Video game abuse take two

Two extra takes on ITN's whole 'New video games can lead to abuse, racism, obscenity and cake [oh wait not cake*audio alert*] from Devil's Kitchen and John Trenchard. Kindly ITN have put the report online for us to view .

Both DK and JT points out the inherent stupidity of complaining about verbal abuse on a game that allows you to turn your opponent into a exploding pile of viscera; perhaps it's because the media have long lost that fight over on-screen violence leading to real-life violence, or they're just worried they'll sound like The Scum or Daily Wail.

Having read the ITN article I'll reiterate a point I made about how they seem to be targeting one particular console. Just look at the keywords - are they video, games, bullying, racism, abuse? Nope they're Playstation, and Sony.

Now read the article

Gamers on Sony's Playstation 3 can be subjected to abuse when they play online.

Yep no argument here, but I think you'll find it's a little more widespread then that. Seriously have the owners of a certain other console got ties to ITN? Perhaps it's because, according to ITN, it's a new phenomenon. Yep no abuse on the XBox Live service no sirree.

So the question that has to be asked is this "What was this report in aid of?"

As I've pointed out nothing about this is new, there's already an age-restriction on joining, chat can be turned off, and there's an easy process for reporting abuse. So the only people this report is aimed at are the parents who don't monitor what their children are doing and need to be warned (though why they think this'll make them take any notice I dont' know), the few remaining members of the 'video-games are the work of Satan' crowd, and people who don't know anything about it but can get all worked up and start writing letters to newspapers and MPs demanding something is done.

This isn't news.