Kids Getting M-Rated Games: What's the Issue?

FTC press releases. ESRB testimony before the Senate Subcommittee. Harvard studies. Politician statements.

For the oldtimers in our industry, it's 1993 again. Academics, politicians, industry people - we're reduced to rendezvous on the floor of the Senate. Sadly, all this information does relatively little to address the true issue that's causing our industry so much trouble: some kids (a declining number according to this FTC press release) are still getting their hands on M-rated video games.

The real issue here - and the real answer - is at least two-fold.

1. We, as an industry, need to work with other interested parties to make our rating system as strong as it can be. As a game designer, I know iterative design works, not just in games, but in all kinds of systems. Refine. Improve.

2. Someone needs to turn the spotlight on parental responsiblity, too. As noted yesterday, parents are present a not-so-surprising 92% of the time video games are purchased (source The ESA pdf file). These games cost $50-60 each. Again and again, when I talk with parents, I hear absurd reasons they let their kids play M-Rated games. The top two? "It's just a game" and "He plays it at his friend's house, but not here." If he watched porn at his friend's house, would parents be all right with that, too? Of course, not. While politicians say that their laws are designed to step in when parents step out, that's simply not true. Those neglected kids you're trying to target? C'mon! I'm not buying it. Those kids don't have a PS2 or an Xbox or a GameCube. They're in need electricity and food and rehab for their parents. I do believe that politicians' hearts are in the right place. However, the laws they pass will still allow a parent to purchase an M-Rated game for their child, and that doesn't change things at all.

Posted by BrendaBrathwaite at 09:15 AM | Discuss this post on our forums

Harvard Researcher on Movies

As a follow up post to my Ratings Deathmatch yesterday, we're pleased to present some information from the same Harvard researchers on movies.

From the site KidsRisk come the following:

Violence, Sex, and Profanity in Films: Correlation of Movie Ratings With Content

Depiction of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Substances in G-Rated Animated Feature Films

Violence in G-Rated Movies

The challenge here, of course, is that defending yourself by pointing the finger at someone else is a terrible strategy. I provide the info just to balance out yesterday's Deathmatch.

Posted by BrendaBrathwaite at 09:04 AM | Discuss this post on our forums

In Newsweekly: GLBT gaming developers organize

In a truly historic moment, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) individuals met as an organized group at the Game Developers Conference last month. This article by Alexander Sliwinski, the same reporter who brought the WoW LGBT controvery to light, covers the various gatherings: GLBT gaming developers organize

At the Game Developers Conference held this year in San Jose, Calif., members of the video game industry "came out" professionally as a group for the first time. Over three separate official gatherings during two days members of the GLBT community shared stories about the industry as it is now and discussed tackling issues in the future.

Posted by BrendaBrathwaite at 08:33 AM | Discuss this post on our forums

Washington Post: Online Games Replace Monsters With Sex

AP Writer Peter Svennson has a great article up on the current state of MMOEGs in the Washington Post and other AP papers: Online Games Replace Monsters With Sex

Online games have so far mainly revolved around the killing of fantasy monsters. The occasional fight with a Stormtrooper provides some variety.

Companies are now developing a handful of games — though calling them that is a stretch — designed to give players a very different option: making love, not war.

Thanks to Peter for the coverage.

Posted by BrendaBrathwaite at 08:12 AM | Discuss this post on our forums

April 06, 2006

More on the Harvard Study: Ratings Deathmatch

Here's an interesting scan:

What you're looking at is GTA: San Andreas (left) and the DVD of Shaun of the Dead (right) side by side.

The ESRB label is much larger and in a legible font color. The DVD label is certainly more difficult to see.

Descriptors are clearly missing from this DVD label. It contains the descriptors "zombie violence/gore and language". According to the source who sent this to the Sex SIG, "Hardly a shot goes by in Shaun of the Dead where someone's not drinking a pint or smoking a cigarette, but I don't see Yee or anyone else demanding the MPAA be banned, burned, fed to lions, and their new liony hosts burned."

All in all, I firmly believe we need to start working together and stop meeting on the floor of the Senate. Politicians need to get involved beyond the soundbyte. Researchers would do well to study our industry in conjunction with others to give their research some perspective. We, as an industry, need to be open and receptive to criticism and be willing to iterate should people find a way to improve our existing system. Firing off statements isn't going to do a damn thing to protect the kids. Ultimately, we need to work together, and those doing the work need to be well informed.

Looking at that screen above? I'm not feeling too bad about how we're doing overall.