PTC Gets Behind "Truth in Video Game Ratings" Legislation
PTC Gets Behind "Truth in Video Game Ratings" Legislation
February 27, 2007
Watchdog group the Parents Television Council has taken an active role in video game issues of late.Earlier this month GamePolitics reported on the PTC's support of video game legislation proposed in the Indiana State Senate. Last week we noted PTC's joint participation with the Campaign for a Commercial-free Childhood in an effort to ban ads for M- and AO-rated games from appearing on buses and trains owned by Denver's mass-transit system.
The PTC has also weighed in on the Truth in Video Game Ratings Act, a bill re-introduced recently by conservative Senator - and 2008 presidential aspirant - Sam Brownback (R-KS).
Of the legislation, a press release attributed to PTC president Tim Winters says:
The (PTC) sides with Senator Brownback on this issue. There is a clear conflict of interest that arises when a video game’s producers and distributors submit segments of their choice to the (ESRB) for review...
Video game distributors should no longer be able to skew ratings in their favor by concealing the material they do not want reviewed...
The PTC applauds Senator Brownback for adding language... to commission a... study to evaluate the current video game rating system, look into instating an independent rating system... and consider the application of a universal ratings system...
The full text of the Brownback bill, S.568, can be seen here. The measure has been referred to the Senate's Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
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Posted 07/04/09 at 09:24pm
PHX Corp: For those that want to know what i watching it's called man vs cartoon(a.k.a fixing Wile E. coyote's Mistakes one trap at a time by EMERTEC)
PHX Corp: For those that want to know what i watching it's called man vs cartoon(a.k.a fixing Wile E. coyote's Mistakes one trap at a time by EMERTEC)
Posted 07/04/09 at 08:20pm
GoodRobotUs: Went out for my Mum's 65th Birthday, which is the only relevance 4/7 has in the UK for me ;)
GoodRobotUs: Went out for my Mum's 65th Birthday, which is the only relevance 4/7 has in the UK for me ;)
Posted 07/04/09 at 08:18pm
Andrew Eisen: Beach + fireworks + root beer + strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, whipped topping, and pound cake = my Fourth of July!
Andrew Eisen: Beach + fireworks + root beer + strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, whipped topping, and pound cake = my Fourth of July!
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:58pm
GoodRobotUs: Which seems to be the only point Jack proved, that some people find some games offensive. i.e. Nothing.
GoodRobotUs: Which seems to be the only point Jack proved, that some people find some games offensive. i.e. Nothing.
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:57pm
GoodRobotUs: The discussion was supposed to be whether games were dangerous not 'Do you find some games offensive'...
GoodRobotUs: The discussion was supposed to be whether games were dangerous not 'Do you find some games offensive'...
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:55pm
GoodRobotUs: Some agreed, some didn't, but it was their choice to make, not the governments.
GoodRobotUs: Some agreed, some didn't, but it was their choice to make, not the governments.
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:55pm
GoodRobotUs: By asking the audience their opinion, he more or less proved that it's a matter of personal choice
GoodRobotUs: By asking the audience their opinion, he more or less proved that it's a matter of personal choice
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:55pm
GoodRobotUs: Meh, he ended proving Mark's point for him
GoodRobotUs: Meh, he ended proving Mark's point for him
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:26pm
Erik: Jack if you are reading this you are a LIAR. There is no legal weight to the MPAA's ratings.
Erik: Jack if you are reading this you are a LIAR. There is no legal weight to the MPAA's ratings.
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:24pm
JDKJ: I still think my buddy the midget who rides a unicycle backwards while juggling four bowling pins would have been a much bigger hit with that crowd. And he can make up statistics and misinterpret studies, too.
JDKJ: I still think my buddy the midget who rides a unicycle backwards while juggling four bowling pins would have been a much bigger hit with that crowd. And he can make up statistics and misinterpret studies, too.
Posted 07/04/09 at 06:33pm
Alyric: Of course, Mark falls into the common trap about Columbine, which had nothing to do with bullying, etc. See: http://slate.msn.com/id/2099203/?GT1=3256 for a more thorough explanation.
Alyric: Of course, Mark falls into the common trap about Columbine, which had nothing to do with bullying, etc. See: http://slate.msn.com/id/2099203/?GT1=3256 for a more thorough explanation.
Posted 07/04/09 at 06:32pm
PHX Corp: Read this http://www.destructoid.com/sgc-09-liveblogging-the-jack-thompson-debate-138502.phtml#ext
PHX Corp: Read this http://www.destructoid.com/sgc-09-liveblogging-the-jack-thompson-debate-138502.phtml#ext
Posted 07/04/09 at 05:54pm
PHX Corp: JT is afraid of such ban then advocates it That's what i call a total Hypocrite
PHX Corp: JT is afraid of such ban then advocates it That's what i call a total Hypocrite
Posted 07/04/09 at 05:50pm
PHX Corp: AE: JT is a -Bleeping- Jackass
PHX Corp: AE: JT is a -Bleeping- Jackass
Posted 07/04/09 at 05:07pm
Andrew Eisen: JT "knew it would be a good audience." Not what he said on Tuesday.
Andrew Eisen: JT "knew it would be a good audience." Not what he said on Tuesday.
Posted 07/04/09 at 05:01pm
Andrew Eisen: VG cause violent behavior. VG companies influence behavior to get sales. Yeah, that makes sense. (To be fair, the Twitter feed makes deciphering JT's point pretty tough.)
Andrew Eisen: VG cause violent behavior. VG companies influence behavior to get sales. Yeah, that makes sense. (To be fair, the Twitter feed makes deciphering JT's point pretty tough.)
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:52pm
Andrew Eisen: Yes, it's been proposed but as far as I know it has not been passed. Big difference.
Andrew Eisen: Yes, it's been proposed but as far as I know it has not been passed. Big difference.
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:50pm
Cheater87: http://www.gamezine.co.uk/news/formats/xbox360/all-violent-video-games-be-banned-in-germany-$1301757.htm
Cheater87: http://www.gamezine.co.uk/news/formats/xbox360/all-violent-video-games-be-banned-in-germany-$1301757.htm
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:49pm
Andrew Eisen: Far as I know, Germany has not banned all violent video games.
Andrew Eisen: Far as I know, Germany has not banned all violent video games.
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:44pm
Cheater87: Jack wants the US to follow Germany's total video game ban.
Cheater87: Jack wants the US to follow Germany's total video game ban.
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Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
"I think it’s a good thing that the PTC is putting the blame on game developers for hiding the material, rather than putting the blame on the ESRB for not rating the games well enough."
That's the next step. First you assert that game companies hide stuff. Then you blame the ESRB for not finding it, even though they have severe penalties for hidden stuff discovered after release, even if it's accidental.
Color me not suprised. Good to know, though, GP. Keep your enemies closer and all that.
But I would have been shocked to find out the the King Kooks at the PTC didn't support this POS legislature. In fact, I am sort-of gald about it, because most reasonable parents that I know laugh at the PTC.
Now of course, I don't mean what the PTC is saying is right, after all, not all game developers hide their content.
I don't think that will fly.
This pile of crap bill will be struck down as unconstitutional.
The PTC should find something else better to do with their time and energy.
I should also point out that Brownback was(I don't know if that moron still is) a member of the PTC's so-called "celebrity advisory panel"(so is/was Lieberman).
I believe this is what you were after?
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/10/01
In other words, try to establish a federally managed organization to take over the whole process. Then we'll get FCC-style knee-jerk behavior.
Penny Arcade hit the the proverbial nail on the head with this issue. For those of you who missed the comic about it (it's fairly recent), you'll have to find it yourself. My kingdom for the ability to use HTML again.
Well, the paranoia-levels at the PTC have (yet) again shown themselves to be at a full 100%!
Which by itself isn't anything new.
It makes no sense, but this country has a major problem with the topic of human sexuality. Unfortunately, the problem won't likely be corrected anytime soon.
They same that the game rating system is flawed by using videos rather than playing the game, and yet fail to realise that this MUST also mean that the game lawmaking procedure is also flawed for precisely the same reason, since these laws only ever have accompanying video, they never ask people to play the actual game.
Hippocrisy much?
Although, yeah, they have a point. I mean, look at Nintendo. They stuff their games full of sex and then don't mention it to the ESRB. Like, umm...Super Smash Bros, oh yeah, a LOT of sexual content in that. Yoshi-on-Pikachu action; I was scarred for life.
Oh, the Sims games, oh my god. It promotes prostitution! And there was a lot more violence in Pikmin that you didn't see! It was like it was made by R*!
I'm not soo sure if we should be surprised with this incident - it feels like a lof of this legislation is crawling out of the woodwork now that the 2008 presidential race is starting up.
It would suit them perfectly, since Spore has evolution, and according to people who think like the PTC, evolution is a farce
Yes, there is the 2nd clause, but would that REALLY change the rating if it doesn't blow out of proportion later? "We were going to add a minigame that gives a brief sexual scene, but we decided against it and have not even programed in the naked skins yet so there is no nudity."
So yea, one game, one problem, and the law does nothing to actually address it. (Unless you think you would put an AO rating on the game for 'Fully clothed, accessible only by intentional hacking' program...)
Because at the time television was the big "evil" that our children need to be "protected" from. Now they appear to have expanded their scope to the next big "evil," video games.
Also, video games are commonly played on televisions. That may be one of their ways to justify it. =)
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1. biased to the point that if they began publishing articles in "credible" newspapers, they'd immediately turn them into tabloids
2. apparent attempt at making the esrb look like they are only shown certain parts of a game when in fact they are specifically required to show the most gruesome and violent parts
3. They claim developers are trying to skew the footage for certain ratings (come on now, really)
4. They are applauding a obviously unconstitutional bill.