I've been keeping
a close eye on video and computer games for the past decade.
That's because, for the past ten years, the National Institute
on Media and the Family has released the annual Video Game
Report Card, available at mediawise.org. Each year, the
Report Card has given parents and lawmakers a look at the
latest trends in the gaming world.
After a decade of working on this issue, I'm proud of the
positive changes we've helped bring to what was once a largely
unmonitored and unchecked industry. But at the same time,
I'm dismayed to find the industry still up to what I can
now call their old tricks. Specifically, killographic and
sexually explicit games are still finding their way into
the hands of millions of underage players. With literally
billions of dollars at stake, it probably shouldn't come
as a surprise that the people who make mature games are
failing to do all they can to protect our kids.
You've heard me lament in these very pages that the video
game rating system overseen by the Entertainment Software
Rating Board (ESRB) has failed to do its job. The past summer's
Grand Theft Auto scandal involving secret pornographic content
in the year's most popular and, arguably, most irresponsibly
violent game is simply one of the reasons we gave the ESRB
an F grade this year. In response to the ESRB's failure,
the National Institute on Media and the Family will convene
a summit next year on video game ratings with the leading
national organizations dedicated to children's health and
welfare. We hope for the creation of an independent rating
system uncompromised by the ESRB's obvious conflict of interest.
Nearly every year over the past ten, the Report Card has
noted retailers' refusal to keep mature games out of the
hands of kids. This year, unfortunately, is no different.
Though we have seen slight improvement, our sting operations
found that kids could still purchase M-rated games about
half the time.
Perhaps the most important finding of the year concerned
parents. Fewer than half of the parents we surveyed said
they understood the rating system, and nearly two-thirds
said they had M-rated games in the house. In the light of
the video game industry's growing power, and its recent
lack of concern for its customers, parents have a greater
responsibility than ever to be aware of their kids' video
game habits.
Ten years ago, video games were, by today's standards, primitive
and simple. They were gimmicky toys for kids. Today, the
video game industry takes in more money than the movie business
and nearly everyone, kids and adults alike, has played one
of these games. They're not going away, and why should they?
They're great entertainment, used in moderation. In the
next ten years we'll need to work harder than ever to make
video games a safe and healthy part of young people's lives.
David Walsh, Ph.D. is the president and
founder of the National Institute on Media and the Family.
For more information on media and to find KidScore®
ratings of popular video games, visit www.mediafamily.org.
