AS we enter the holiday shopping season, the ESRB has apparently been working overtime to gain endorsements for its content rating system from state-level political heavyweights.
In recent days GamePolitics has reported that key elected officials in Mississippi, Missouri, Kansas and New Jersey have endorsed the ESRB ratings.
The latest to climb on board is Nebraska's Attorney General Jon Bruning (R). Yesterday, Bruning and the ESRB jointly launched a public service announcement which will air on local radio and TV. The campaign is designed to raise parental awareness of game ratings as parents begin their holiday shopping. Bruning, no doubt, is also expecting that the ads will raise parental awareness of Bruning.
In the spot, the A.G. is seen playing Xbox 360 game with his children. The game isn't shown, but we can safely assume it isn't GTA IV or Left 4 Dead. Bruning offers a comment in the accompanying press release:
Parents should be involved and take an active role in choosing games for their kids. The ESRB ratings are an effective tool every parent can use to pick video games that are age-appropriate and family-friendly. I use them when I buy games for my children. I hope Nebraskans will too.
GP: In addition to Bruning and others who signed onto the ESRB campaign recently, more than a dozen elected officials, primarily governors and A.G.s, are already on board.
As GamePolitics has pointed out before, the ESRB PSAs are a win-win for the game industry as well as for the political figures involved. The ESRB proactively gets its message out to parents. The political figures in turn are able to promote an image of helpfulness and concern. Production costs are on the game industry's dime, and, because they are public service announcements, radio and TV stations run the ads for free.
From a strategic perspective, this campaign has been little short of brilliant. Whoever thought of it deserves a raise.
Comments
Re: Nebraska Attorney General is Latest to Partner with ESRB on
I see one issue with these PA's.
Where are the PA's reminding parents to check the ratings on DVD's?
Where are the PA's reminding parents to check book jackets?
Where are the PA's reminding parents to evaluate the TV ratings?
While I applaud the effots to raise parental awareness of the ESRB ratings I still have concerns with the idea that a specific format of media is being targeted and treated differently.
It seems the AG's and gov's are deciding that video games are more dangerous that other media.
The different treatment still concerns me even though the format is encouraging.
Re: Nebraska Attorney General is Latest to Partner with ESRB on
1. Movies have been around much longer than games, people are in general more aware
2. where is the standardized book rating system to reccomend? this is generally a non-issue, anyway: kids barely read, the books they do read are the standard teen fare, and those who arent reading that are probably going to be mature enough to handle it anyway
3. i dont know, personally i see about 3 'v chip' ads per day
A specific format of media is being targeted and treated differently? do you prefer I watch The Office at the local cinema? Do you prefer I page through my videogames? media are different, and should be treated as such
Re: Nebraska Attorney General is Latest to Partner with ESRB on
To be completely honest. I don't feel media should be treated differently. That's not neutral treatment, its deciding one form of media is inherently more dangerous that another and I find that discriminatory and counter to first amendment law. But that's my personal opinion. I see your argument, jus tdisagree with it a little.
Re: Nebraska Attorney General is Latest to Partner with ESRB on
amazing how JT never posts in these threads where things are actually going the way he wants them to.
Re: Nebraska Attorney General is Latest to Partner with ESRB on
There's only one thing Jack's interested in: Annoying us. Whatever he can use as fuel, he snatches it up like he just found a big nugget of gold. Which is what makes him both pathetic and dispicable.
Re: Nebraska Attorney General is Latest to Partner with ESRB on
Actually this is going the opposite of what he wants. He wants the ESRB to fail and be charged with RICO (even though there is no way they can be charged with that), and politicians to ban many mature games and heavily regulate the others. He'll grumble about this and claim it is another conspiracy...
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James Fletcher, member of ECA Canada
Re: Nebraska Attorney General is Latest to Partner with ESRB on
Well, we all know what great parents they are in Nebraska.
Ago. Perceptum. Teneo.
Re: Nebraska Attorney General is Latest to Partner with ESRB on
All of these videos are the same thing. Not much is changed. At least tell the parents that M means mature and not "mild" or something.
Re: Nebraska Attorney General is Latest to Partner with ESRB on
yes, they are mostly the same. We chronicle them here at GP because, well, that's what we do...
Re: Nebraska Attorney General is Latest to Partner with ESRB on
Rated 'M', for 'Mostly Harmless'
Re: Nebraska Attorney General is Latest to Partner with ESRB on
It will be interesting to see what the world will be like in 5 years...
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Re: Nebraska Attorney General is Latest to Partner with ESRB on
Did you catch the subliminal Nintendo message in the video?
Brunig is playing the 360, but he says, "Wii always follow the ratings..."
Re: Nebraska Attorney General is Latest to Partner with ESRB on
Brilliant actually. Bring awareness to the parents, rather than fearmongering (much like some unreasonable idiots perfer to do). That is a great move and I welcome it.
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James Fletcher, member of ECA Canada