Texas Attorney General Climbs On Board ESRB Train

Texas Attorney General Climbs On Board ESRB Train

December 20, 2007
When we last looked in on Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, he was busy suing the Games Radar site for alleged violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

Abbott's latest foray into the video game arena is far more congenial, however. The Texas Republican has joined an ever-growing list of elected officials who are endorsing the ESRB's content rating system. In an ESRB press release issued yesterday, Abbott is quoted:
Parents must play an active, informed role in their children’s lives, and choosing video games is no different. ESRB ratings are an effective and informative resource that allows parents to evaluate whether video game content is appropriate for their child...

Working together, public officials and the industry can help provide parents with the tools they need to choose suitable video games for their children and families.

Abbott also appears in an ESRB-produced public service announcement (PSA). As GP has noted before, that's a sweet deal for politicians who don't mind publicly aligning themselves with the video game industry. The ESRB pays for production of the spot and TV stations air it at no cost because it's a PSA.

The bottom line? Free face time with the voters.

Comments

Ya know, as intelligent as it appears with all the government officials jumping on the PSA boxcar, it still reminds me of the cough drop commercial with the politician and the guy in the back coughing everytime the politician says something.

After all, how quick will some of these AGs jump at proposed Anti-video game legislation when it suits their political career needs?

Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
As I remember, just months ago some Texas polichicken was proposing a 100% sales tax on things like soda, video games and potato chips.
@kurisu7885
Now that's just ridiculous. Now, watch one of the politicians on this PSA filp flop faster than... well, a politician.
@kurisu7885
that "politician" was Star Locke, and he didn't win his bid for Gov.
Thank god for that, that guy what a fucking nutjob.
Glad to see another politicians join the ranks. I understand his concern on the Gmaes Radar thing and am glad that he has taken this move.

@ Kurisu

A 100% tax on anything would not go well with any one. It never would have passed.
While the pessimist in me might say that this is just a chance for a politician to look good in front of a camera, the optimist says that this looks like a good way for the ESA and ESRB to get friends in high places. If politicians openly endorse video game ratings, then to me that could also equate to politicians LEARNING about the political swirl around video games, video gamess legislation, and the video game industry as a whole. I'd like to think that instead of just "posing for the camera", the politicians that take part in these commercials are sincere and have or are taking active steps to learn about the issues at hand, what the ESRB and the ESA are doing to try and help parents and the game consumers, and how ridiculous some of the statements made by some game critics...

*COUGH*JACKTHOMPSON*COUGH*

...are.

Ideally, I envision that eventually, when state or national congresses get together to try and bash games and put legislation on them, that these informed individuals who helped promote the ESA will bring counter-arguments to the table without the ESA having to fight tooth and nail to prove congress wrong.

Here's hoping!

~Otaku-Man
Does he look like Preznit Bush to you too?
@ Kurisu

I remember that guy - he was a fundamentalist Christian, and what he proposed was essentially a "sin tax". He didn't make it very far, as he was only running for office.

Frankly, I think the guy (not this guy, the other one we're discussing) kinda looked like Fred Phelps.
Glad to see another backer of the ESRB for political gain or no.
It's odd, but I get a Max Headroom kind of feeling from that picture....
Damn, hit send too soon....

On a more serious note though, it IS good to see more Politicians backing a parents right to choose.

EZK: You're not spam this time :)
Best site for Your!!!
origami honeymoon
[...] 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. [...]

GamePolitics ShoutBox

Posted 07/04/09 at 11:08pm
Andrew Eisen: LGJ - Not that I'm aware of. The Twitter feed was someone else's live blog of the debate.
Posted 07/04/09 at 11:04pm
Leet Gamer Jargon: @AE: Wait, wait, wait: JT has a Twitter account?! Are you serious?
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)
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 ;)
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!
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.
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'...
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:55pm
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
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:55pm
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.
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.
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.
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
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
Posted 07/04/09 at 05:50pm
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.
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.)
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.
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
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