The statistics, which came to light as a result of a written answer to a question by a Parliament member in the House of Commons yesterday, indicate that only four games in the past five years have been refused BBFC classification. All four instance occurred in 2007, and Rockstar's Manhunt 2 for the Wii, PS2, PC, and PSP could very well account for all four. and those were all reviewed and granted classification the next year.

In contrast, thirteen films have been refused since 2005. TIGA CEO Dr Richard Wilson finds this data very telling.

"There have been hardly any instances of the BBFC refusing classification for video games. In fact, during the past five years, there have only been four games deemed unfit or unsuitable for classification, as opposed to 13 films – more than three times the amount of games. It is important that these facts are placed in the public domain as they clearly counter some of the unfair stereotypes about video games."

Of course, for a more accurate idea of the film versus movie ratings ratio we'd have to know how many movies versus games passed through the BBFC ratings procedures during the reported years, but the data we have is good enough for a forum argument.

This comes in the wake of a school shooting earlier this year. The mass media drummed up links between that shooting and counter strike.

The game trashing group used a swastika in its logo, equating that with the image of a CD/DVD.

So how'd the game toss go? By the looks of the above clip, not so well. The footage is from early afternoon — perhaps all the "killer game" trashers showed up in the evening?

Thanks Rafael for the tip!

While the arguments for and against the ban of violent video games are familiar, they are set against a more violent state of affairs than is seen in the U.S., Europe and Asia.

From the AP report:

[Venezuelan president Hugo] Chavez's government stopped releasing complete annual murder figures in 2005 amid rising concerns. But last year, the Justice Ministry said homicides averaged 152 a week, or roughly 7,900 for the year. That's more than five times the murder rate in Texas, which has roughly the same population as Venezuela.

As manager of the [Internet] cafe in San Augustin, Jenny Rangel struggles with a moral dilemma as she stands beneath a "Scarface" movie poster and watches the virtual shoot-'em-up. Like many of her neighbors, Rangel rushes home at nightfall before gunshots begin echoing through the barrio.

"The message for them is that you must shoot and kill," Rangel said.

Opponents say that the government's efforts to ban violent games may shutter some Internet cafes but it won't curtail the playing of violent games nor have any effect on the country's crime rate.

Venezuela to outlaw violent video games, toys [AP, via Detroit News]

Breanna Lucci, the 19-year-old president of the private high school's Animal Rights Club started a petition against seeing her brother shooting at dogs in the game. So far more than 100 of Lucci's classmates have signed the petition, which she hopes to forward to Activision, who will do absolutely nothing about it.

"Killing dogs as a form of entertainment ... over and over again. That's one o the objects of the game," says Lucci, 19, a senior at NDA. "Parents need to know what they are buying their kids. Killing animals should not be a form of entertainment."

One of the objects in the game? I suppose she could mean objectives, and she'd still be wrong. Killing the dogs is but one aspect of a much larger objective: staying alive.

See, running down the street shooting dogs willy-nilly is bad. You don't pump them full of bullets for rolling over and wagging their tails. You give them hugs, and call them Mr. Snugglewuffkins, despite what their actual names might be. I think we can all get behind this idea.

Dogs trained to tear out your throat, on the other hand, you shoot. You shoot them quickly, and should they roll over on their backs and wag their little stumpy tails, you shoot them more, because that's a trap. They don't want belly rubs; they want to taste your innards.

Call me a monster or an extremist, but I think it's perfectly fine to teach our children to defend themselves from wild animals that want to eat them.

I think the best part of the original story is the lede:

Breanna Lucci knows her two Pomeranians — Fluffy and Winnie the Pooh — would not last two seconds in "Call of Duty: World at War," the immensely popular video game in which the animated gore piles high.

No, her two dogs wouldn't survive two seconds. They'd be ripped apart by the virtual dogs she is trying to defend, possibly because they're named "Fluffy" and "Winnie the Pooh".

Incidentally, I think the Germans would have been a lot less sinister had they deployed squads of attack Pomeranians. "Kleine Hunde angreifen!"

NDA students protest video game's depiction of cruelty to animals [Lowell Sun via Game Politics]

The study, conducted jointly by Brad Bushman of the University of Michigan and Elly Konijn of VU University Amsterdam, had 310 Dutch schoolchildren aged 7-17 read fictitious game descriptions, rating how much they would want to play each title. The results were the same across the board - the more objectionable the content, the more kids wanted to have it. Girls, boys, younger and older, all of them wanted to play the games they shouldn't be playing.

This surprises no one. Previous studies have shown the same phenomenon in regards to television and movie ratings. Children want what they cannot have. Hell, everybody wants what they cannot have. You put restrictions on anything and people will start wondering what they're missing out on. It's called forbidden-fruit, and it's been around since the dawn of time. For those of you more biblically inclined, think Adam and Eve, who threw away paradise because God had a thing for apples.

So why conduct a study where the conclusion is pretty much foregone? Well getting published in the official U.S. journal of pediatrics is nothing to sneeze at, and perhaps, as the study authors suggest, this will make policy-makers rethink classification systems that only make violent games more desirable to children. For a moment, at least, until they realize the only alternative to ratings that accurately warn of violence, gore, and sexual situations is to lie, and we all know that lying to children is a parent's job.

Video game violence warnings make kids more likely to want to play, study says [Chicago Tribune]
Age and Violent-Content Labels Make Video Games Forbidden Fruits for Youth [Pediatrics]

Citing research studies that show a link between violent video games and child aggression, Baca believes that the Consumer Product Safety Commission needs to institute a rule that all games rated T or higher be labeled with the following: "WARNING: Excessive exposure to violent video games and other violent media has been linked to aggressive behavior.”

“We must hold the video game industry accountable and do everything in our power to ensure parents are aware of the detrimental effects that violent games can have before making decisions on which games are appropriate for their children to play,” concluded Rep. Baca. “I am proud to introduce the Video Game Health Labeling Act of 2009, and am hopeful my legislation can work to stop the growing influence of violent media on America’s children and youth.”

Hey, I'm all for it, if Baca can come up with solid, irrefutable scientific proof that this is indeed the case. We've seen countless research reports arguing both sides of the subject; let's nail down something definitive before we start uglying up our game store shelves. I've a feeling this won't go anywhere and Joe Baca will go back to Kashyyyk.

Rep. Baca Introduces Legislation to Make Violent Video Games Sold With Health Warning Label [Press Release via The Escapist]

I was up in Liverpool for a week a couple of weeks ago and even on the news there it's every single night... People say it's through violent video games and I guess that's got something to do with it. If kids are sitting up all night smoking super skunk [cannabis] and they come so desensitised to crime because they're playing these video games, it's really, really scary.

Wouldn't these kids not having jobs or getting an education have more to do with it?

Oasis star wants action on knives [BBC via Binge Gamer]

A popular video game for the Xbox 360 is getting a sequel this year - and it seems to be raising eyebrows with its level of gore and detail... The game certainly attracted attention for its realistic visuals and battle scenes, but caused some pause when game designers showed off a new attack players can use in the game.

The game presents the player with a number of projectile weapons, but also features a chainsaw for melee attacks. In the demo, the player can use the chainsaw to cut a person in half, starting at the groin and moving upwards. Also, players can pick up the corpses of fallen enemies and use them as a "meat shield" to protect themself from enemy fire as they engage in battle from behind the corpse.

Meh. This is nothing compared to the mainstream media shit storm Resident Evil 5 will cause.
Players Can Use Corpses As "Meat Shields" [AZ Family via Game Politics]

Nonprofit advocacy group the Parents' Television Council takes their position on enforcement beyond just demanding legal consequences for retailers who sell M-rated games to kids under the age of 17. The council wants games like GTA IV locked up behind store counters, like cigarettes, tobacco and porn.

Gavin McKiernan, national grassroots director for the council, has never played a GTA game and does not dispute the right of mature adults to have access to it.

"The PTC thinks that there's room in our society for adult products, be they video games, movies, magazines, guns, whatever you want," he said. "But scientific research has shown and common sense tells you also that until [as children] we reach a certain stage, your mind and body are still growing and things have a different effect on you than they do as an adult and you don't have the perspectives to make the best decision."

"I know I was a blithering idiot when I was 16, and most people were," he said.

McKiernan believes that violent media actually causes harm to young people, pointing to studies from the University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, Michigan State University, and the University of Oklahoma Medical School, among others, that appear to demonstrate a correlation between exposure to violent games and "aggressive" brain activity in adolescents.

"All of these correlations are the basis for preventative medicine... and the need for preventative steps to be taken, and the medical community accepts that on the whole," he said. "The potential for harm has been proven over and over again."

Video games like GTA IV are evaluated by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board and assigned a rating that indicates the age group for which it is - or isn't - appropriate. And these games are intended for adults, not kids. The Entertainment Software Association's data finds that the average video game player is age 35, and the average video game purchaser is 40 years old.

"If you go into your Wal Mart, the guns are not marketed at eye level to children," McKiernan says. "They are not promoted widely and broadly as something everyone should be heading over to the gun aisle to pick up... But the stores are not treating these games as adult products."

And the ESRB's voluntary regulations are not enough, he said. "Parents can punish their kids for drinking when they're 15, but we still have laws to keep alcohol out of kids hands to help the parents because they can't be everywhere at every time."

"Specifically with GTA, there is no legal ramification for selling this game to children," McKiernan said. "We ask that stores not promote it to the wider audience, to children, and that it be treated like any other adult product, like an adult magazine, that is kept behind counters and not at the sight line and within reach."

Dan Hewitt, the Entertainment Software Association's senior director of communications, said that the laws the Council hopes for have been found unconstitutional over and over again, at every instance.

Nonetheless, McKiernan is frustrated that the ESRB advocates a responsible use of its rating system without lobbying for adoption of these laws, and he feels industry groups like the Entertainment Software Association should be on the front lines of this battle. "It seems hypocritical, from our viewpoint," he said. "These rules should become law and that would increase the enforcement of them... voluntary things tend to meet with varying levels of success."

"An unconstitutional law that repeatedly gets thrown out by the courts is not an effective way to empower parents," said the association's Hewitt, who still feels the most effective regulatory methods involve a collaboration between parents and family advocacy groups to inform themselves, such as the efforts made through ongoing partnership between the Parent-Teacher Association and the ESRB.

"And it's setting up a parameter by which games are being treated differently than other First Amendment-protected material. Treating games differently than books, magazines and movies goes against the First Amendment. You can't codify the ratings system; you can't give it the rule of law, because then you're giving the power of government away to a private entity."

So according to Hewitt, information and communication is still the best way to protect kids from material inappropriate for their age level. "Really robust actions that drive the messages out there, that put tools and information into parents' hands are great ways to educate, empower and ensure that the games kids are playing are the right ones... the activities that we're talking about don't waste taxpayer money, don't waste state resources, and don't waste legislators' time," he said.

Thanks Ryan for the tip!

The world of Grand Theft Auto does contain violence and misogyny; but then, so does The Godfather, or Goodfellas. So, for that matter, does The Iliad.

It's exactly the same sentiment we've seen time and time again, honestly, and while I doubt it will have much impact on the bone-headed, brainwashed parents who read it, it is nice to see it in a major news outlet. Alderman uses Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (which she calls GTA 3) as an example in the article extensively.

Johnson is trying to clean up his neighbourhood. But as a dispossessed, orphaned young black man, he has no option but to re-form his neighbourhood gang to do so. The makers of this game, like the makers of any movie about gangland, can stand squarely behind the art they have created and say: this represents reality. If it offends you, don't criticise the art, but take action to improve the world around you.

Naomi's most effective point in the whole piece comes towards the end of the article, when she strays from the violent and tries to introduce parents to the more whimsical side of gaming.

Don't worry. The gaming world isn't filled only with violence and depravity. In fact, it's mostly enchanting. If you haven't already spent a little time online playing with the sweetly soothing Samorost game, or Eyemaze's whimsical Grow series, or Foon's delightful Hapland, I urge you to do so now. And then share them with your children.

If we deny children access to all computer games, we deprive them of a rich and magical experience [The Guardian - Thanks Everyone!]

More and more, [David Edison of GayGamer.net] sees a split between two extremes. "I see popular thought divided starkly between those who play, enjoy or appreciate interactive media and those whose feelings fall somewhere along the lines of 'I hate videogames,' 'Videogames are for kids' and 'There is no redeeming value to be found in gaming.' If you take the latter group, you hear two contradictory beliefs: that videogames are a children's medium, and that videogames are too violent and explicit for children. Just those two conflicting biases alone would be enough, I think, for a person unfamiliar with videogames to throw up their hands and be done with the subject until someone more invested works it all out."

There are some nice thoughts on the subject from a reasonably diverse (gaming) crowd, and it's worth reading if you have the time.

The Myth of the Media Myth [The Escapist]

However, someone sitting at a computer playing a video game, or someone with one of those small devices that young people have these days, the name of which I forget— [Interruption.] PlayStations or PSPs, something of that kind.

"Well, whatever they are called, when people play these things, they can interact. They can shoot people; they can kill people. As the honourable Gentleman said, they can rape women."

The gentleman he is referring to is the bill's author Julian Brazier, though being completely off-base when quoting someone else doesn't excuse you from being off-base in the first place. The man can barely remember what these horribly offensive rape-machines are. When you have to struggle to remember what you were talking about in the first place it's probably a good indicator that you should sit down and shut up.

Luckily for British gamers, the House isn't completely full of uninformed idiots. Conservative MP Edward Vaizey actually took the time to check this claim out with the BBFC.

"Is the honourable Gentleman aware of any video game that has as its intention the carrying out of rape or that allows the game player to carry out such an act? The BBFC and I are unaware of any such game."

"I cannot comment on the rape in games issue, but I can tell the House what Stefan Pakeerah's father said after Warren Leblanc had murdered his son. He said that "Manhunt" is a game using weapons like hammers and knives...The object of Manhunt is not just to go out and kill people. It's a point-scoring game where you increase your score depending on how violent the killing is. That explains why Stefan's murder was as horrific as it was."

Taken, and rebutted by Minister of State Margaret Hodge, who explained that not only was the game found to have played no part in the murder, it was the victim who owned the game and not the attacker.

Perhaps the real story here isn't that Mr. Vaz decided to claim erroneously that video games let you rape women, but rather the fact the the House of Commons debates had people present with enough sense to challenge the claim. Good show!

Pro Censorship MP Claims Games Glorify Nazis and Rape [SPOnG]

An investigation of violence in video games and the current rating system and its effectiveness is being carried out as we speak, the results of which will guide British Ministers in their reshaping of the guidelines. Some of the findings are expected to effect not only the access of adult games by children but also access to adult content on the web as well. A bill is also expected to come forth that would create a separate body of people to appeal the decisions of the BBFC and its ratings of DVDs and games. While this could potentially be a good thing, it also has a lot of room to be detrimental to sales and ratings of certain games and movies depending on the how conservative this "body" turns out to be. Once the UK system is overhauled, it will be interesting to see how long it takes before the rest of Europe follows suit.

Ministers plan clampdown on 'unsuitable' video games

Analysis: Huckabee up, Clinton down heading to Granite State [CNN via Game Politics]

Pick games that require the player to come up with strategies and make decisions in a game environment that is more complex than punch, steal, and kill.

Yeah, I couldn't keep up with the theme towards the end there, but you get the point. Yee decided that he would get himself a little more notice as a crusader against violent gaming by issuing a helpful press release warning all of the parents out there that their adorable little children want to play Manhunt 2 and will stop at nothing to try and get you to buy it for them.

One such violent video, Manhunt 2, is on many children's wish list. It was recently revealed that the game - which many have called the most violent video game ever produced - has accessible content designed for an Adults-Only (AO) rating. Despite the graphically violent scenes which were supposedly removed in order to receive the downgraded Mature (M) rating, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has refused to re-rate the game.

My personal favorite tip? "Avoid the "first person shooter" and "third person shooter" killing-machine games." Killing-machine games? Is this a genre I've never heard of before? Does it involve a thresher?

I think the point I am trying to make here is that we need a game where we kill people with a thresher. Happy Holidays.

Yee Urges Parents to Avoid Violent Video Games when Holiday Shopping for Kids
Monday, November 26, 2007

Ultra-Violent Video Games Top Many Holiday Shopping Lists

SACRAMENTO - Citing potential harmful effects on minors, child psychologist and Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo) today urged parents and grandparents to avoid violent video game purchases for their children this holiday season.

"Eighty-seven percent of children between 8 and 17 years of age play video or computer games and about 60 percent list their favorite games as rated M for Mature, which are games designed for adults," said Yee. "It is vitally important that parents and grandparents consider the content in video games before making holiday purchases. Regrettably, the rating system alone cannot be trusted, so parents should also carefully watch the content included in all their children's games."

One such violent video, Manhunt 2, is on many children's wish list. It was recently revealed that the game - which many have called the most violent video game ever produced - has accessible content designed for an Adults-Only (AO) rating. Despite the graphically violent scenes which were supposedly removed in order to receive the downgraded Mature (M) rating, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has refused to re-rate the game.

Manhunt 2 has been banned in England, and Target stores in the United States have refused to sell the game. The game is still readily available at Wal-Mart and other major retailers however.

Yee's 2005 law to prohibit the sale of extremely violent video games to minors in California is currently being litigated. A bill authored by Yee in 2004 which has gone into effect, requires video game retailers to post signs to inform consumers regarding the use of the video game rating system.

"Unfortunately, some parents don't realize that in many top selling games, the player actively participates in and is rewarded for violence, including killing police officers, maiming elderly persons, running over pedestrians, and torturing women and racial minorities," said Yee.

"These violent video games are learning tools for our children and can result in more aggressive behavior," said Randall Hagar of the California Psychiatric Association.

Parents and grandparents should consider the following before purchasing video games:

• Be aware of advertising and marketing to children. Advertising pressure contributes to impulse buying.

• Check the age ratings video game descriptors found on the box. Read other reviews, such as www.mediafamily.org, www commonsensemedia.org, and www.familymediaguide.com.

• Become familiar with the game.

• If there are violence and sexual themes in the title and cover picture, you can assume these themes are also in the game.

• Look for games involving multiple players to encourage group play.

• Pick games that require the player to come up with strategies and make decisions in a game environment that is more complex than punch, steal, and kill.

• Avoid the "first person shooter" and "third person shooter" killing-machine games.

• Discourage games that reward the player with more points or new scenes for anti-social and violent behavior.

For information on toy and product recalls, visit the United States Product Safety Commission website at www.cpsc.gov.

###

Then she wraps the whole thing up by suggesting that last week's Cleveland school shooting was prompted by violent games. "They're going to react in that same highly aroused, angry way and we saw what just happened yesterday..." Of course there was no link to video games involved in said shooting, but that's neither here nor there, is it?

The best part of the Game Politics article posted this morning is when they reveal Dr. Susan's area of expertise. What qualifies her to comment on video game violence and its effect on children? You dare to question the author of Dr. Susan's Girls-only Weight Loss Guide: The Easy, Fun Way to Look and Feel Good?

They've got the video of Dr. Susan's performance up over at Game Politics, complete with a brief cameo by our favorite lawyer. If these two ever team up it could lead to an extinction-level bullshit explosion.
Who is this Person & Why is She Saying These Awful Things About Halo 3 ??? [Game Politics]

"It is time for lawmakers to stop targeting video games and the retailers that sell them. They should recognize that all video games are rated, retailers are choosing to enforce the ratings in their stores, and the new PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 video game consoles and Vista computer operating system all allow parents to control the types of games that can be played on them. These voluntary steps, not government regulation, are true to the spirit of the American Constitution."

Oklahoma's Unconstitutional Game Law Permanently Enjoined [GameDaily BIZ - Thanks Lucious]

"We are never going to deal with crime unless we look at the broader context and say, 'Yes, tough laws, strong action on the police, but also action to strengthen our society'.

"And that includes, I think, video games and things like that where we do need to think of the context in which people are growing up."

So not only is he claiming that violent games are a cause of criminal activity, he wants to fix things by changing what children are exposed to at a young age in order to institute a societal change that will come to fruition once those children become adult members of society. Sounds like borderline brainwashing to me. I'm sure a very lovely little Utopian society could come of his plan once they ramp it up to include mandatory behavior altering medications and possibly brain implants. This is why Britain has the best science fiction.

Cameron proposes curbs on violent video games [Guardian Unlimited - Thanks Cocomo!]