An 11 year old kid in Britain recently got caught
selling adult DVDs on school grounds. 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. (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 vercomicsporno soon to release porn movies
for the Playstation Portable (PSP). 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.
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