Target Australia will stop selling GTA V

[Jub]

Fair point. If the selection is small, sticking all the video games together is fine. As is sticking all the movies together.

What isn't fine is sticking an R18 video game in with completely unrelated childrens toys. Which is what Target did.

You must be too young to remember when adult only anime was commonly mixed in with Disney flicks in video rental outlets, or to remember in store video rentals at all. Movies off all ratings were always mixed, with the really kiddy stuff and porn being the only exceptions. GTA:V is neither for super young kids nor pornographic.

Restricted (R18+) – Contains material that is considered unsuitable for exhibition by persons under the age of 18. People under 18 may not legally buy, rent, exhibit or view R18+ classified content. A person may be asked for proof of their age before purchasing, hiring or viewing R18+ films and computer games at a retail store or cinema. Some material classified R18+ may also be offensive to adults. The content is high in impact.

Yes, and how often is that enforced beyond the store level? I'm willing to bet just as many, percentage wise, 12-17 year old kids play GTA there as do here. Besides, GTA has nothing worse than the average gangster film, and those aren't rated adults only so I don't see why the classification matters.

The problem is that the advertisement I linked shows that games are being treated differently. Unless you happen to know of a store advertising R18 movies alongside childrens toys like Target did.

Games aren't like movies in terms of how they're seen by the public and how they're advertised. Games can be either found in the electronics section, the toys section, or both in many fliers. If this was a different game, say just one rating lower, in the toy section would you have an issue with that?

The point I was trying to make is that stores do not do mix the sex toys in with the childrens toys. They aren't on the same shelves. They aren't in the same part of the advertising. How many stores even stock both ?

If a store advertised a sex toy alongside childrens toys and parents complained, would you be telling those parents to shut up ?

Spencer's stocks both, seeing as they're classified as novelty devices over here so they sell games and things teens would be interested in along side vibrators and other adult toys.

Also, no I would have no issue. Masturbation is a life long thing, children as young as toddlers do it, so why deprive kids that are already aware of masturbation the means to fully enjoy it? For that matter why make sex such a taboo in the first?

That being said, while I see the inherent logic of your argument, most people really don't see the Bible in that way and I think it's really not a useful argument to make outside of SDN.

I think we can agree, that the average person is frankly not all that bright. So excuse me if I go on not caring what idiots think.

[Terralthra]

I don't know about bibles, but I can imagine someone making a fuss over a Quran...

I just think the complaint is hollow when parents happily let their children read a book filled with incest, rape, genocide and bestiality.

Target Australia doesn't sell the Bible, so, fairly consistent on Target's part.

[Joun_Lord]

I also like how the legions of men that get mercilessly slaughtered aren't a problem.

That was a bit weird. Violence against women is terrible.....but so is violence against men. Much like how male rape is treated like a damnable comedy by many, acting as if its okay for violence against men to be perpetrated but not against women sounds pretty sexist. Violence is bad for everyone, no matter if its a man, woman, trans, inter, or some 8 gendered space monster from Alpha Centauri.

Not that vidya games will make anyone except already mentally disturbed individuals commit violence against anyone, and like blaming a lighter for someone burning down a house or a laptop for someone taking down Xbone Live yet again you can't blame the game, but even if it did then it should be banned for violence against everyone, not just the ladies.

I know I'm edging dangerously cheesy close to being in MRA territory but still, sexist ass arguments like that bother me.

[TheFeniX]

I haven't had much faith in parents ability to do the most basic of research on what's popular for their children since I went to see South Park: BLU in theaters. To this day: the hilarity of this event sticks with me. Aside from me, my buddy, and a group of 5 other dudes sitting in the back: there wasn't a person over the age of 18 in the theater who wasn't there with a child. Normally, I would have been laughing at the insanity that was about to happen, but I was too shocked that this many parents could be this uninformed about this movie. The movie that was all over everywhere and how fucking offensive it was going to be and even more so considering the source material and how they can go weapons free with a movie. It wasn't a secret either: everyone remotely related to movie watching was talking about how this movie is not for your kid.

By the time the Uncle Fucker songs ended, the theater was down to 7 people. Parents were grabbing their kids and filing out of the theater in the exact manner that was happening in the movie. After it was over, I looked back at the other group of guys and ask "did none of them read a fucking thing about this movie?" They all laughed and we enjoyed the movie in a pretty much empty theater.

When I worked IT, my boss would transfer calls from friends and customers over to me asking about games for their kids, because I was a "big gamer." The knew nothing about anything not "is that like Marios Bros?"

Honestly, there's a lot of leeway in a Mature rating. GTA has always been pushing the limit of what we consider acceptable WRT violence, sex, racism, etc. But Halo is also Mature and I don't recall anything particularly offensive about it if you allow your kid to watch PG-13 action movies. Some RPGs have much more mature themes, even if older ones conveyed most of it through text. But video games are also in a weird spot since you can't just watch a TV screen for 90 minutes and determine if it's for your kid or not.

Some games are hard to play. The image of my mother trying to play something like AssCreed or setting up an Xbox to play Titanfall makes me chuckle.

[General Zod]

I don't know about bibles, but I can imagine someone making a fuss over a Quran...

I just think the complaint is hollow when parents happily let their children read a book filled with incest, rape, genocide and bestiality.

Target Australia doesn't sell the Bible, so, fairly consistent on Target's part.

True, I'm more talking about the parents behavior.

[mr friendly guy]

I don't know about bibles, but I can imagine someone making a fuss over a Quran...

I just think the complaint is hollow when parents happily let their children read a book filled with incest, rape, genocide and bestiality.

Target Australia doesn't sell the Bible, so, fairly consistent on Target's part.

Bible the Epic series in DVD form available at Target

The Bible comes to life in this epic new series. From Genesis to Revelation, these unforgettable stories unfold through live action and cutting-edge computer-generated imagery, offering new insight into famous scenes and iconic characters. Created by producer Mark Burnett and featuring an international cast that includes Roma Downey, this 10-hour docudrama explores the sacred text's most significant episodes, including Noah's journey in the ark, the Exodus and the life of Jesus.

This comes pretty damn close.

[Terralthra]

I doubt that includes graphic depictions of the violent or incestuous parts, so...

[Grumman]

How about Zero Dark Thirty - a movie that falsely suggests that the CIA's use of torture helped find Osama Bin Laden, and just happened to be made with CIA assistance? And it's only rated M - an advisory rating!

[mr friendly guy]

I doubt that includes graphic depictions of the violent or incestuous parts, so...

Well since it does show Noah's ark it would at least imply mass genocide of men and women.

[Terralthra]

I doubt that includes graphic depictions of the violent or incestuous parts, so...

Well since it does show Noah's ark it would at least imply mass genocide of men and women.

Sure, but I don't think people are mad about GTA V implying violence.