Annual Video Game Report Card Is Positive, For Once

Every year, the National Institute on Media and the Family releases a report card which grades various aspects of the video game industry on how well they keep "inappropriate" games out of the hands of children. This year's report was largely positive, which is surprising given the history of strong criticism by the Institute. They acknowledged that gaming is becoming a much bigger part of family life than it was in the past, and they're making an effort to shift the focus onto the parents to keep their kids' gaming habits under control. The full report is available here (PDF), and Game Daily has an interview with Entertainment Software Alliance CEO Michael Gallagher which touches on some of the same issues.

Comments

Re:Wrong idea

[girlintraining]

Why don't you shut up and graze your own spaghetti? Throwing down your parent card like having three kids means more than someone who lives with one is bullshit. I'm just as entitled to my opinion as yours, and I don't have to insult people giving mine either. What exactly is the point of your rant? Could you at least make a coherent argument, rather than just ripping into someone with a personal attack? This is a discussion about video game rating systems, and my two cents' was about the system being overly aggressive in eliminating anything that could be considered "inappropriate" to the point that the only thing left is lifeless and worthless video games that can't teach critical thinking skills or engage the user.

So-called "violent" video games very often have team play, capture the flag, and other social elements that teach people to work together. Number Munchers doesn't exactly measure up there. Does Pacman or Tetris teach them critical thinking skills? No. But Counter Strike sure does -- it teaches you to plan ahead, to know the terrain, to work with other team members... It teaches them how to think in a 3D environment. The Sims teaches people at least some basic understanding of the larger world; Barbie does not. Games like Command and Conquer teach kids that there's often more than one right answer and to adapt and think fast, and that making poor decisions leads to consequences. Webkinz teaches the opposite -- that everybody's a winner and everyone is special. That's not reality and if they grow up with that attitude they're setting themselves up for a massive letdown.

Maybe if your nephews got a few punches in the face after mouthing off, they wouldn't do it so much. Maybe if they played those "violent video games" they'd learn that a TEAM beats the INDIVIDUAL and you need to learn to control violent impulses if you're going to rise above. Maybe by squelching those impulses so much they're just having to find other avenues to release that energy in even less healthy ways. Consider that sir, while you eat your spaghetti.