Wii’s “gun-like remote”, the Zapper, startles New Jersey parents
We’ve all heard it before: kids are learning violence from videogames. When gamers hear this argument coming up (it always seems to be floating at the surface), most instantly sigh and give the “not-again” head-shake. These arguments will undoubtedly hit upon Grand Theft Auto, Manhunt, and now… the Wii?
Yes, even the kid-friendly, family-safe Nintendo Wii is now getting pulled into this fiasco. The Zapper, a Nintendo contraption which fits the Wii remote with a handle and larger trigger in a basic rifle-like layout, is already causing trouble amongst over-protective parents. New Jersey’s The Star Ledger ran a poll asking parents what they thought of this “wand in the shape of a weapon.”
As if they were waiting for this opportunity, parents pounced at this poll and sent in comments bashing the accessory. One mother wondered:
“Great, this is what we need. Children with guns learning how to aim and shoot. Then we can sit back and wonder what is happening to our country with kids killing kids……what’s next?”
Please note that she doesn’t say “accessory” or “controller”, no, she says “gun”. Is this a gun? Well, it may be loosely based on a gun-shape, but it’s certainly not going to fire any real projectiles.
Plenty more ridiculous comments were sent in, but none of them stated what seems to be the obvious point: this is nothing new. This isn’t the first videogame controller in a gun-shape. In fact, a quick visit to any decent-sized arcade in the world would introduce you to many realistic gun-simulators, some going years back. When Duck Hunt was released, was the entire country in an outrage? No, and there’s no reason that we should be now.
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