PTC Asks ESRB President to Reinstate Manhunt 2's Original AO Rating

Additional ESRB Action Urged Against Game Publisher Rockstar Games

The Parents Television Council called on Entertainment Software Rating Board President Patricia Vance to take immediate action in response to the news that Rockstar Games allegedly did not remove explicit content from its new video game, Manhunt 2. the PTC asked that the ESRB give the game its originally issued “Adults Only” rating at least until the ESRB can investigate. ► more

PTC Denounces “Manhunt 2” Rating Reduction

Group Calls on ESRB to Explain Why the New Videogame Received a Softer Rating in U.S.

The Parents Television Council called on the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) to explain to parents why the new explicitly violent videogame, “Manhunt 2,” was given a softer Mature (M) rating and not the original Adults Only (AO) rating. ► more

PTC Applauds Gov. Schwarzenegger for Appealing Violent Video Game Ruling

State Measure to Prohibit Sale of Graphic Games to Children Helps Parents

The Parents Television Council, together with its six California grassroots chapters, applauded California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for appealing District Judge Ronald Whyte’s ruling that overturned the popular violent video game legislation. ► more

The freedom to say 'no': RTD may choose its advertisers
Rocky Mountain News

An advertiser cannot force anyone to publish its marketing pitches. And yet that's what video-game makers demand of the Regional transportation

District: they claim that refusing to promote their products violates their free-speech rights.

This is nonsense, of course. Even though RTD is a public agency, the First Amendment has - or should have - nothing to do with this beef. ► more

Risky behavior in video games could lead to dangerous driving

ABC News

The more competitive and adventurous your video game driving skills are, the more likely you are to be in an accident on the real-life road.

This according to a two-part study from Germany, which found that those who engage in risky behavior when playing virtual racing games carry that behavior onto the road, and are at greater risk for accidents and traffic violations.

The research followed men who played either a typical racing game, or a neutral game. those who played the competitive racing games relied on breaking traffic rules to win -- such as driving on the sidewalk, speeding or crashing into other cars.

These men subsequently reported experiencing feelings of aggression that were triggered when on the road behind a real car.

While this is the first study to examine the effects of racing games, experts say the findings support what is already known about gaming.

"Video games can affect behavior," says Jeanne Funk, professor of psychology at the University of toledo, Ohio. "It's not a benign activity." ► more

Can the Video Game Industry Regulate Itself?

The New York City Council recently investigated the selling of M rated video games to minors and found that 88% of children under 17 were able to purchase M rated games.

"Parents beware, the video games your children are playing are so graphically violent and so sexually explicit, if they were movies they would be rated - X," said Council Member Gioia. "Killing cops, maiming women, and committing hate crimes are only some of the deplorable acts that are graphically depicted in these games."

The month long investigation, which surveyed 67 stores, was a follow up to last year's investigation. that survey showed minors were easily able to purchase ‘M – (Mature) rated games which are considered too violent or sexually explicit for anyone under the age of 17.

"I am troubled that almost a year after the Consumer Affairs Committee held hearings on this issue, very little has changed," said Phil Reed, chair of the Consumers Committee. "It makes me wonder if the video game industry can truly monitor itself."

In fact, if this investigation's results are an indicator, the industry must work much harder to comply with its own standards. the results include the following:

None of these findings show statistically significant improvements from last year's investigation. It's unconscionable that after testifying before the City Council they would do better, the video game industry and retail stores in NYC continue to disregard the video game ratings system and make these games readily available to children." said Council Member Gioia.

Take-two interactive/Rockstar games has delayed the release of a controversial new video game called Bully until 2006, though some critics doubt the game will be released at all.

The game focuses on a year in the life of Jimmy Hopkins, a picked-on kid who in turn becomes the bully by flushing a classmate's head down a toilet, getting into fights, and taunting peers.

The game concerns anti-bullying activists and the American Psychological Association, which recently passed a resolution condemning the violence in video games marketed to children.

On CNN's Showbiz tonight, the APA's Jeffrey McIntyre said, "Children no longer are just passive witnesses to violence that may happen in the media. But now they're actually becoming involved in the scenarios, being rewarded."

If children can learn aggressive behavior from watching it on television, think how much more their behavior can be influenced by playing an interactive video game. ► MORE

Federal trade Commission Begins Investigation into Grand theft Auto: San Andreas Hidden Sex Scenes

The Entertainment Software Ratings Board recently changed the Grand theft Auto: San Andreas' M (mature 17+) rating to a AO (adults only) rating after the game's maker, take-two Interactive unit Rockstar Games, admitted that they were responsible for creating hidden sex scenes.

Members of the House of Representatives had asked the FTC to investigate whether take-two had intentionally deceived the ESRB to avoid a restrictive "adult" rating.

Major retailers including Best Buy, Walmart, and target have already pulled the product from their shelves.

► Research and Publications Director Melissa Henson discusses sex and violence in video games on CNN's Showbiz tonight: Click here to Watch!

V-Chips For Video Games
by Rod Gustafson

If you've done your homework, and have enabled your "shields," your tV's V-chip should be helping you manage what your children watch and your DVD players should have their content rating features activated. But what about your video game system? You may have decided your kids won't be playing any M or AO rated games, but how can you enforce that when you're out on Friday night?

This may seem like a "no brainer" issue, but currently the only console game systems offering this ability are the original Xbox and the new Xbox 360. Neither Sony's PlayStation 2 nor Nintendo's Game Cube are able to prevent someone from playing a particular game based on its rating. In the portable gaming area, Sony's handheld PSP unit is reported to include a rating control function. Nintendo's portable, the "DS," does not. ► more

VIDEO GAME NEWS

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