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Clinton, ESRB and others team up against videogame violence

Posted Dec 8, 2006 at 1:09AM EST by QJ Staff

Listed in: Wii, PS3, MMORPG, Xbox 360, PC Gaming Tags: Best Buy, ESRB, Hillary Clinton, Lieberman, Patricia Vance

It is human nature to find strength in numbers. When faced with great adversity, people stand side by side to meet the common enemy head on. With that said, it seems that various segments of the society have been viewing the gaming industry as the common foe. And not only that, it looks like they are so keen on trampling these "evil weed."

Accordingly, a new alliance has been formed to combat ill effects of videogames to kids, beginning with educating parents about game ratings. The alliance, if we might add, is looking formidable indeed. It is composed of Senators Hillary Clinton, Joe Lieberman and ESRB President Patricia Vance. Surprisingly enough, Best Buy President Brian Dunn and GameStop President Steve Morgan complete the "Power Rangers."

Senator Clinton maintained that the renewed movement is in light of the coming Holiday season. It is needless to say that sales for gaming software and hardware will skyrocket during this time of the year. Clinton explained:

We all share in the responsibility of making sure our children play age-appropriate video games, and I'm pleased that the ESRB and retailers are working together to educate parents about the video game ratings and make sure they are enforced.

The group's first action included sending public service announcements to 800 TV stations nationwide, as well as radio and print ads. The PSAs are intended for parents, instructing them to regulate the games their children play. Senator Lieberman seconded:

I have long said that the ESRB ratings are the most comprehensive in the media industry. There are many age-appropriate games that are clever and entertaining. Parents should understand and use the ratings to help them decide which video games to buy for their families.

Over the past few weeks, ESRB was able to come up with various announcements regarding their plans to intensify enforcement of ratings for videogames. In the meanwhile, a big contrast is happening overseas, with some countries considering self regulation for the industry.

Via IGN

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first off games like saints row or gta id understand becuz it has drug abuse klling police and civilians...but war games like Black Hawk Down or Call of duty is semi educational...but also u gotta put this in the gamers point of view...we play games to emulate what we can not do in real life would they rather us go out and kill a civilian rob a store sell weed and pimp whores rather then do it virtually?

# what about young gamers? — remainder 2006-12-08 03:39

That's the mature gamers point of view. There's also the young gamer. The young gamer is still much more easily conditioned by violence (real or fictitious). Parents of kids who would be violent anyway don't care about the ESRB ratings, potentially making their kids more violent. While it is definitely the parents' fault, it doesn't matter whose fault it is when one of these little buggers is mugging you on the street.

# sick — Guest 2006-12-08 05:27

are you saying if you couldn't pimp whores or kill people in a video game you would do it in real life? that's messed up.

# WHEN? — Guest 2006-12-08 09:18

WHEN WILL THESE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT AVERAGE GAME POPULATION IS IN THEIR 20'S AND THAT GAMING IS A FREE MEDIAN LIKE MOVIES OR CD'S. BETTER YET HAVE THESE PEOPLE WATCHED SOME OF THESE CARTOONS KIDS ARE WATCHING. HELL, THE LOONEY TOONES HAVE BEEN DROPPING ANVILS AND BLOWING EACH OTHER UP FOR DECADES. IF A CHILD GETS A COPY A GTA WITH ALL THE ESRB LABELS ON THE BOX AND COMMERCIAL, THE RETAILERS ARE TOLD AND TRAINED NOT TO SELL THE PEOPLE NOT IN THE RIGHTFUL AGE GROUPS, THEN ONE CAN ONLY BLAME THE IGNORANCE AND EXPECTANCY OF MEDIA TO DO THE PARENTS JOB. THAT'S A FACT YOU CAN SEND STRAIGHT TO CLINTON! GIVE ME A BREAK AS LONG AS WATCHING EVERYTHING FROM CLINT EASTWOOD, ANY ARNOLD MOVIE, TMNT, SIMPSONS, NIGHTMARE ON ELAM ST, THE ORIGINAL TEXAS CHAIN SAW, STAR WARS. GIVE ME A BREAK! I'M A DAD AND I REALIZE IT'S MY RESPONSIBILITY, NOT HILARY CLINTON'S, NOT THE GAME INDUSTRY'S, MOVIE, OR MUSIC INDUSTRY'S RESPONSIBILTY MONITER MY CHILD'S MENTAL INTAKE!!! YOU WANT TO PLACE BLAME! WHEN I WAS GROWING UP YOU DIDN'T SEE KIDS/TEENS OUT ALL THE TIME DRIVING AROUND BY THEMSELVES, OR W/ ALL THIER FRIENDS LOADED UP IN THE CAR. AT THE MOVIES, MALLS, ANY EATERY W/THIER PARENTS NO WHERE TO BE FOUND. CELL PHONES PLASTERED TO THE SIDE OF THIER HEADS. I'M A GAMER, BUT VERY INVOLVED WITH MY CHILD. WHAT'S EVERYONE ELSE PROBLEM?

# Missunderstandi ng! — Guest 2006-12-08 13:41

I think people missunderstand what they are trying to accomplish, at least right now they are not trying to force game devs to make "care bear" games only, at the moment they just want parents to check before buying their kids games, check what they play, things that should be normal, as a lot of people have said, as a parent would you let your kid watch porn? so why would you let him play a game where his decapitating other people?

Honestly this benefits devs IMO, maybe this way the parents will become responsible and not devs or stores, as long as they don't try to censor games ALA jack thompson I applaud the move. The last thing some of these little 10 year old delincuents needs is to play GTA.

# We gotta do somthin' about them layers — Guest 2006-12-08 13:45

They need gamers to decide thease things. Hopefully Steve Morgan knows what hes doing, a lot of politions don't . One of the senators in the House voting on stem cell issues who claims to be an exper on them say that they come from the brain stem! This is why we need to quit voting LAWYERS into office.

BTW did you know the ESRB does not even play the games they rate (not that they would need to if developers could give a script of all possible actions and diolouge... I guess speed is a kinda concern.)

Im not going to say this is all BS because not all children think logicly and morally also thease things do influence childern (my parents bought me Custers Revenge and ive grown up to be a peeping tom).

I think the ones over age 10 our fine with the Call of Duty's and Battlefield but it really depends on the child.

# Quick question... — Annony 2006-12-08 20:33

Why is it that when an article comes out like this involving a right-wing group that wants to pass laws to regulate the sales of violent video games to kids, authors and readers scream 'fascists', 'Bible-thumpers', and 'Nazis'; meanwhile when a left-wing group (Clinton, Lieberman, etc) do the same, they're compared to Power Rangers? o_O

# no subject — Guest 2006-12-09 05:11

Heh go figure...

Id rather have the republicans do it too.

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Clinton, ESRB and others team up against videogame violence

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