My piece on why the video game ratings system needs an overhaul elicited only a few e-mails, but what they lacked in quantity they more then made up for in quality.

Here s one from a fellow gaming father:

My son is seven, and just as big of a gamer as I am. In fact, it's a major hobby that we've shared for years. He probably knows the ESRB ratings better than I do. He's known what "T for Teen" has meant since he was about four. And he can tell you which games are rated "M for Mature" quicker than I can. Does this make me a bad parent because I can't recite the ESRB ratings in chronological order? Not in the least.

Because, much like the author of the Why Game Ratings Need Fixing editorial, I can tell you exactly which games he can't play, and specifically why. So my question isn't do game ratings need to be fixed, but do they really matter at all? I'm not saying they aren't a nice reference for parents out there who aren't all that interested in actually playing themselves. Heck, even I give a glance every once in a while if I'm not sure about the content.

My point is, you've got people out there like Joe Lieberman rambling on about how we need to protect our kids from the gratuitous violence of GTA and Halo, so in turn the government feels the gaming industry should slap a few big black letters on game boxes. But are they effective? Not really. Problem fixed? Not even close. Grab a seat on the next school bus you see and ask the kids to recount their latest GTA or Halo stories. I doubt the rest of your commute will be in silence. So, what do I say to parents who are screaming their heads off for a better ratings system? Get involved. Do your homework. See, there's this thing called the internet. They have information there on pretty much every game you can think of. Try it out sometime.

My son has never laid eyes on GTA. He probably won't until he's at least a teenager, at least not in my home. But we play Halo pretty often. "Blood" that looks like raspberry jam splattered on the floor doesn't really affect his mindset all that much. He hasn't expressed any interest in buying a shotgun. My friend and his boys come over and we have a great time together. I think a lot of parents should try that sometime too.

Just my two cents.

keep it real
Chris

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