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Leland Yee, Senator Known For Passing Unconstitutional Anti-Game Laws, Still At It

At least they gave the asswipe some good games to hold.

California senator Leland Yee, whose much-publicized violent game law was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2011, has offered a new message to gamers: quiet down. Speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle in the wake of last month's schoolhouse massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, Yee criticized gamers and the industry at large.

"Gamers have got to just quiet down," Yee said. "Gamers have no credibility in this argument. This is all about their lust for violence and the industry's lust for money. This is a billion-dollar industry. This is about their self-interest."

Yee is not the only politician taking aim at the game industry following December's deadly shooting. Politicians in Washington, DC, as well as President Obama himself, have put forth legislation and orders aimed at examining violent entertainment and what role it may play in real-world violence.

Yee_04107_screen.jpg


Source
 
If nothing else, I appreciate the openness insofar as how he sees all gamers as violent psychopaths. It makes it easier to keep tabs on who's legitimately concerned about media violence versus who's just keeping an agenda.
 

pestul

Member
California Senator Yee, do you consider The Godfather to be a good film? Do individuals who like said film have no credibility and just lust for violence?
 
"Gamers have got to just quiet down," Yee said. "Gamers have no credibility in this argument. This is all about their lust for violence and the industry's lust for money. This is a billion-dollar industry. This is about their self-interest."

ht_katheryn_bigelow_nt_121212_wblog.jpg
 

Kunan

Member
Yee has got to just quiet down. He has no credibility in this argument. This is all about his lust for promoting himself in the public space with the thing-to-blame-of-the-week, and his lust for donations. This is a multi-trillion dollar government. This is about his self-interest.
 

remnant

Banned
Maybe the reporter should ask Mr. lee about the corruption in the healthy san francisco initiative he got behind.

He is beating his old video games horse to avoid the recent scandal in SF. Not a shock
 
OK, so let's say this whole controversy about games and violence started with Dungeons and Dragons. That means we've been having this argument for 30+ years and all the majority of gamers have done is ask politicians to stop making us a scapegoat and recognize these issues are inherently complex and multiple areas need focus to resolve this issue, yet the only people they listen to are the vocal minority that demand respect and those two argue it out publicly every time an act of violence that could be tied to gamers happens.

Also, psychologically speaking, we are selfish. Preservation of self above all others is how you survive in a harsh environment, like we used to live in until we formed civilizations.

One last question: WHY THE HELL HASN'T THIS ASS BEEN VOTED OUT OF OFFICE?!?
 

Terrell

Member
I agree that most gamers bring little to no credibility to the debate, but definitely NOT for the reasons he specifies.
 

1-D_FTW

Member
I love how you can take everything he said, substitute it for politicians, and have a much better description of the problems plaguing the world.
 

Revan

Member
This sounds like an ignorant comment by an ignorant politican who doesn't seem to realize that this billion dollar industry creates job, promotes creativity (not all games are FPS/TPS - take Journey, Mario or Little Big Planet for example) and in a lot of ways drives technology forward. In a day and age where politics is all about finger pointing and scapegoats, this fits right in with the status quo.

No offense to Americans but it's things like this that make me glad I'm Canadian. There is next to no pointless rhetoric like this here.
 

MormaPope

Banned
Jeebus Christ. Dude needs to realize that over a hundred million people play videogames, if videogames created problematic people we would be seeing a lot more violence everywhere. Videogames are an easy target and a way to appeal to the misinformed that want to point a finger at something.
 

ZaCH3000

Member
I swear, his words are just a bat signal for the video game industry to send a platoon of lobbyists with sacks of money. The way he emphasizes "billion dollar industry protecting their interest" only furthers my perception.
 

2San

Member
Does shit like this even phase anyone anymore? People like him can't even get anything done these days anyway.
I swear, his words are just a bat signal for the video game industry to send a platoon of lobbyists with sacks of money. The way he emphasizes "billion dollar industry protecting their interest" only furthers my perception.
This always somewhat surprised me. For the biggest entertainment industry, they don't seem to lobbying much.
 

BoSox06DH

Member
Makes me sad that this man is part of our government. There are worse politicians in regards to policies and logic, but this clown is up there.
 

JazzmanZ

Member
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2013/01/25/elected-officials-continue-to-blame-games-for-violence

derp

Update: Senator Yee’s chief-of-staff, Adam Keigwin, responded to our inquiry with a phone call. He wanted to note that Senator Yee’s choice of words wasn't the best: “It wasn’t the most artful thing he ever said.” He also said that, although the Senator was quoted accurately, his statement was in the context of the gaming industry; the quote “was not directed at individual gamers.”

His chief-of-staff noted that he himself is a gamer, as well as other staffers in the Senator’s office, and even the Senator’s children.

In short, Yee feels that the gaming industry doesn’t have credibility, but rather a “vested interest” in continuing the status quo, as “violent games are successful.” As such, “their position isn’t relevant in this debate.” Rather, the Senator wants to know “what’s the science?” behind any correlation between violent games and violent acts.
 

BibiMaghoo

Member
As much as I hate this witch hunting shite, there is one thing I do actually agree with some of these people on.

I do believe, that violent / graphic media (note, not just games) does desensitize people (note, not children, everyone) to that imagery.

I say this based on my own observations and others, who for example didn't play violent games or watch violent movies as a kid.

I find those that did are far, far more open to the most graphic violence, where as those that did not can't stomach it aswell.

It's the one truth they use to propogate their agenda based lies.
 

remnant

Banned
comment is a couple days old, and his office did backtrack and give clarification.

a.k.a he said what he honestly felt and it didn't poll well.

No offense to Americans but it's things like this that make me glad I'm Canadian. There is next to no pointless rhetoric like this here.
Ah yes Canada. the land of perfect people. *vomit*
 

SapientWolf

Trucker Sexologist
I hope out of touch politicians continue to attack gaming. Maybe it will inspire young people to actually get up and vote.
 
A crappy attorney who spearheaded Yet Another Misguided California Law and was swiftly shut down by the Supreme Court telling other people they have no credibility.

lol
 

Sorian

Banned
Oh no, someone with an anti-gaming agenda......woo.......*bored*

I feel like in the politician big leagues you take on evils like homosexuality and abortion but for those who just aren't good enough for the big leagues they get delegated to those lesser evils like video games and other media. I can only imagine (and cringe) at a politician that actually believes the shit they spout.
 

remnant

Banned
I hope out of touch politicians continue to attack gaming. Maybe it will inspire young people to actually get up and vote.

Yee operated out of san francisco. Young people voted (and vote a lot) for him in this city, or at least circled democrat for senate when they voted for obama.
 

Dr Dogg

Member
Ok so to tar all gamers with the same brush and tell them to pipe down, brandishing 18/M rated games when if he bothered to do just a teeny weeny bit or research noticed that two thirds of games rated by the ESRB are rated E or lower and over half the games that are PEGI rated are 3+or lower.

I don't know maybe he's found someone who took to chomping down on magic mushrooms and in their drug induced trip started smashing their head in to the walls to get more to sustain the buzz and when people came up to them to see what the matter was they brutally murdered them by jumping up and down on their head all because they played Super Mario Bros as a kid.
 

ckohler

Member
Hey old people! Video games are not just kiddy toys anymore! Everybody plays them!

Video games are the new Rock and Roll.
 
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