An 11 year old kid in Britain recently
got caught selling adult DVDs on school grounds (at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_west/4678869.stm).
When I first read this, three thoughts immediately went through
my mind, in quick succession. The first thought was, although
what the kid did was wrong, did they have to make a federal case
out of it? I did some big, regrettable things as an adolescent
in school. But I would have been mortified if those things had
made the neighborhood gossip ring, much less received national
media attention from the likes of the BBC.
My second, and gut-level response was a somewhat typical male,
“Boys will be boys.” Then I started wondering: what is this
situation trying to tell us? If there ever was a sign that porn
was too accessible, especially as far as kids were
concerned, this was it.
The reason I say this is because this story (about the kid
selling DVDs) somewhat coincided with two other announcements.
The first was the revelation - at least on a grander level
anyway, I’m sure a select few people had known for a while -
that the video game Grand Theft Auto San Andreas contained
hidden elements and mini-games of a pornographic nature which
could be accessed by obtaining certain modifications on the net
(http://www.katu.com/entertainment/story.asp?ID=78361). (I’d
tell you the website for the modifications, but I’d actually
like you to finish reading this article...:)) This game was hip
among teenage boys to begin with. The discovery of hidden porn
might push it over the top, even if it’s just by kids who want
to know and confirm that the rumors of porn are true.
The second announcement was that adult movie houses in Japan
have released or are soon to release porn movies for the Playstation Portable (PSP)
(http://www.digitmag.co.uk/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4984). It seems
that the production of adult movies in the PSP-exclusive
Universal Media Disc (UMD) format has not started in the US -
yet.
Now I’m not saying that if/when the widespread availability of
adult UMDs becomes a reality, these discs will by and large be
sold side-by-side with the more mainstream video games. Not even
alongside those rated M and above. But there will be acceptions:
such as video games being sold in an otherwise adult-themed
boutique or shop. And also, you know there will be the
occasional unscrupulous store owner who attempts to make the
adult discs available to underage gamers who shop in his
mainstream gaming store.
Teenagers, by their very nature, are an inquisitive lot and they
will do what you allow them to get away with. They often try to
grow up way too fast and they are quite curious to know about
sex. They're prone to peer pressure, and for better or worse,
they try to fit in or impress their friends or both. They will
try to get their hands on the coolest items.
The fact that these items (both the game and the gaming system)
are somewhat connected to porn, which at that stage in a teen's
life is a somewhat taboo (read hip and desirable) subject, is
only going to make that item more wanted. (I guess in a way then
that the producers of such software are marketing geniuses.
Although I’d like to think that none of those producers were
targeting minors from the start.)
Did the folks over at Rockstar Games honestly think they could
make a mainstream video game, M-rated (for mature) though it is
(so the producers could claim that they’ve covered their asses),
and not have kids get there hands on the game in addition to
seeking out codes for that game? My brother, while in his
mid-teens, received a copy of Max Payne as a gift
(another Rockstar Games production, by the way) - this is a
notoriously M-rated game also, but at least it didn‘t contain
adult material.
Also, I’m an avid video game player in my spare time so I troll
gaming boards all the time looking for cheating codes and
special “Easter eggs” (gaming extras); and believe me, I‘m not
the only one looking. I have to question why the security for
the gaming code is so lax and hack-prone in the first place.
Listen, we all know that if a kid is determined enough, he will
find porn on his own. But we don’t have to make it so accessible
and portable. It‘s bad enough that porn is now accessible on
cell phones. As prevalent and affordable as cell phones are, the
average age of kids getting cells now is getting lower and
lower. Parents can afford to outfit the entire family (kids
included) with cells so everyone can keep in touch.
At least, if you were to whip out a portable dvd player or
laptop to view a porn dvd in public, that would arouse some
interest (perhaps even from potential thieves…). But viewing
porn on your cell, without anyone looking directly over your
shoulder (and assuming no one can hear the moans), is no more
conspicuous than reading the newspaper.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing inherently illegal in
putting out porn discs in game software format or producing
adult material in adult games that are explicitly slated for
adults only. But software producers should take it under
advisement not to make it any easier than it has to be for kids
to obtain porn. Especially if said porn is contained in such
boast-worthy items as a high-tech cell-phone, the latest hip
video game, and a popular gaming console.
If these items were gasoline (and they just might cost less than
the latter nowadays), the average underage teen fascination with
sex is just the spark that‘s needed to make the situation blowup
in a content developer's face.
|
