The steep decline in sales of M-rated games to underage buyers reported this morning by the Federal Trade Commission is a clear victory for the video game industry on both the political and public relations fronts.
Taking a victory lap is the organization responsible for operating the video game industry's rating system, the ESRB. Via press release, ESRB president Patricia Vance commented on today's FTC report:
Video game retailers have clearly stepped up their efforts to enforce their store policies, and they deserve recognition for these outstanding results. We commend and applaud retailers for their strong support of the ESRB ratings, and will continue working with them to help ensure that these levels of compliance are sustained if not further increased.
The ESA, representing US video game publishers, declined to comment, referring us instead to the ESRB.
Bo Andersen, president of the Entertainment Merchants Association, a trade group representing a number of video game retailers, also weighed in. For retailers, the report is a mixed bag. They scored superb numbers on game rating enforcement, but were criticized by the FTC for sales of R-rated and unrated DVDs to underage buyers. Andersen said:
Retailers don’t want children to be able to purchase or rent video games and DVDs that their parents do not want them to have. As a result, they have made real and significant investments in enforcing the voluntary video game and motion picture ratings in their stores. The FTC’s latest ‘undercover shopper’ survey demonstrates that these investments are producing strong results... While we are pleased with the progress that has been made in ratings enforcement, retailers still are not where they want to be as an industry.
On the consumer side, Hal Halpin, president of the Entertainment Consumers Association, remarked:
This is an extraordinary accomplishment from the nation's leading interactive entertainment retailers, as it clearly shows their increased commitment of keeping mature-rated games out of children's hands. Perhaps most impressive is the incredible reversal in their failure rate over such a short period of time and with a comparatively new rating system.
This is truly a vindication for video game merchants who have been falsely damned by anti-game advocates and special interest groups, who now don’t have a leg to stand on.
GamePolitics also offered several high-profile game industry critics and watchdog groups an opportunity to comment. So far we've not heard back from the Parents Television Council, the National Institute on Media & the Family or California State Sen. Leland Yee. There was one critic we did hear from, though...
Despite the eye-popping retail enforcement numbers, anti-game activist Jack Thompson refused to give credit to the video game industry. Instead, he credited... Jack Thompson:
I'm more than happy to take credit for the improvement. The threat of legislation has improved performance, not some altruism on the part of the Strauss Zelnick's [or] the industry. To America's parents: Jack Thompson is delighted to have helped.
Of course, Thompson would have been all over the FTC numbers had they been unfavorable to the video game industry. Classy, Jack...
UPDATE: Dr. David Walsh of the National Institute on Media & the Family has now weighed in. NIMF claims a bit of the credit as well:
The results of the [FTC's] latest undercover survey are good news for retailers and the [ESRB], but most of all for parents... With its consistent pressure on the video game industry, [NIMF] played a significant role in improving ratings enforcement and education. Similar to our... Video Game Report Cards, the FTC survey shows that specialty retailers, such as GameStop, continue to lead in enforcement and the rental companies need to step up their efforts...
Full Disclosure Dept: The ECA is the parent company of GamePolitics…
Comments
--Jack Thompson's poop is considered currency in Argentina.
--Jack Thompson once scissor-kicked Angela Lansbury.
--Jack Thompson once punched a hole in a cow just to see who was coming up the road.
--Jack Thompson did all the makeup on the Planet of the Apes movies.
--Jack Thompson orchestrated the merger between UNICEF and Smith & Wesson.
--Gene Roddenberry got the idea for Star Trek by listening to Jack Thompson talk in his sleep.
--Jack Thompson named the group Sha Na Na. They did not want to be called that.
--Jack Thompson grew a third arm and kept it in a vault.
--Jack Thompson went public with his own buttocks and made $7 million.
--Jack Thompson once hosted the Grammys and gave every award to Corey Hart.
--Jack Thompson directed that commercial where the women play basketball in high heels.
--All the 'Yes' album covers are Thompson family photos.
--Jack Thompson framed Roger Rabbit.
--Jack Thompson was in a production of, "The King & I." On opening night, Thompson chloroformed the entire cast and slowly ate them in front of the audience for two hours. The production got pretty good reviews.
Even though it's improved enforcement of a system you have called a fraud and a sham?
OOOOO....BURN!
After claiming for years and years that only legislation would make any difference.
You know what I would like to see?
These stats vs the stats for things like how often kids can buy a rated R movie or get into a movie rated R in the theater. I was just at Best Buy, where I saw a child purchase South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (the movie). What the hell is that about? Kid couldn't have been more than twelve. Maybe people need to sue the MPAA, legislate movies a little, hmmm?
You need bleach and a wire brush. Scrub until you bleed. If you're not bleeding, you're not clean.
But hey, credit where credit is due, and that means none for Jack.
Why doesn't he understand that he isn't part of the solution. He hasn't even made changes locally and he is trying to claim changes nationally? His delusions of granduer are only dwarfed by his the size of his...
EPIC FAIL.
anyway, that's pretty fu(king low, even for him.
"Ha, I did it, it was ME. ALL ME AND NO ONE ELSE ME. HAIL TO ME AND MY SMARTNESS!"
Mr. Thompson, you did NOTHING. You passed unconstitutional laws and T2 is willing to let their agreement with you slide just for the sake of seeing you squirm like the insignificant bug you are.
Methinks Dennis had site problems.
Yah, the entire site was down for a bit. I wonder if the comments are gone for good? Oh well.
I love how Jack takes a mile when he's earned an inch, though. Classic.
It astounds me how full of shit you are.
...I SEE WUT U DID THAR AWESOME JACK GREAT JOB.
The ESRB and ECA should be holding their heads high.
It is the ESRB and the Game Retailers that should be congratulated.
Those anti-gamers, politicians and family groups are just a big waste of time.
It was the ESRB and the Game Retailers that did all the hard work, don't try to take creddit for other people's work.
All their pressure did some good after all which is great since their pressure didn't lead to something drastic (like ESRB re-rating manhunt 2 Ao which i think was what the PTC was trying to accomplish).
岩「…I can see why Hasselbeck's worried about fake guns killing fake people. afterall, she's a fake journalist on a fake news channel」
Jack Thompson also was a pharoah in ancient Egypt. Prior to his ascent to the Egyptian throne, however, traveled to an alternate dimension, slew his alternate self, and had the duplicate's organs surgically added to his body as spares. This is why they could then be removed and placed in canopic jars when he was entombed in the pyramids.
Rockstar, I would be delighted to take 50% of the profits from the sales of GTA4 due to my enormous contributions to the production & sale. Hell, I'll do you a good deal and only take 50% of the PS3 version's profits, sure its a pretty hefty cut from the combined revenue but I think it represents the extent of my contribution
i would hardly call legislation a "threat" when it gets shot down every time for the same reasons.
well, seeing as he considers sardonicism as a threat unless he dishes it out (his "suicide game" suggestion vs. someone's clearly sardonic email inquiring on what gun to use in a school shooting*), I'm not surprised in the least.
* see http://gamepolitics.com/2007/04/23/teen-arrested-for-making-va-tech-copy...
岩「…I can see why Hasselbeck's worried about fake guns killing fake people. afterall, she's a fake journalist on a fake news channel」
Damnit Jack, you gave me a nosebleed.
岩「…I can see why Hasselbeck's worried about fake guns killing fake people. afterall, she's a fake journalist on a fake news channel」
Sorry, I keep getting the two mixed up. It seems like whenever I see symptoms of one, it turns out to be the other, and viseversa.
He is always our undoing! when ever anything goes wrong Jack Thompson is there. Last night i stubbed my toe. and HE was there. taking CREDIT for it. I think I'm going to have to renounce my evil computer game making ways.
Sure, they did all the hard work. Do you know WHY they did the hard work? Because guys like Thompson were nipping at their heels. Otherwise, they wouldn't have bothered. If you guys had bothered to seriously consider it for even a good five seconds, you would realize that until Jack started his rampage a few years ago, game companies did not particularly care about restricting the sales of M-rated games to minors - in fact, the trend was toward breaking the "kiddy" image of videogames and making more hardcore games to appeal to the masses, children included.
*Throws rock*
*Thompson gets hit with rock*
Stop taking credit from other people.
We'll call it...
JACK THOMPSON FACTS!!!
looks like watchdog group grades aren't very accurate after all, and instead just serve their own purposes. who would have guessed that?
I'd agree that the actions of Senators and the pressure of the FTC ratings urged the industry to work harder on their system? But Thompson? No, he was all noise and was, and still is, ignored by the Industry in general, most of them don't want anything to do with him and basically ignore him, that's why all your Jack Thompson News comes from one source only. Jack Thompson.
I would say that once, many years ago, Thompson had some influence, but certainly in the last 5, he's been outside the room shouting into it, NIMF doesn't talk to him, the industry ignores him, due to his habit of lying through his teeth about them, only the PTC or Fox talk to him, one organisation which has already paid millions for slander, and another that has a court ruling on its side saying it can deliberately lie to it viewers. They are the only contacts Thompson can make these days.
So once, yes, he was relevant, now he's a fish out of water, fighting for his job and totally without any grip on reason whatsoever.
Give me URL and I get to be moderator.