MediaWise Video Game Report Card Issued 65
Thanks to several readers for pointing to the National Institute on Media and the Family's eighth annual videogame report card, which says it "provides a snapshot of the interactive gaming industry with a focus on issues related to child welfare." A particular issue focused on is "the growing issue of screen time as it relates to the obesity epidemic", of which it's suggested: "there is both an opportunity and challenge for the industry to develop games that involve physical activity so that young players exercise more than their thumbs." The other hot topic is a continuing one: "the easy access that boys have to increasingly ultra-violent M-rated games and the popularity of the most violent games with that group." The survey ends with lists, including "games to avoid" for 2003, mentioning obviously controversial titles like Manhunt, but also other, quirkier picks such as WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne.
Obesity and Screen Time (Score:2, Interesting)
Dance Dance Revolution, anyone? 3 rounds of Maniac can feel far longer than any marathon.
Re:Uh... (Score:5, Interesting)
In the two subsets (the 70% who have played and the 30% who have not played), a larger portion of the former got into fights than the latter. I wouldn't exactly consider this scientific proof, since it's probably a single study and the study group may not be representative, but it's not exactly surprising nor is it encouraging.
Look at the recommendations though. They're not calling for the end to violent video games like some of the kooks out there. They simply want the rules (not laws! Big difference here!) to be enforced. Can you really tell me that parental education on what the ratings mean is a bad thing? How about enforcement of the ratings to actually enforce the meaning? Certainly the ESRB should actually comply with their own policies -- and Manhunt should've gotten an AO.
I'm all for the labeling of games. I'm an adult, I'll buy whatever the hell I want to play. But parents should be able to discern between games acceptable for their kids and those that aren't.
The summary's mention that WC3 was "quirky" but... (Score:3, Interesting)
Don't yell at me for spoilers--if you really cared about WCIII's plot, you'd have played it by now. =P
Re:Rating System (Score:2, Interesting)
The MPAA owns the trademark to the G - NC-17 ratings. Current IP law requires trademark owners to pursue all infringement of trademarks in court, or risk losing those trademarks. Further, if the MPAA lost their trademarks, any movie could be put on a shelf with a G rating on the box, and no one could stop them (except maybe a class-action lawsuit from the parents of children that were set in front of Debbie Does Dallas because the parents were too stupid to realize it was rated G for G-string-eating-lesbian-action).
DoA (Score:2, Interesting)
There is no way that DoA could deserve an Ao rating. Ao is the equivalent to a NC-17, and NC-17 requires it to be either a) porn or b) have extremely explicit violence above and beyond what you see in M-rated games.
I don't think DoA volleyball even has any nudity, let alone sex. And the MPAA allows movies with some nudity to pass with an R rating, so why should the ESRB give DoA volleyball an M?
Vice City and Manhunt... well, I dunno. If Vice City deserves an Ao then so do a lot of other games. I haven't played or heard much about Manhunt, so I can't pass judgement on that one.
Re:With stuff like this... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:One Simple Question. (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:One Simple Question. (Score:1, Interesting)
People are always suggesting that you should keep your kids away from violent video games, heavy metal music, AD&D, and all sorts of demonic youth corruptors. Of course I am being sarcastic, video games are no more dangerous than heavy metal or AD&D, but lets pretend that they are. Will keeping your kids "safe" from them help them become anything other than naive, when they enter this world as adults? I am not suggesting you let your kids run wild through the streets and hope that they learn enough on their own without ending up dead, but at the same time, I am strongly opposed to all of this "because I said so, i'm your parent, and what I say goes" style parenting.
If you fill them up with rules, and force them to swallow it, you aren't helping. They end up with your rules along with all sorts of conflicting ideas, and they just pick and choose as they please. Maybe you will be lucky, and your sheep..er children will obey your every word. But can they think on their own? Rather than filling them up with strict rules, "for their own good", which they will "understand when they are older", why not just treat them like they have brains. They do after all. Give them good advice, and make sure that they don't just take it at face value. Teach them to think for themselves, and be honest with them. If your advice is good, they just might come back for more.
I can't see putting your foot down and saying NO as anything but a band-aid. If your 12 year old wants to shoot up, go ahead and say no, be worried and protect them. If your kid wants to beat up someone who made them angry, saying no and grounding them teaches them nothing. Instead, pull out some choice Gandhi quotes or something similar, and help them understand. Learning won't happen in an instant, and every one of your lessons won't sink in how you like. If you are honest and don't just use big words to confuse them and get your way, they will see that and respect your opinions. It might take them a while to see how wise you are (I am assuming you are :), but if you just ground them and do the "tough love" thing all the time, they won't ever see that. They will instead have to learn from older kids and video games, at their friends house of course.
I think the bottom line is, teach your kids to think for themselves, and you won't have to treat that cd-rom like it has the devil in it. It doesn't after all. Or put another way, "bad influences" are all over, you can't get rid of them. All you can do is be a good influence, and help (not force) your kid to make the right decisions.
Re:Forgot to mention... (Score:1, Interesting)