Slaying the scapegoat

I’m sick and tired of video games being used as a scapegoat by people to avoid the real issues of poor parenting, and the fact that some people are just predisposed to violence.

Banning games isn’t the solution. Nor is outright censorship of games.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m strongly for the regulation of video games. I believe that games like the Grand Theft Auto series, Fallout, Mass Effect, God of War, and Halo shouldn’t be played by children. There has to be regulation.

While there has been talk in the past about the GCC implementing its own age rating system, the fact is that it would be hard work. Indeed, without the international framework that the European Union has, it would be difficult.

That’s why it would be better – not to mention cheaper – to adopt the European Union’s PEGI (Pan European Games Information) ratings system.

The initiative has been in place for eight years already and has a dual age/content system which would fit in ideally with the region’s existing censorship structure. Age ratings could be implemented by retailers without issue – possibly within the space of three months as most, if not all games, are currently sourced from PEGI countries.

In addition, the content descriptors would, for example, allow the National Media Council to easily identify which titles don’t fit in with UAE’s cultural sensitivities, such as sex, drug use, and gambling.

The other issue is the fear that can be exerted on shop staff. Just as in the West, intimidation plays a huge part in age restricted items making their way into the hands of those too young to legally possess them. However, while in the West it tends to the threat of violence, here it tends to be the threat that those with influence can have the shop staff’s visa taken away from them.

Just as in the West, a legal framework needs to be implemented to help provide back up to shop staff. Clear regulations and a simple age-rating system, backed up by heavy fines and the threat of six months imprisonment are the approach adopted by most European countries.

In the UAE – and other GCC countries for that matter – a similar approach could easily be taken. However it still leaves the visa issue. Perhaps the best way would be eschew imprisonment and instead make it clear that shop staff will be protected from having their visa revoked if someone with influence is unhappy with them not serving them, or their child, and that they will definitely have it taken off them if they are found to serve those underage after three warnings.

However, the fact remains that if someone honestly believes that it is acceptable to carry a knife in public – never mind use it to threaten or harm someone – then it has infinitely more to do with poor parenting than it does with the influence of popular culture.

Attacking a scapegoat makes no sense. It does little to tackle the real reasons behind the rise in violent crime amongst the youth of the Middle East. And if you don’t tackle the root causes, then you’ll never solve the problem.