Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Play/toy weapons

[Lynn Nadeau / Maraiah (welcome]

At RoseWind Cohousing we have a smallish room in the Common House which 
includes a big screen for media viewing. We intended to have this for 
occasional joint watching of movies or basketball games or such (many of us do 
not have televisions at home). It has also been useful as a big screen for 
computer files when a committee is updating documents. 

Concern was raised when some of our teen and preteen boys took to 
watching/playing violent video games. I mean grossly violent (Black Ops etc.). 
Assault weapons, in the virtual hands of the game player, mowing down "enemies" 
(some of whom look to be civilians, some look dark skinned) almost continuously 
for hours. Many wished to ban such gaming in the common house. (A windowed door 
from that room lets onto the entrance hall, so many pass by.) BUT some parents 
involved were convinced that such games are harmless outlets and that their 
kids had the right to watch what they wanted. For a time, the gaming was less 
evident, presumably moved to homes. Recently one of the kids has been in there 
for hours at a time, blasting "enemies". Those kids happen to be moving away. 
Maybe that would be a good time to seek community consensus on a ruling against 
video gaming in the Common House. 

Maraiah Lynn Nadeau
RoseWind Cohousing, long built in
Port Townsend WA