Tuesday, September 04, 2007 Legislators seek stop to violent online games
THE national and local governments must jointly come up with stricter regulations on the booming Internet café industry, which offers online games that are violent and have no educational value.
Representatives Ferdinand Martin Romualdez of Leyte, Florencio Noel of incoming An Waray and Lani Cayetano of Taguig-Pateros said Internet cafes have been cashing on the unlimited daily supply of young customers who got hooked to violent Internet games.
Romualdez said City Governments responsible in giving business permit should set a condition that Internet cafe operators must implement a curfew on minor customers.
"There should be a limit in the operation of Internet cafés because precious times for studies are being wasted," he said.
Romualdez also said online games offered by Internet cafes do not contribute in making a student a better person.
"What values could we get from violent games? What will happen now to our students who are supposedly the country's next set of leaders?" asked Romualdez, who shared the sentiments of concerned parents on problems that emanate from violent online games.
Noel believes that games about attacking a military base, killing zombies, among others, only worsen attitude of the youth engaged in various crimes.
For her part, Cayetano received complaints from concerned parents that their children have become so "addicted" to Internet games, they have begun to skip classes.
Cayetano said some of the "addicted" grade schoolers and high school students would not graduate due to poor grades.
"Young internet café users have been practically spending their 'baon' and their whole day inside internet cafes harnessing their talents in killing-off their enemies," said Cayetano.
Romualdez also received reports that internet cafes inside shopping malls are taking in students even during class hours.
Noel, meanwhile, said violent Internet games tend to brainwash students. "This is the new form of brainwashing where hordes of young children are hooked into deadly Internet games with Internet café operators as their masters," said Noel. (Sunnex)
