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Town of Southington Cancels Violent Video Game Bonfire

Put away your hot dogs and marshmallows. Southington, the Connecticut town that proposed collecting and burning violent video games in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting has backed down on its resolution because it would ‘create an unnecessary amount of logistical details for us.’

Dick Fortunato, the spokesperson for the late Violent Video Games Return Program, told Polygon that even though the initiative is cancelled, it prompted people to talk to their children about violent media– effectively making the program a success before it officially started.

‘We succeeded in our program,” said Fortunato. “Our mission was to create strong awareness in Southington for parents and families and citizens and children. And we accomplished that. Our other objective was to promote discussion of violent video games and media with children and with the families at the home. And we’ve accomplished that in spades.
“So we deemed it became unnecessary to have the physical return on Saturday of violent games. Also because it would create an unnecessary amount of logistical details for us.”

Town of Southington Cancels Violent Video Game Bonfire

It’s not happening. Go home.
Said ‘logistical details’ may have something to do with the $25 gift cards for Southington attractions that would have gone out to anyone who turned in a violent game (even, say, a dusty PlayStation 2 bargain bin reject).
SouthingtonSOS, the organization behind the Violent Video Games Return Program, prepared a statement declaring a successful conclusion to the effort:
‘Today, after just one week, we are pleased to announce that awareness has been raised significantly, thanks to the support of the media and widely disseminated e-mail communications within our community through our local SouthingtonSOS member organizations. The result has been a swift, positive and supportive response of parents, young people and the general population of our community.
“Our mission now continues as a work in progress in the hands of a very caring Southington community.”
SouthingtonSOS spokespeople also stated that gift certificates will be going out to families that ‘had the violent video game talk’ with their kids, though details are currently not available.
The proposed fiery end to the Violent Video Games Return program sparked criticism from the gaming community, educators, writers, and websites, including us here at Slide to Play.

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