On forums I do not get angry easily. Really, I am quite calm. I try to present my point of view moderately and reasonably. I maintain respect for people I disagree with, even if they don't with me. I'd make a good moderator. But I must admit my graciousness was tested to its limits when I got embroiled on YouTube with a gaggle of young high school or immature college age men the other day.
It all started out with Pokemon Black and White. As a mother, I'm not a big Pokemon player, but it did register to me quite clearly from my son that Pokemon Black and White was the big thing now and he was dying to have a new game. I did want him to have something- he's been really helpful lately, so I bought him a Pokemon stuffed toy (a 'pokedoll?') which he called a Pokemon Plush, whatever that means.
My son has been into Pokemon for quite a while so the other night I became curious as to this game he wants and how it is played. Obviously, YouTube would be the place to go, right? Well, you betcha! But, I was absolutely shocked at the abusive language that I heard on the Pokemon YouTube videos. Pokemon is supposed to be for young children. I understand that its difficult to control the massive amount of videos on the internet, but the fact that abusive language is so prevalent in videos that are supposed to be for children was shocking.
I flagged the guy for abuse of course and even went into the main forms. I realized that if I just randomly walked into this 'chamber' they must be all over YouTube. Of course I complained on the users comments section of the video and immediately got entangled with the crowd (I could tell by their writing that they were not kids). I didn't mind arguing with them, but after an hour I became sad at the fact that they didn't care that young children were watching. I know as a parent that this is partially my job to control what my child is watching, but how are we supposed to control what we think is harmless childrens content?
As a college student, we were still in the post Mario age. There were some Internet games around, mostly arcade type, and I even remember Pokemon coming onto the scene after I graduated. I remember PlayStation and all that, but I was a little old for that. Still, I've maintained some off and on interest in games. What bothers me is the idea of profanity that is easily accessible for children. Games are supposed to be fun and enjoyable for children. I really think this problem needs to be addressed as soon as possible. Children need to be protected from this.
This article was written by Dinah Jackson who enjoys writing about Pokemon. To find the rarest Japanese Pokemon items, check out the store that has every kind of Pokemon plush that you can imagine. Also an incredible selection of Pokemon black and white, charms, straps, plush toys, pokedolls, keychains, figures, binders, deck boxes, sleeves, plush toys, and just about anything you can imagine. Delivered right to your front door from Japan.
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