing with my Nes Zapper and SNES Super Scope as a kid. Heck, they joined in the fun with me. Is playing cop's and robber's, cowboys etc as a youngster,where you either pretend to shoot your friends with toy guns or your finger, in the park wrong to do so too? PC is taking over the world.

[DomJcg]

next they'll say the same about the 360 controllers as the l and r look vaguely like triggers! :O

[Eenuh]

Shouldn't they be more worried about the actual guns that people can just get their hands on like it's candy or something? Pffff, if they think this is bad, then they also shouldn't allow their kids to play with water guns, those Nerf guns and whatever other kind of toy guns.

[Hellfire]

Where have they been in the past gazillion years with actual gun replicas used in games?

[Gizmo]

Hahahahahahahahahaha.

Hahahaha.

Haha.

Ha.

*****.

Edit: the word that starts with "Tw" and rhymes with "bat" is auto censored :(

[Roostophe]

Oh, for fuck's sake. How idiotic are some people, I mean, really...

[Dannyboy-the-Dane]

I second that, Gizmo. This is truly humourous. The sheer thought of the Zapper influencing kids violently is laughable, considering how much more violent a large part of the gaming world is.

[triforcemario]

And what's with the ""What's next? Could we make it squirt blood, too?" Well, no because it would go all over the TV and that would be rubbish."?! Since when did guns squirt blood?

[The Bard]

Tits. They don't have a right to comment on anything until they get rid of their preconceptions of videogames being for kids. Not only that, but it's not like it's freely available, you have to buy it. Not something you are forced to do is it? "Kids killing kids." Pfft, well if I was the kid of a person stupid enough to make comments as reactionary as that, I'd seriously consider removing myself from the gene pool.

[Gaijin von Snikbah]

I wonder if they have even seen a picture of it. It doesnt look that much like a gun.

[Mike1988uk]

THIS IS WHY GAMES HAVE AGE RATINGS!!!!! For gods sake this stuff anoys me. If they buy there young boy Umbrellas Cronicles with the wii zapper then there just stupid. And the comment made above is a great point! I have played against many young boys on Rainbow 6 and Gears of War on the 360 over live! So if parents are so conserned how the hell are all this kids playing these games!

[Fanelia]

as it happens, the wiimote also could be mistaken for a dildo. one that vibrates if applied correctly.

and what's wrong with a game where you shoot at zombies? should zombies ever appear at a family cookout, parents shall be gratefull for their children's leet clipping skills.

[Stefkov]

They best not go into an arcade place. They'd prolly be on the floor dying of fits, how many gun games there are in there.
Time Crisis, House of the Dead, Virtua Cop, Sniper game, loads of them yet the home console is always picked on.

Don't buy it for your kids you idiots.

It said that it was a parents bollger site or something, I think someone should actually make a comment on not buying it to them.

[mcj metroid]

Death is the only cure for stupidity.

These people need to die out.

[yesteryeargames]

get a life, what a stupid woman

[...]

Well, that's coming from America, surprise, surprise. When will americans finally realize that the problem with their country is not in movies, music or games, it's in their stupid gun laws where they actually promote gun ownership and extreme patriotism. Every or most countries in the world have exactly the same movies, music and games that the US has, but the levels of violence are not nearly as much because gun ownership laws are a lot different, more restricted.
Brasil is another country that has kind of the same gun laws as the US and look at their ultra violent society too. In Europe it's different, guns are not so easily acquired, and although there still is violence (violence is part of the world for millennia, it wasn't invented with video games) it's nothing compared to those countries with more loose laws.

Americans need to understand that THEY are the problem, their society and their laws, not the games, movies or music. Ideologies are mainly what makes people violent in the modern world, not entertainment.

[Zelda_Rulez]

Not one of these again, it's getting more ridiculous every time.

[Konfucius]

There's always a healthy amount of people out there who blame games for bad parenting and I understand them, after all it's the games industries job to make little kids into educated grown ups.[/sarcasm]

But this is just a classic indicent again. These people are ill-informed and make up some stupid things without getting their facts straight and imagine brutally realistic games with their kid maniacally laughing while shooting zombies.
What they don't know is that it is their responsibility not to buy a 7 year old a Wii game that is clearly marked as M, like RE:UC and that the Zapper isn't a must-buy either.
Actually I was quite surprise that the Wiimote didn't get any complaints for being too gun-like.

These people should stop comlaining and instead use this time constructively with their kids that would help everyone a lot more.

...or else get their arse kicked and name taken by Reggie.

[Tellyn]

Guns don't kill people, Nintendo do.

[Emasher]

So these are the same parents who don't allow there kids to have super soakers? Perhaps what's his name hired them to say this.

[Tellyn]

Jack Thompson? No. He is living proof that some people are just deranged and have no idea about gaming.

[Whisky]

"Great, this is what we need," said one furious parent blogger. "Children with guns learning how to aim and shoot. Then we can sit back and wonder what is happening to our country with kids killing kids."

They added: "What's next? Could we make it squirt blood, too?" Well, no because it would go all over the TV and that would be rubbish.

"Why don't they enclose an application to the NRA (National Rifle Association) in every box as well? The marketing person who came up with this brain child of an idea should be fired," commented a "very concerned grandparent".


I couldn't believe adult people could spout out this kind of childish bullcrap.

[mcj metroid]

Imgine if nintendo called it the WII GUN.

I thought wii zapper sounded innocent.

[ghost_zero]

Actually it would be enough if the parents don't give this to their kids or don't allow them to use it or something like this...

[martinist]

What kind of message are we sending as parents when we buy these things for our kids?

why the hell are they buying it for their kids if they think it will inspire them to kill people and encourage violence?

[Zechs Merquise]

Imgine if nintendo called it the WII GUN.

I thought wii zapper sounded innocent.

lololol

These are the same f*ckers that make sure that when you buy a cool transformer that turns into a gun it has to have an orange plug glued into the end of it. What utter nonsense.

The fact they don't let their kids use water pistols says it all.

[Patch]

What they don't know is that it is their responsibility not to buy a 7 year old a Wii game that is clearly marked as M, like RE:UC and that the Zapper isn't a must-buy either.

Or perhaps they do know this, but are aware that there are lots of other parents that don't behave quite so responsibly?

[jdobem]

Since this is a European forum, allow me to be a little usa-critic ... rant on

Why do American parents and the public, in general, give so much attention to the violence in the games, but ignore the weapons and drugs on the streets ?

AFAIK, you can enter a store in any city and just buy a gun if you'r old enough or have a good fake id. Is it really the gaming industry's fault?

I for one enjoy a mature title, now and then, and feel that my rights are being trampled when i hear of banning mature games. Should it not be the parent's right and duty to watch over what our children are playing ? They dont do their duty? Is it really our fault ? Should we be punished for that ?

I find it so unfair... oh well, rant off....

anyway, i'll buy the zapper if it arrives our stores. It seems like a lot of fun!

[Mokong X-C]

I just had to go on a long video youtube rant on this news

http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=ese5keZiV2I

honestly that 3rd comment is just ridiculous

"What kind of message are we sending as parents when we buy these things for our kids.""

WTF is that guy smoking??? And ironicly talks about the Wii being irresponsible in his previous sentence???

[Roostophe]

Mokong, I've got to say that you make a lot of sense in that video.

If I made a blog about this (btw I can't, I don't have a camera), I would be speechless at the parents' stupidity...

...it would just be me, staring, open-mouthed, not knowing what to say.

[Dannyboy-the-Dane]

Mokong, I've got to say that you make a lot of sense in that video.

If I made a blog about this (btw I can't, I don't have a camera), I would be speechless at the parents' stupidity...

...it would just be me, staring, open-mouthed, not knowing what to say.
I know what you mean. I don't know what to say to this, simply because it's so stupid. It's true what they say: "You can't argue with idiots - they pull you down to their level and and beat you in experience." I can't argue with these parents, because they are at such a low level that all forms of reason and logic have ceased to exist. I can't work under those circumstances.

[Konfucius]

"You can't argue with idiots - they pull you down to their level and and beat you in experience." I can't argue with these parents, because they are at such a low level that all forms of reason and logic have ceased to exist. I can't work under those circumstances.

That quote is brilliant. Gotta remember it.
Whenever I have to deal with idiots I use sarcasm in a way that they notice but don't understand it and then feel stupid because they don't know how to react.
After that the argument is an easy win :D

[Chris the great]

well, i think that there could be some sort of link between violece in video games and real world violence, in that violent games appeal to violent people. i doubt that games actualy make people more violent, certainly no more so then movies or outher media.

remember world war 2? no video games there and people still managed to be violent. as far as im concerned a gun game shouldent be aimed at younger players, nor should fighting games, hence the age rating system. if parents are outraged by this, they wont buy it, i fail to see why they think it should be stopped.

not wanting to open the debate of are video games art, and that banning games is censoring an art form, i wounder how these parents would feel if no adult aimed tv, movies, books or music came out, only postman pat's and carebear everything. to put it simply, violence is entertaining. i dont want to have my enjoyment of a type of media ruined because some nut job belives that it might cause there kid to go mad. if you want to stop your kid shooting any one, dont give em a gun.

[Cube]

well, i think that there could be some sort of link between violece in video games and real world violence.

Well, it depends on the person. Some people may be less violent because they play video games.

[Mike1988uk]

I just had to go on a long video youtube rant on this news

http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=ese5keZiV2I

honestly that 3rd comment is just ridiculous

"What kind of message are we sending as parents when we buy these things for our kids.""

WTF is that guy smoking??? And ironicly talks about the Wii being irresponsible in his previous sentence???

I watched ur vid before, totally agree. It is so frustratingly stupid i'm not surprised ur threw that piece of paper! ;)

[Patch]

remember world war 2?

Heh, it was a bit before my time.
I think we've found this forum's oldest member.

[steggy]

well, i think that there could be some sort of link between violece in video games and real world violence, in that violent games appeal to violent people. i doubt that games actualy make people more violent, certainly no more so then movies or outher media.

remember world war 2? no video games there and people still managed to be violent. as far as im concerned a gun game shouldent be aimed at younger players, nor should fighting games, hence the age rating system. if parents are outraged by this, they wont buy it, i fail to see why they think it should be stopped.

not wanting to open the debate of are video games art, and that banning games is censoring an art form, i wounder how these parents would feel if no adult aimed tv, movies, books or music came out, only postman pat's and carebear everything. to put it simply, violence is entertaining. i dont want to have my enjoyment of a type of media ruined because some nut job belives that it might cause there kid to go mad. if you want to stop your kid shooting any one, dont give em a gun.

Yeah, it wasn't so long ago that the only entertainment that normal people had was going to hangings. Although bringing hanging back might discorage a few more crimes, I doubt it would have any impact on people crazy enough to go shooting up a school.

It's funny but if a killer has a load of violent movies and say something like a snuff film, these would be used to show that, that person had a violent nature. If they had a violent video game then they were perfectly normal and the video game turned them violent.

If someone is into violence they are going to surround themselves with violent media. It just so happens that video games are the thing that the media latches onto. I wouldn't worry too much about it really though, every form of media has had the same even books.

Oh and I went to the blog with this article, it had something like 100 odd comments. 2 of them were from idiotic parents, the rest were from people stating how stupid they were being (some saying it better than others). Funnily enough no one seems to have tried arguing with the "pro Zapper" people.