Venezuela about to take on arcade firing ranges

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Tue, 2009-10-06 21:26

martin dufresne

Venezuela to ban violent video games

By Christopher Toothaker, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CARACAS, Venezuela - Shouts of "Kill him! Kill him!" ring out as the preteens train their virtual assault rifles on the last remaining terrorist and spray him with bullets. Blood splatters. The enemy collapses. And they cheerfully wrap up another game of "Counter-Strike."

The most popular video games among kids often imitate life outside this Internet cafe in San Augustin - one of the many crime-ridden slums in Venezuela's capital, where residents say too many of the young players easily trade joysticks for guns.

In a bid to curb that trend, Venezuela's National Assembly is on track to prohibit violent video games and toys. The proposed legislation, which received initial approval in September, is expected to get a final vote in the coming weeks.

(...)

As manager of the cafe in San Augustin, Jenny Rangel struggles with a moral dilemma as she stands beneath a "Scarface" movie poster and watches the virtual shoot-'em-up. Like many of her neighbours, Rangel rushes home at nightfall before gunshots begin echoing through the barrio.

"The message for them is that you must shoot and kill," Rangel said.

Across town from San Augustin, shopping mall arcades are packed with children and teenagers from mostly middle-class and wealthy families who wait in line to play "Dark Silhouette" - featuring a life-size assault rifle that players use to gun down opponents. (...)

Wed, 2009-10-07 09:39

Snert

If they really want to stop sending violent messages, Chavez could always stop dressing like he's just about to parachute into the jungle. Are the combat fatigues really necessary for a politician?

Wed, 2009-10-07 12:21

kropotkin1951

Given the drone weapons now in use in Afghanistan and Pakistan the virtual world of gaming has become the real world of death. I see them as training institutes for the next generation of "soldiers." They used to be only desensitizing young people to violence but now the kids are actually learning transferable skills that are currently being used to murder from afar.

Thu, 2009-10-08 10:04

Frmrsldr

kropotkin1951 wrote:

Given the drone weapons now in use in Afghanistan and Pakistan the virtual world of gaming has become the real world of death. I see them as training institutes for the next generation of "soldiers." They used to be only desensitizing young people to violence but now the kids are actually learning transferable skills that are currently being used to murder from afar.

In fact, the Canadian military uses video game type technology for training on small arms and weapons systems. It also uses this equipment as a recruiting tool, making sure to show this to potential recruits and allowing them to have a hands on approach with it (ie., potential recruits are allowed to "play" with this equipment).

Fri, 2009-10-09 14:41

Caissa

When I was in the Reserves (1980-3) we didn't have any simulators. We always trained with real weapons.

Fri, 2009-10-09 17:16

kropotkin1951

Caissa wrote:

When I was in the Reserves (1980-3) we didn't have any simulators. We always trained with real weapons.

Way back then they didn't have drones that could deliver payloads, except in Star Wars movies. We live in a far more evil time now and these weapons were conceived and developed by the supposed leaders of the free world. A soldier in Arizona can now bomb a village in Pakistan on the flimsiest of evidence that their might be a "terrorist" in it. So who are the terrorists is my only question. And Pakistan is supposed to be a democracy and ally of the west.

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Soothsayers had a better record of prediction than economists

Fri, 2009-10-09 23:26

Frmrsldr

Frmrsldr wrote:

In fact, the Canadian military uses video game type technology for training on small arms and weapons systems. It also uses this equipment as a recruiting tool, making sure to show this to potential recruits and allowing them to have a hands on approach with it (ie., potential recruits are allowed to "play" with this equipment).

Canada's technology is not as advanced as America's. Although the Small Arms Trainer is a "computer video game", real Browning FN High Power GP-35 9mm pistols, C-8 carbines, C-7 rifles, C-9 light machine-guns and C-6 general purpose (or medium) machine-guns are attached to the system. The purpose is to provide pre-training for new recruits before they go on a live fire range. It is also for units whose armories lack live firing ranges - cuts down on time and transportation costs, not having to go to the nearest live range as often. Of course, because the majority of potential recruits are young people who are physically active and enjoy computer games and activities that "get the adrenaline going" these sim[ulation] trainers make very handy recruitment tools as well.

N.B.: In Canada, the only branch I would guess that would have high tech computer simulators/trainers that come close to its American counterparts would be the Air Force: They would have C-F/A-18 Hornet Fighter/Attack plane simulators/trainers.