I appreciate the fact...

...that we have a lot of freedom here in America. I really do. Granted, it may not be a perfect system, but we're gonna try and make it ok, anyway.

Now, I also love our freedom of speech/press/worship/ect. I never complain when someone is complaining about something I absolutely adore (unless they are bashing Zelda--I can't stand that).

The new thing coming out is Grand Theft Auto IV. They are predicting that this thing is gonna be huge.

Guess who came out of the woodwork to bash it?

Yup. Jack Thompson. The infamous J.T. He's been in the videogame hating business for a while now. He hates videogames. I bet he would complain if Mario decided to become a pacifist and put down trying to save the world. And Peach (when is she gonna stop being captured already?).

I look at videogames the same way I look at TV, movies, art, and books. It's a freedom to be able to print what you want. No one complains when the so-called painting masters way back then paint naked ladies (and where are all the naked guys? No wonder all the women are going bisexual--we're constantly having naked ladies paraded in front of us) and then they show these masterpieces in a gallery for the world to see.

So some videogames are violent. So what? So is every book and TV show out there not counting TV sermons and Barney.

I think that if people have a problem with kids playing violent videogames, they shouldn't be blaming the gaming industry.

THAT'S WHY THEY HAVE A RATING ON IT, PEOPLE! That little box on the back? That's called a RATING. It's the same thing you look at on the back of a movie, it just has a different letter for the meanings. You wouldn't let your 5-year old watch an R rated movie right? Well, then you shouldn't let him play an M rated game. *smacks forehead* Seems like a no-brainer to me.

Parents complain about the games their kids play, but who buys them these games? The parents.

Only 23 games have ever been rated Adults Only (AO) in the 13-year history of the Entertainment Software Rating Board, according to the board's site.

But who is seriously going to buy games with these titles:

Playboy the Mansion: Private Party
Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy
Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude Uncut and Uncensored
All Nude Nikki
WET - The Sexy Empire
All Nude Cyber

...and the list goes on. Even I don't buy these games, I must say.

But you know what? I'm glad they are on the shelves. Yes. Not because of their content, but because it shows that we have a freedom of sorts to print this junk.

Be glad that M/R/AO/XXX stuff is out there. It means the government won't ban stuff in the near future.