Thursday, May 20, 1999
Venues remove violent games
School shootings catalyst for action
BY MICHAEL D. CLARK
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Larry Kaelbli shot dozens of bloody zombies Wednesday before they overpowered him.
He fired his make-believe gun at the large video screen, launching pretend bullets that exploded the zombies' gruesome, decaying flesh. The more Mr. Kaelbli killed, the higher he scored on the “House of the Dead” video game's “die ranking.”
“I don't think little kids should be playing these games,” said the 24-year-old Clifton man during a breather in Dave & Buster's expansive video arcade.
His opinion is being echoed by more amusement industry officials, both locally and nationally, as criticism of graphically violent video games grows in the wake of last month's Columbine High School shootings. Those shootings, which left 15 dead, and others such as the 1997 shootings by a high school student of three classmates in Paducah, Ky., have many calling for less violent entertainment for children.
Computer video games, featuring toy guns and graphic violence, are a prime target of criticism. And amusement park officials are taking action:
• Last month, Walt Disney Co. began removing violent games from Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., nearby hotels and from Florida's Walt Disney World.
• Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, Calif., has turned off about a half-dozen violent video games.
• Earlier this week, Knott's Berry Farm in California and four related parks near Cleveland, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Mo., and Allentown, Pa., shut down some arcade games at the order of their owner, Ohio-based Cedar Fair LP.
Locally, officials at the Tristate's largest amusement attraction — Paramount's Kings Island — said the bloody teen shootings last month pushed them to further examine their park for inappropriate violence.
“As a result of the Colorado shootings ... we are doing a thorough evaluation of all games in our park. We've removed any life-like violence videos,” said Kings Island spokeswoman Susan Lomax. So far, four games have been removed.
“We felt it was the responsible thing to do,” she said.
Other area attractions and entertainment-oriented restaurants also are taking a closer look at their video games.
Officials from Americana Amusement Park in Butler County said they are reducing the number of video games and have decreased the number of video game arcades on their grounds from four to one in recent years.
“We are not bringing in any games with extreme violent content, and we are reviewing the ones we have,” said John Ellison, Americana general manager.
“Our customers are mostly families with small children. Obviously, we are sensitive and will act accordingly.”
Coney Island officials also are evaluating their video games and have put the vendors of such games on notice.
“I told them we don't want anything with a gun. This is a family park,” said Keith Henize, director of operations for Coney Island.
There are about a dozen video games at the park. They constitute a relatively small portion of Coney Island's revenue-generating attractions, he said.
Jillian's in Covington caters primarily to adults but during daytime hours allows escorted children to play in the video arcade, which includes games featuring guns and violent scenarios.
Officials at the five-story entertainment complex said they are reconsidering whether such games should be available to children.
In Springdale, Dave & Buster's features one of the largest video arcades in the Tristate. A small portion of the games feature hand-held guns.
But Ed Forler, general manager, said the facility is designed for adults; no one under 21 is allowed in. Adults 25 or older are allowed to bring in up to three people under age 21.
“We put the responsibility on the adults. But we keep a close watch on the kids, too. If we see a kid playing without an adult nearby, we'll escort them from the game to find their parent,” said Mr. Forler.
The Dallas-based national restaurant/entertainment chain has had such a policy for years, he said.
Moreover, violent computer games are altered so that human blood is depicted in green or blue rather than crimson.
The head of Xavier University's psychology department described the rising tide of criticism against violent video games as similar to the sea change in attitude the nation experienced in regard to drunk driving in recent years.
Americans are becoming increasingly aware of the negative psychological impact on children who are overexposed to violent images via computer games, said Dr. W. Michael Nelson.
As with drinking and driving, a declining tolerance for violence-laden entertainment could lead to a sharp drop in the use of such games for children and young adults.
The removal of violent games from amusement parks, and other venues available to unsupervised children, or even changing the color of spilled blood, “is certainly a step in the right direction,” Dr. Nelson said.
The banning of such games for general public use would prompt “more people to discuss these issues with their children,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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