You've got to be kidding me....Vol. I

Yup, folks, welcome to the "blog within the blog". Here, I'll take my place in the cyberworld, and hoist myself up on my soapbox, and complain about the stupid and ridiculous things that are going on in the world of video games.

First up, Thailand has decided to ban Grand Theft Auto IV.

Yup, you read that correctly. The entire country is banning a video game. Not guns, not poverty, not hunger, etc. Video games. Apparently, the government was running out of things to do, and decided to come up with this gem of an idea.

Check out http://www.electricbandits.com/2008/08/04/grand-theft-auto-iv-banned-in-thailand/

for more details.

Bottom line, some 18-year old kid decided to act out his inner "Nico", and kill a taxi driver. In an effort to combat this horrible incident, Thailand decided to ban GTA IV, because taxi-driver killing is the norm in Liberty City.

So, let me get this straight. Some degenerate, homicidal lunatic kills a taxi driver, and the government's response is to ban a video game. What's next, banning FIFA 09 is a kid gets hurt in a soccer match?

Why are politicians so ignorant when it comes to entertainment? Why are people in positions of power and influence so quick to blame the media and its various outlets and mediums, when something goes horribly wrong?

Instead of outlawing a video game, how about doing something more constructive, like, I don't know, trying to ensure that everybody's got health care, or making sure that every child can go to school, or that your politicans don't waste people's money by trying to LEGISLATE AGAINST VIDEO GAMES!!! (Just a thought)

There is a reason why politicians go after video game makers and other people in the entertainment and media industries. The reason's quite simple really. They're easy targets. It's easy to blame societal problems on video games, music, television, etc. It's easy to just point the finger, and say "get rid of that".

But, the truth is that the larger problems that plague Thailand aren't that easy to solve. It requires work to ensure that every child can go to school. It requires work, and money, to ensure that poverty is ended. It takes effort to make sure that gun violence is under control.

All of those idea take work. And, politicians don't want to really work. Heck, none of us do. But, I'd like to think we should expect more from elected officials than just having a game banned because of a violent crime.

Of course, that's really the problem. When you expect too much from politicians, it's almost a certainty that you'll be disappointed.