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David Walsh, Ph.D.
President, National Institute on Media and the Family
December 1, 1998

Introduction

The 1998 Video and Computer Game Report Card is produced by the National Institute on Media and the Family, an independent, non-partisan, non-sectarian, non-profit organization. The Institute’s mission is to maximize the benefits and minimize the harm mass media has on children, through research and education. The report gives a "snap-shot" view of the electronic-game scene as well as parent-generated evaluations of some of the most popular games. Since there are excellent games on the market, this report card guide helps parents make better, more informed choices for their children.

Executive Summary   

The majority of games on the market again this year are appropriate for children. In fact, the good games seem to be getting better. The concern, however, is about a substantial core group of games that feature ultra-violence. Some also include sexual themes and crude language. Although called "games," a more appropriate description for this group would be "kill-for-fun murder simulations." Our research shows that most parents are unaware of these games and their content. Unfortunately, this group of games is very popular with children and teenagers. Their popularity is fueled by the fact that there is growing evidence that these "kill-for-fun murder simulations" are marketed and sold to children despite a "Mature" industry rating.

Background   

Each year at this time the National Institute on Media and the Family issues its annual video and computer game report card in cooperation with Senators Joe Lieberman and Herb Kohl. These two senators have been leaders in working with the game industry to develop policies and tools to ensure that children’s access to "Mature" games is limited.

The video and computer game industry has seen tremendous growth in sales and popularity since its birth 26 years ago with the game Pong. New emerging technologies guarantee that game players will experience these game environments with increasingly greater "real world" interactions. Since these games are so popular with children, concern about children’s access to games featuring violence, sex, and other adult themes became an issue for many parents in the early 1990s. In response, Senators Lieberman and Kohl pressed the industry to establish a voluntary rating system, which it did in 1994.

The first video game report card was issued in 1995 to assess compliance with the rating system. The report card generated so much interest that its release has become an annual event timed to coincide with the start of the busy holiday shopping season. The focus of the report card evolves as issues of importance to parents change.

Why an Annual Report Card?   

• Video and computer games are among children’s most-asked-for gifts during the holiday shopping season.
• Video and computer games are very popular with children. Research done by the National Institute on Media and the Family shows that 69% of parents report their children own or rent games. The highest percentage is among children ages 8-12.
• In the same National Institute on Media and the Family study, 46% of parents reported they think electronic games have a great influence on their children. An additional 34% think the games have a moderate influence.
• Children who play games now do so an average of 7 hours per week. That’s the equivalent of more than a full day of school per week.
• A 1996 study of 4th through 8th graders found that almost 50% of their favorite games featured violence.
• Emerging game technologies guarantee that players will experience these game environments with increasingly greater "real world" interactions.

Since games are so widely used by children, and since parents are concerned about the effects, this annual report card is meant to provide helpful information to parents so they can make informed purchasing and rental decisions.

Areas Covered in the 1998 Report Card   

• Industry ratings
• Retail stores
• Rental stores
• Ratings education
• Arcades
• Parent Guide to Electronic Games

In addition, the 1998 report card expands its evaluation to cover the following:

• Internet game sites
• On-line gaming
• Marketing techniques
• Parental supervision
• Review of research on the effects of violent video games

How the 1998 Report Card Research was Conducted   

The National Institute on Media and the Family:

• conducted a phone survey of 529 parents from all socio-economic groups, representing 46 states;
• visited arcades in Minnesota, Louisiana, California, and New York;
• conducted a telephone survey of 28 retail and rental stores across the country (both chain and independent stores were included);
• viewed (panels of six trained media raters each) representative samples from more than 50 popular electronic games (this forms the basis for the 1998 National Institute on Media and the Family’s Parent Guide to Electronic Games); and
• visited a sample of Internet demonstration gaming sites and on-line gaming sites.

The National Institute on Media and the Family received good cooperation from stores, arcades, and the industry trade association. Although this is a not a scientific study, the results will provide valuable information for all concerned with the welfare of children.

1998 Video and Computer Game Report Card
Results   

Industry Ratings

Virtually all computer and video games carried ratings on the boxes.

Grade for percentage of games rated:    A

The National Institute on Media and the Family conducted a study in which panels of six trained media raters viewed 90 video games and evaluated them using the KidScore^ฎ rating system. The KidScore^ฎ ratings were then compared with the Entertainment Software Rating Board’s (ESRB) ratings. In general, there was a fair amount of agreement. In fact, our raters found the ESRB rating system more accurate than either the movie or television rating systems. Our raters were in total agreement with 58% of the ESRB ratings, 48% of the movie ratings, and only 40% of the TV ratings. When there was disagreement with the ESRB ratings, it was most likely to be in the ratings for the younger children. For example, the industry gives the game NFL Blitz an "E" rating (Everyone, appropriate for ages 6+) while our raters thought parents of 8-12 year-olds should exert caution because of the encouragement of unfair play.

Grade for accuracy of ratings:    B

Retail Stores  

Virtually all the games carried in surveyed stores bear the rating icon.

Grade for ratings displayed:    A

Only 21% of retail stores surveyed enforced policies prohibiting the sale of "T" (Teen, appropriate for ages 13+) games to children younger than 13, or "M" (Mature, appropriate for ages 17+) games to those younger than 17.

Grade for ratings enforcement:    D

Rental Stores 

Many rental stores put the games into their own individual outer cases. Only 60% of those surveyed displayed the rating on the outside of the case.

Grade for ratings displayed:    B

Only 9% of stores surveyed enforced policies prohibiting the rental of "T" games to children younger than 13, or "M" games to those younger than 17.

Grade for ratings enforcement:    D

Ratings Education   

Only 11% of retail or rental stores surveyed made any special efforts to educate the public about the ESRB rating system. The stores that did, distributed pamphlets or displayed posters.

43% of retail and rental store employees surveyed did not understand the rating system themselves. This is probably explained by the fact that only 29% of these stores educate their employees about the ratings.

Grade for ratings education:    C-

Arcade Industry   

On September 1, 1998, a coalition of arcade trade associations announced the completion of a rating system which they would begin to implement. This was in keeping with a commitment they had made earlier to Senators Kohl and Lieberman. Although there are arcade-machine locations that fall outside the membership of these associations, this is seen as a major step forward.

Grade for ratings development:    A

30% of the arcade games surveyed displayed the new rating system. We assume that the implementation efforts will bear more positive results in 1999.

Grade for implementation:    Incomplete

Internet Gaming Safety   

We reviewed this for the first time because there is so much growth in Internet gaming. Increasingly producers and distributors offer game samples that can be downloaded and played by youngsters. There has also been a tremendous amount of growth in the on-line gaming market, where participants either download or purchase software, enabling them to play the game with other players on the Internet.

The Entertainment Software Rating Board has developed a standardized rating system for all interactive entertainment software, called the ESRBI (Entertainment Software Rating Board Interactive) ratings. Its information specifically identifies game sites as appropriate for this interactive rating system.

None of the game demonstration sites examined by the staff of the National Institute on Media and the Family carried the ESRBI ratings.

Game demo sites ratings:    F

None of the on-line game sites examined carried the ESRBI ratings. One site did display a warning that it was an adult site.

On-line gaming site ratings:    F

The staff of the National Institute on Media and the Family then visited the sites after installing CyberPatrol, a top-rated Internet software filter. Apparently the site managers are not working with the filtering organization, because only one out of 19 sites examined with "M" rated games was blocked.

Filtering software effectiveness:    D-

Parental Supervision

Clearly, parents have a primary responsibility in supervising their children’s game playing. In completing the 1998 Video and Computer Game Report Card we discovered that most parents do not know the content of their children’s games. In addition, most do not use the rating system that is available. The probable reason for this is the fact that most parents are not adept at the game technology and therefore do not pay much attention to it. The fact that these products are called "games" probably leads some to believe there is no need for supervision. Although most of the products on the market can legitimately be called "games," the small group of "ultra-violent" games might be more accurately called "kill-for-fun murder simulations" and are inappropriate for children.

In a survey of 96 sixth graders in Minnesota, only 29% reported that their parents check the ratings of games they buy or rent. In the National Institute on Media and the Family national survey of 529 parents, only 40% reported they routinely check the ratings. Whichever statistic is more accurate, it is clear that the majority of parents are not consulting the ratings in deciding whether or not to permit the purchase or rental of a game.

In a field study that we conducted, less than 5% of more than 500 parents had ever heard of the "Mature" game, Duke Nukem. However, more than 80% of junior high school students reported that they were familiar with the game. Such a finding highlights the knowledge gap between parents and their children about electronic games.

Parental supervision:    C-

Marketing Activities   

Even though there is no grade assigned to marketing activities, the report card reveals a very disturbing development. We are finding more frequent examples that some producers/distributors are marketing "Mature" games to younger children and teens. The following is an illustrative, not exhaustive, list of disturbing marketing incidents:

• An advertisement for Resident Evil 2 in Sports Illustrated for Kids.
• The sale of Duke Nukem action figures in toy stores.
• A marketing plan for Mortal Kombat Mythologies, which explicitly states that the teen market will be targeted.
• The promotion of "M" rated games at Internet game sites for teenagers.

In addition, the advertising messages of some games promote the portrayal of murder as fun. This is even true for games rated for children. Here is a sample of quotes from actual ads:

• Ad for Dead in the Water, rated "E": "I will destroy you, maggot."
• Ad for Destrega, rated "T": "Let the slaughter begin."
• Ad for Point Blank, rated "T": "More fun than shooting your neighbor’s cat."
• Ad for Carmageddon, rated "M": "As easy as killing babies with axes."
• Ad for Subspace, an on-line game rated "K-A" (Kid to Adult, appropriate for everyone): "Meet people from all over the world, then kill them."
• Ad for a new joy-stick system produced by Gravis: "Great. You get better accuracy and control but what are you going to do with all the extra bodies? Be the first on your block to make your neighbors say, ‘What’s that smell?’"

These types of marketing strategies and advertisements promote the message to kids that "Murder is fun." Professor Gregory Boller teaches advertising and marketing at the University of Memphis. He has recently focused his research on the marketing of "murder simulation" video and computer games. In a recent interview he said, "Never in the history of advertising have we seen anything like this."

We are calling upon the producers and distributors of these games to be more responsible in their advertising and marketing efforts. We are also calling upon the members of the industry to address this issue with their colleagues. This will be a major focus in the 1999 Report Card.

Recommendations   

The National Institute on Media and the Family recommends that:

• Producers and distributors stop marketing adult games to children;
• Producers and distributors of games rated for children stop using advertising messages that promote "murder for fun;"
• Parents should not assume that "game" means "okay for kids." While most games are fun and appropriate for kids, there is a group that promotes "murder as entertainment." We recommend, therefore, that parents become more knowledgeable and involved in supervising children’s purchases, rentals, and play;
• The retail and rental stores develop and enforce policies about the sale or rental of "Mature" games to children;
• The industry and the stores develop and implement an educational program about the rating system for employees and customers; and
• The arcade industry proceed with implementation of its new rating system.

• Parent Guide to Electronic Games (the newest results)
• Video Game Violence: What Does the Research Say? (by David A. Walsh, Ph.D.)