Oklahoma Politician Who Authored Video Game Law is Now ESRB's Pal

Oklahoma Politician Who Authored Video Game Law is Now ESRB's Pal

December 5, 2007
We'll say it again:

Politics makes strange bedfellows.

Yesterday, an ESRB press release trumpeted yet another partnership with a state-level politician. This time it is State Senator Glenn Coffee (R) who is teaming up with the video game industry's content rating board on a parental awareness program.

In partnering with the ESRB Coffee follows in the footsteps of the governor of Washington as well as the attorneys general of Utah, Georgia, Rhode Island, and Idaho.

The fascinating thing about Coffee's new friendship with the ESRB is that he was one of the sponsors of Oklahoma's 2006 video game law, a measure bitterly opposed by the industry. Coffee's version passed the Oklahoma Senate 47-0 enroute to approval by Gov. Brad Henry. The law was ultimately ruled unconstitutional by a federal court judge.

What a difference a year - and a losing court battle - makes. Coffee is quoted in yesterday's ESRB press release:
As a father, I know about the tough decisions parents face today about the media they allow into their homes. The simple fact is that there’s no substitute for parental involvement and responsibility. It’s important that parents play an active role in choosing games for their children, just as it’s important for Oklahoma retailers to comply with their store policies that restrict the sale or rental of M-rated games to those under 17. 

ESRB ratings are an effective and informative resource that allows parents to decide if the video game their child wants is appropriate.  I’m proud to be educating parents in our state about the tools at their disposal.

As part of the Oklahoma ratings awareness campaign, Coffee will appear in a televised public service announcement (PSA). As GamePolitics has pointed out before, that's a good deal for a political figure since the ESRB pays the production cost of the commercial and TV stations provide free air time because it's a public service announcement.

And here's some bonus political intrigue: 

The ESRB released the news of its partnership with Coffee on the same day that the National Institute on Media and the Family appeared in Washington, D.C. to spank the video game industry in its Annual Video Game Report Card.

Think that was a coincidence?

Oklahoma's KSBI-52 has a video news report

Comments

Odd how he turned around all of a sudden...
It's about time. Too bad this revelation doesnt come to more politicians BEFORE they've spent millions of their taxpayers' dollars on clearly unnecessary, useless, and unconstitutional laws.

Still, the more of them that recognize this move as common sense and the irrational fear of "teh videos" as just that, the easier it will be to relegate those who don't to the back room where they'll have no influence amongst the general populace.
"As a father, I know about the tough decisions parents face today about the media they allow into their homes. The simple fact is that there’s no substitute for parental involvement and responsibility. It’s important that parents play an active role in choosing games for their children, just as it’s important for Oklahoma retailers to comply with their store policies that restrict the sale or rental of M-rated games to those under 17. "

Just me or is the world going to end soon? A politian talking sense must be a sign of this! Wish this would happen in the UK.
"Glenn COFFEE" ?...

I'm so sorry for making this very bad joke, but it reminds me a certain mod for GTA : San Andreas so much... :D
Yeah.. Its nice to hear a politician making sense on the subject, even if he appears to be talking out of the side of his mouth.
"As a father, I know about the tough decisions parents face today about the media they allow into their homes. The simple fact is that there’s no substitute for parental involvement and responsibility. It’s important that parents play an active role in choosing games for their children, just as it’s important for Oklahoma retailers to comply with their store policies that restrict the sale or rental of M-rated games to those under 17."

Apparently, the botched Video Game Act has forced Senator Coffee to wake up and smell the, well, coffee.

While it's tempting to assume this is probably another political stunt to boost his ratings, I think it'll be better to see where this goes during the PSA.

On the other hand, I have to ask - why isn't Coffee focusing his attention on more pressing concerns, such as health care, education, and other whatnots?

Not to sound rude, but video game ratings are sort of peanuts compared to the other problems we're looking at on the national scale.
I'm surprised the article headline isn't "ESRB thinks Oklahoma's Coffee is Hot!"

;)
Oh, and I don't think the timing was a coincidence.
"The simple fact is that there’s no substitute for parental involvement and responsibility."

-translation-

"After I attempted to take the blame away from parents and undermine the importance of their responsibility, I figured out that the simple fact is that there’s no substitute for parental involvement and responsibility."

It's like someone pissing into the wind who has only just realised why their trousers are getting wet and turned around. Hopefully not every politician will have to sponsor some piece of garbage bill that fails before they realise the way forward. With a bit of luck, more and more of these people will recognise the pattern and just skip to the promotion of parental responsibility and education part.
I am glad to see this happening in Oklahoma. Sen. Coffee is coming to the end of his final term as a state senator, but that does not mean that he has bad intentions. He very well could have seen the light.

I really hope that this has a strong effect on the state.

Now if HB 2031 will just die so I can be happy.
My vision has really declined over the last couple of years. I really thought that was Rush Limbaugh in the picture.

Dennis,
"In partnering with the ESRB Coffee follows in the ..."
I think there is supposed to be a comma between "ESRB" and "Coffee". Normally, I don't bring it up, but it kinda made me laugh and wonder if there was an event or organization called "ESRB Coffee" that the senator was partnering with. And I thought such an event or organization such as "ESRB Coffee" would have been absolutely hilarious. :)

Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
I don't think he really turned around, mainly due to this line:

just as it’s important for Oklahoma retailers to comply with their store policies that restrict the sale or rental of M-rated games to those under 17.

He's just trying another avenue to make it look like he's accomplishing something "for the children", only this time it'll actually be constitutional, effective, and he won't end up with egg on his face.
Big deal. Snakes like Hillary and Lieberman also got cozy with the ESRB...until they went back to the legislation bandwagon for free soccer-mom points. This snake will be no different.
Well, it looks like politicians can learn after all.
ESRB Coffee should be a mod in GTA 4 involving congressional representatives doing something inappropriate =)

Honestly, even if he is just trying to put a new spin on his Quest For Publicity And Votes, I don't care as long as he's getting the message right.
Another infidel forsakes his belief and join our cause. This is truly a day of rejoice. Now we soon have an army large enough to retake the Holy LAN.
(Sorry, I've been reading on the crusades recently (and playing Assassin's Creed)).

The conspiracy grows, right, Jack? What? How much they payed him to join them? I'll ask when I get the chance.
"The simple fact is that there’s no substitute for parental involvement and responsibility. It’s important that parents play an active role in choosing games for their children."

Wait... what? A politician actually using such unheard of concepts such as parental involvement and responsibility instead of the sky is falling video games are going to destroy us all approach. Surely, this is a sign of the apocalypse.
@ Keith K
polititicans can make sence HOLY CRAP its the apocalypse
MGS3 Flashbacks..
Twin-Skies: if he's trying to get work done on the important stuff but crazy parents keep jamming up his phone lines with video game complaints, then reassuring everyone that there are measures in place is the most effective way to get back to whatever he was doing. This has all the feel of "oh geez, running out of time in office, better drop the pretense and get some real stuff done before the election" to me - which could be good or bad depending on how you view it.
Well Senator, at last someone is making sense. The parents are ultimately at blame here, followed by game retailers. The ESRB provides lots of useful information.
I challenge parents to take one more step: read about the games. There are many review sites that have comprehensive reviews of these games as well as screen shots and game play footage.
You know what would be crazy? If the parents rented the game first and played it themselves.
did anyone watch the news report?! at the end of the report the news woman said, suprisingly, the average age of a gamer is actually 33. then her news partner said wow that is suprising. factual information regarding video games in a news report? my head just exploded
There was also a brochure to go along with this. It is a standard tips and info brochure but with a message from Sen. Coffee:

http://www.esrb.org/about/news/downloads/ESRB_Coffee_brochure_2007.pdf
Oh, so all those letters finally got to him did they? Figures the minute he gets a new desk jockey he starts seeing some of the facts. -_-
Good to see a politician who embrace technology instead of fighting it. Maybe Yee and the like would have some other things to say after a conversation with Coffee. Let's hope they both talk about the issue.

But sadly, some will never understand, peoples like Jack "Annoying and you're not" Thompson.
funny the woman in the video said, "This may surprise you, the average age of a gamer is 33 years old." that should be helpful since alot of people think the average age of a gamer is eight years old.
Glad to see that some politico's aren't hidebound enough that they can't change their path.

And, to be quite fair, the guy seems to have the gist of it. Parents take care, stores follow the rating guidelines...

Alarmingly, common sense seems to have broken out. This is a disturbing trend...
Clap your hands and stop your feet praise the lord someone is getting the beat!
One of us! One of us!
Emulating Sense, Really Bribed.
[...] Note: To be fair, Pennsylvania, New York, Texas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Utah, Iowa, Rhode Island, Idaho, and South Carolina,  have all shown some support for the current ESRB standard and “urge parents to be responsible and check game ratings”. It’s good to know there are some sane states left. [...]

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