I actually managed to watch this episode today.

Usually I'd agree with John Stewart's arguments, but this one I did not. As I've stated many times on this site, Mortal Kombat II was the first video game I ever played, I was about 4 years old. Before my siblings and I played, my mom and dad did first, not only to show us how to play, but to inform us on what to expect and to NOT emulate anything at any time for any reason.

I understood that Mortal Kombat was fake, and that I my siblings would not return if I broke their necks. My siblings understood as well.

Parents need to teach their kids the difference between reality and fantasy. It is not NRS' fault if little Johnny does a WUTAH! on his brother. The parent needs to be responsible enough to make sure their kids know better than to imitate what they see.

Correction: By knowing how to be controversial.

Honestly, we have real bad problems with the economy and education, At least I got my education before it really started getting bad. The next generation is so fucked.

As Disco Diva has already said, communication. Psychologists refer to it as adequate debriefing. Let them know what's real and what is not and what behaviors are unacceptable and what behaviors are appropriate.

Educating a child is an ongoing process, it doesn't end when they come home from school, it's teach your child manners, patience etc.


I'm not advocating or discouraging parents from letting their kids play MK, I played it at the age of 5 (my niece is now 5 and plays it and we teach her right from wrong).

Education and adequate debriefing, for the win.

And then getting ripped in half and held up for display.

Oh by the way..a ninja did that.

Video game fans are so biased and dumb. If you would let your kid watch this game you are an unfit parent. Period. This is an adult oriented game. The fatalities shouldn't even be in the game if you want my personal opinion. No one does them after the first couple of times and they are always ignored in tournaments.

Watching this last night, I was initially pissed at Jon Stewart. Although I am a fan of him I felt it was the same old condescending attitude that John Q Public is an idiot and should have any risque stimuli kept away from him, whereas if some sort of counter culture media was pushing the envelope like this, he'd be in favor of it because "they're a more intellectual audience."

Then I thought over it today and I have to say I'm in favor of kids not being able to buy M rated games. The reason why is that a parent should be deciding what's appropriate for their child to play. If the child can buy the game on their own then it's impossible to do so. That's not to say children shouldn't be able to play M rated games because like everyone else here, I played the games as a little kid and don't feel traumatized but I know I'm not the center of the universe and some kids are different that I was and react to things in different ways.

I did however agree 100% about the criticism of violence being acceptable but sex is not.

Not sure what people are getting worked up over. I hate to break it to some of you more desensitized people, but that Noob fatality? If you didn't know anything about how violent video games have become, that would shock the hell out of you.

But I kinda get the feeling that some of you didn't get that Stewart was overplaying the shock of Sonya getting punched in the face for comedic effect.

He also spends a large part of the clip talking about how hypocritical our society (well, specifically, Justice Scalia) is for not having a problem with gruesome violence, but the tiniest bit of sex gets involved and people go crazy. He was finding humor in the nonsensical.

That clip wasn't a rant against violent games and as an MK fan, I never once felt insulted or felt the need to defend MK. It's an adult oriented game. Playing MK as a kid looked nothing like MK looks now. Sure, the digitized sprites looked realistic, but not even remotely to the level that the characters look now. Plus the game is WAY more violent than MK1 and MK2.

Oh, and everyone that talks about how it's the parents job to stay informed about games and educate their kids and keep the violence away from their kids etc... I couldn't disagree with you more.

No, I do think it falls to the parents, but realistically, have parents traditionally done a good job at this? I'd say on average, probably not, though I think that'll improve as game playing generations get older.

Personally, my parents didn't know jack about video games when I was younger. They didn't see what Mortal Kombat looked like for a long time.

Not all parents are as informed as yours must have been and honestly? Some parents just don't know to be or don't care to be, either because they're too busy or maybe because they just don't care.

Does that mean it's the state's job to regulate? Personally, I think it should be just like the movies, and why not? Many games depict violence on a level of movies and what's more, you're the one controlling it.

Games shouldn't be singled out and ran down by anyone, as games now are meant for different ages and they're not all for little kids anymore, but they shouldn't be ignored either, as they're becoming more and more realistic in their depictions. Treat them like every other medium, no better, no worse. That's all I ask.

Well, for that and for lawmakers to stop acting like a nipple or a naked butt is a thousand times worse than pulling a woman in half, which again, Stewart hits the nail on the head about.

I think a lot of people missed the whole point of his video.



Correction: She allowed a ninja to do it. That only happened because Blade wanted it to happen. It's that simple.





Seriously?

I was agreeing with your view until that part.

That was the best thing I have ever read.

It has been proven that crime has gone down since the new age of video games has arisen. Why is it that people gripe about video games, yet kids watch the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Freddy Kruegar and even Machete and other gruesome movies with blood and gore and sex and lots of nude?

Yet OH NO A VIDEO GAME comes about and the entire world is on an outbreak to bring down video games. It has been proven by science and common sense that 1. People are too busy playing video games to commit a crime and 2. psychology doesn't exactly work the way they think.

The morality of us humans see the violence in video games and movies, we like it only because it is fake. If we saw a real dead body do you think we'd go "Oh, odd but cool!" No we would probably throw up and breakdown with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD.

For me, kids shouldn't be playing games like black ops and mortal kombat. Not cause of all the gruesome stuff, but to invoke a sense of discipline. If a kid knows that he can get away with playing or watching a grown up piece of entertainment... Well that clouds his/her discipline and, it's like letting your kid do whatever they want. As a father... Not cool. I don't want my kids thinking that, Oh Dad lets them play violent video games and watch movies with nude and gore and vulgarity. So that means I can get away with more. They're judgement goes bye bye.

So no, video game violence isn't anything to worry about unless your a monk or something ugh!

umm gamestop doesn't sell M rated games to me unless my dad or my mom is with me I'm 15 btw. So I'm underage and I've played MK since I had a SNES and its been my favorite game since and I'm not corrupted.

Wait...kids can physically buy a rated M game now?

You're crazy if you let your three year old play MK9. Times have changed. MK9 makes MK1 look like Kirby's Dreamland

My cousin's 8 and he has MK9 on the 360

I'd be amazed if underage gamers didn't make-up close to half of MK's demographic, if not more. I can't see that adults were ever as likely to be lured in by the oh-so tittilating violence that was the games' trademark in simpler times. Seems like the bar has just been lowered considerably since then, with no regard for the inflation of graphic content in whatever Xbox franchise is the must-have three week fixation for kids.

As much as I don't like censorship or government interference, ESRB ratings are a pretty hollow gesture. If anyone was serious about industry regulation, there'd be an authority with powers to actually enforce them. It doesn't seem unreasonable to expect checkpoints of maturity for certain types and degrees of content. It's responsible and healthy. Of course, if parents started taking these ratings seriously, that'd probably be a hit to business, so you can see why the industry might like to just play make believe.

Without kids would MK have been a phenomenon of the nineties? Would it still be a bouyant franchise this late in the game? Ditch the kids and MK might have continued to develop a respectable creative direction, sans outcry for colour swap ninjas, stripper girls and a non-existent backstory.

Sounds like a fair trade, to me. Not that the underagers don't provide glittering repartee and insightful review, no doubt greatly benefitted by their early exposure to wanton bloodletting and Dan "Toasty" Forden.

Jon Stewart is a comedic genius.

As for all the bitching and the whining,he wasn't even attempting to attack the game itself,he was using it to point out the hypocrisy of the federal judges. Simmer the fuck down.

Yeah simmer indeed. John was showing the irony in the fact that kids can play violent video games but as soon and a nipple is shown its immoral.

May I please ask why wasn't this wasn't considered for a news lead here at MKO?

I find that a bit strange...