Kansas Gov. (Do as I say, not as I…)
Gotta hand it to Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius. She tried to introduce legislation in 2006 to censor video games and music lyrics in the State of Kansas. With her maternal tone and belief that she was helping the kids, I’m sure some Kansas moms took her words to heart and maybe even banned games from their homes to “protect” their children. Well, turns out Gov. Sebelius should know. Her 24 year-old son had a burst of creativity and created a boardgame based on prison – that according to people who’ve played it, plays a lot like Grand Theft Auto. GamerDad covers board games, we encourage them for the same reason we encourage family gaming, so we feel qualified to say “If you believe video games influence children, then, you must believe board games do too” – especially board games that deal with murder, prison rape, are apparently anti-gay and racist (according to a Republican rival of hers). Oh, the name of the game is “Don’t Drop the Soap.”
Gov. Sibilus has defended her son’s entrepeneurial spirit and creativity by defending the boardgame. (That’s what she should do, being a mom and all.) And I think the attacks from her enemies are just as pandering and political as her anti-video game statements were. Here’s an article about these attacks, we’ll leave it to you to judge their merits but the gist is that she might be committing an ethical error – I mean besides the hypocrisy – by letting her boy market and store the game at the Governor’s Mansion.
While the game sounds foul to me, I defend young Mr. Sibelius’s right to market and sell a game like this. I don’t blame the Governor for defending her son. But I respect Gov. Sibelius to become a pro-video game crusader.
We’ll see about that.
Thanks to GamePolitics.com for breaking this story.
February 26th, 2008 at 7:57 am
I have never heard of boardgames having any influence on behavior. Setting aside whether video games influence behavior, it is quite a logical leap from one to the other. It would be like saying if smoking causes cancer, then so does sitting around a camp fire.
That being said, it seems to be hypocritical for her to take the position she is taking, by saying a prison rape game is creative and a video game is harmful.
What kind of legislation did she support in 2006?
February 26th, 2008 at 8:54 am
I’d argue the only reason you’ve never heard of boardgames having any influence on behavior is that culture warriors don’t consider them popular enough to attack. There aren’t any modern studies about how theater affects people either – but there are a lot of them from the Victorian era.
(And sitting by a campfire DOES cause cancer in the same way second hand smoking does. That’s not a leap in logic – it’s good logic. It follows that the harsher smoke of a campfire would be harmful in the same or similar way that smoking is. Does anyone think inhaling campfire smoke is less harmful than second hand smoke? Or smoke through a cigarette filter? And to really destroy you on this one… studies show that wood fire smoke causes cancer in lab rats.) 😉
So, I think it follows that if you believe violent video games and song lyrics cause aggression and should be banned or limited – then you believe that a board game (a combination of words and interactivity) would also be harmful and should be similarly limited. Boardgames just never got popular enough to get attacked – D&D did and videogames are really just the violent controversy du jour.
“Parents today face new challenges that we didn’t have when our children were younger. Video games and music lyrics promote violence… Moms and dads shouldn’t be alone in their fight to raise children the right way. They shouldn’t be alone in their fight to instill the values that lead to a life of meaning, rather than a life wasted. We can help parents by giving them access to tools… and limits on access to violent video games. In the coming days, I will make these tools available to parents across Kansas.”
This what Dennis has got on her. He says earlier that she’s introduced legislation but this seems to be from a “State of the State” address – which makes me think Dennis was being hyperbolic again. Like Obama, she doesn’t say what the “tools” are. We can take offense in the “promoting violence” – that’s an offensive leap on her part and a mischaracterization. If you think videogames and music “promote violence” I think it’s logical to infer you’d also think board games and books are just as irresponsible.
Unless your actual goal was to pander and frighten parents.
She’s in a tough spot, sure. And it’s her son that’s put her there. How inconvenient for her.
February 26th, 2008 at 10:22 am
“according to a Republican rival of hers”
That makes the entire episode suspect. However, he has put the massive hypocracy in the spotlight, at least.
February 26th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
The smoke you inhale from an outdoor campfire is no where near as carcinogenic as what get when you smoke, but I probably should have picked a better example. I started playing D&D in the early 80’s. I remember all the hype. I thik she probably sees some difference.
February 26th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Board games are not nearly as realistic as video games.
Did the legislation ever go anywhere?
October 7th, 2018 at 12:01 pm
Thank you Win2888
October 7th, 2018 at 12:02 pm
Thank you dang ky Win2888