Misconstrued Words: Researcher Responds to "Violent Pac-Man" Critique

Posted Aug 29, 2006 at 6:42PM by QJ Staff Listed in: Tags: Dr. Kimberley Thompson, ESRB

If you might remember our earlier article on violence in video games, based on an article by Aaron Stanton, many of you seemed quite incensed at the assertions pointed out.

This follow-up is a bit late in coming, but it still deserves to be said.

After hearing about and reading Stanton's article, Dr. Kimberley Thompson (no relation to Jack Thompson, okay?) decided to respond to it by sending a letter and submitting herself to an interview with Joystiq. Her response?

Stanton's article essentially misrepresented her words. Regarding the claims of her using classic arcade games as part of her testimony, she responded,

We only played and coded some older arcade games because we were interested in examining the progression from abstract and repetitive portrayals of violence in early video games to more realistic portrayals in modern video games. However, quite contrary to what some people appear to allege about our research, we never have and never would hold up these games as evidence against the accuracy of the ESRB rating system.

One thing she does note, at least for the E-rated games, is that even if the games are E-rated parents sometimes let very young (mentally speaking) kids play. By this, she means those children who haven't been able to distinguish between reality and fantasy yet. If any of you heard about it, this inability to distinguish between reality and fantasy is what makes little kids think they're their favorite flying Pokemon, and try jumping off the balcony of their apartment building to be like their favorite creatures. Gruesome image, but it's happened and the kids didn't die, luckily enough.

She also talks about the nature of subjectivity, where she reminded people that because it is subjective, they might also be missing something in their own view. When people usually refer to violence, they subjectively talk about the severity of it, but it's also important to mention that there are small details that we might miss, such as a visual or aural indication of pain (a sound associated with getting hit, or glowing red if hit in Mario) or exaggerations of pain received.

Most importantly, in response to Stanton's assertions, you have to remember that Thompson is working for the best interests of kids (not us gamers above the age of... well, 18... but that's an arbitrary number). The two most important things she wants to get out of the hearings is that the ESRB actually tries the games (much like game reviewers, except they don't play the whole thing) before giving them a rating instead of relying on what the developers say, and that parents actually take a more involved role in looking after their kids, especially in the things they do.

"The important thing to realize about self-regulation is that we are depending on parents to make good media choices with and for their kids to avoid bad outcomes." Good answers all around, and puts a more responsible spin on the ideas presented in Stanton's article, don't you think?

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Comments

# Wow. — Ignorance_is_Bliss 2006-08-29 14:04

I think the real question is: Does Jack Thompson really give a damn about kids and does Jack Thompson actually beleive all of his bull***** or is he just clinging to the spotlight.

# he probably believes what he's saying — comedy 2006-08-29 14:13

but he's also most likely only ever seen a video of gta in action, he at leaast hasn't played most of the games he's trying to kill.

i'm so happy a person with some spotlight has actually said somethign sensible, it's like the first time this has ever happened! anyone who has anything valid and worthwhile to say is forsaken by the media and crackpots are given a voice instead...

so, is this the beginning of a fight back for videogames? the idea that it could be the parents' fault usually falls on deaf ears. maybe non-fanatics will get more of a say?

# to number 2 — Guest 2006-08-29 14:33

Somewhere along the line, the problem becomes a matter of being connected to one\'s family. You can watch over your kids when they\'re younger, but as they grow up, they\'ll definitely appreciate the care and concern less and less.

As for Jack Thompson, the problem is that he\'s very vocal... We could really use some kind of voice to act as his counterpoint... but without the irrational fanaticism.

You might want to read up on current legislation in America regarding games. You can try searching for \"game politics\" on Google to get a lot of sites besides the well-known gamepolitics webpage.

# adsf — Guest 2006-08-29 14:38

when i was little i dressed up like super man and tryed jumping out my window

# Hmm.. — Guest 2006-08-29 17:25

Survival of the fittest.

# pacman=violent — Guest 2006-08-29 22:34

at last someone agrees with me, im also displeased with the sexual content in tetris

# uhh — Guest 2006-08-30 01:33

that better be sarcasm

# !OMGZOR! — Guest 2006-08-30 03:59

go ban childrens cartoons then dumbas* because they are just as violent, so dont even get me started with how biased this is, TV has violence EVERYWHERE yet no one seems to be creating laws to prevent TV, wait... i know why cause polititions use tv for trying to sell their campagnes. see how it all makes sense? this jackass wants to get rid of a multibillion dollar industry that provides millions of dollars of tax money for countries around the world, it also provides jobs, what is mr jack tompson going to do for all those who would loose their jobs? nothing? thats what i thought. but i dont see why everyone is complaining about the ESRB ratings being enforced. by enforced i mean you have to meet the age to buy it, but after that its up to your parents/guardians weither or not you can play the game. once your older than 17 you're homefree very simple but changing the ESRB ratings is completly different the ESRB system works fine, shoots little or no blood =Teen, gore = mature. if you really wanna be picky racing games shouldnt be E because most racing games are arcade style which isnt possible in real life for thousands of reasons one of which is the law. so racing games teach people that its okay to speed excessivly then crash into a brick wall at 200MPH look what happened to Dale Ernheart not pretty eh? seee how *****ed up this can get all because someone wants some media attention yet in canada ive NEVER seen this ***** on the news because he doesnt do jack SH*T in canada of that im proud that we dont have anyone like that, but im hoping that our prime minister doesnt become the next bush, because i live in a large town about an hours drive outside of toronto and i have NEVER seen ANY military in my life in canada except when driving through a military base, but now i see military everywhere and it seems to be like someones preparing for something... and i dont like it, if its just for defence then its fine but if hes planning something stupid like joining in on the inevitble war in iran then thats going to far just like jack tompsons doing

# agreed with matt — Guest 2006-08-30 09:28

there is more violence everywhere else, just look on the roads, the tv, the radio, the songs kids listen to, etc. even some parents curse more than video games

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