MMO’s are evil, Parliament wants a big fat red panic button for them

The European Parliament, in a quite stunning display of illogical useless grandiose thinking, has decided that what parents need to protect their children from MMO’s is a “red button” to shut games down in the event of a crisis.

This is highly important thinking because it seems that:

  1. European computers don’t have off switches and are shaped like Doctor Octopus, thus keeping children trapped in front of the screen.
  2. European parents are powerless before their children in regards to disciplining them.

“‘Parents should have a “red button” to disable a game they feel is inappropriate for their child,’ says the EP Internal Market Committee. ‘Until PEGI online is up and running, the report proposes fitting consoles, computers or other game devices with a “red button” to give parents the chance to disable a game or control access at certain times.'”

To be fair, the European Parliament is not being “anti-game”; it’s just being stupid. It recognizes that games can provide a whole host of benefits, just not to parents. Parliament wants to add something to make parents feel better, and this might be the best placebo they could come up with.

Surprisingly enough, Britain’s government has never heard of Staples or the Easy Button. Now there’s a placebo that gets me through my days at work.