As a man who plays video games as an enthusiast, I am mortified by the self-righteous and indignant anti-violence crowd.

Grand Theft Auto IV was released to a tremendous amount of fanfare, demand, and anticipation. The game made over $500,000,000 in it's first week and is expected to make over a billion dollars before its initial run is over. Sony sold a large amount of Playstation 3 consoles as a result and the game promoted a boon for a number of retail stores.

However, before the release of GTA IV, a number of blown up controversies arose about the violence and material contained within the game. Australia essentially banned the game. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) screamed bloody murder over the driving drunk aspect of the game. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) gave the game a mature (M) rating, although they wanted to give it an NC-17 rating which is basically the same as a mature rating. Incidentally, I find the ESRB to be like the commissars of the Soviet Union. And a number of national level politicians, like Hillary Clinton and Barbara Boxer (a.k.a the Tipper Gore Crowd), have used the hypocritical anti-violence video game platform to claim how protective they are, never mind they are not protective of our borders that allow murderers, rapists, gang members, and drug dealers to proliferate into the country to cause harm.

The stunning and rampant hypocrisy here is almost beyond description. First of all, video games are fantasy and the vast majority of people understand this. They know that what they are doing in the game is unacceptable in society and to self. They know they are playing on a digital medium in a fantasized world. The aforementioned groups and people assume that people don't know this and must be informed because they know better. Since when does the government or a governmental entity know better when they cannot protect the borders, get the budget under control, and figure out how to stop bickering with each other for five minutes? Aside from that, why are they worried about a video game when there are far larger and more dangerous people and situations to deal with around the world?

Manhunt 2 also fell into this, "oh my god think of the children" anti-violence idiocy. The game had to be modified according to the ESRB in order to fall into the mature rating instead of nc-17. As I stated before, it is the same rating. The nc-17 rating just allows more administrative powers over a game, hence the ex-Soviet Union. I was quite appalled that Rockstar Games had to modify Manhunt 2 despite the demand from it's customer base to have an uncensored game. The last time I checked, I am an adult and I pay taxes. It is my choice whether or not I play these types of games. The government should have no say. The only time the government has any business in these situations is if someone is being criminally mistreated during the making of a game. For example, if someone is literallty beaten for sound effects purposes. Since, this has never happened, to my knowledge, it's a moot point.

Where are these same politicians, and other anti-violence types, when people are running around nude while whipping each other in public down Market Street in San Francisco during these gay pride parades? I know if you are a conservative and you decry this behavior, you are called a prude and intolerant. Where is the tolerance for video game violence from the liberal crowd? That is their mantra, isn't it? Tolerance for All. Apparently, it is not, when it is something that does not fit within their agenda.

Ironically, I have not heard much in the way of protest from religious groups or what would be considered right wing organizations. It seems they have more tolerance for free speech, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

The other ironic aspect here is the mere fact of free advertising. Anytime these anti-violence groups or politicians stand up and scream about it, they are giving free advertisement to the very thing they are complaining about and are actually assisting in it's proliferation. Remember the saying from a marketing standpoint, even bad news is good news. All you idiots are doing is promoting people to go out and purchase these games by virtue of the fact of decrying its violence and content. That is what is called shooting yourself in the foot.

Yet, I will play Manhunt 2 and Grand Theft Auto IV to my heart's content and tolerate the hypocrits as they wallow in their self-delusion.

Alan Waldron