PTC Gets Behind "Truth in Video Game Ratings" Legislation
PTC Gets Behind "Truth in Video Game Ratings" Legislation
February 27, 2007
Watchdog group the Parents Television Council has taken an active role in video game issues of late.Earlier this month GamePolitics reported on the PTC's support of video game legislation proposed in the Indiana State Senate. Last week we noted PTC's joint participation with the Campaign for a Commercial-free Childhood in an effort to ban ads for M- and AO-rated games from appearing on buses and trains owned by Denver's mass-transit system.
The PTC has also weighed in on the Truth in Video Game Ratings Act, a bill re-introduced recently by conservative Senator - and 2008 presidential aspirant - Sam Brownback (R-KS).
Of the legislation, a press release attributed to PTC president Tim Winters says:
The (PTC) sides with Senator Brownback on this issue. There is a clear conflict of interest that arises when a video game’s producers and distributors submit segments of their choice to the (ESRB) for review...
Video game distributors should no longer be able to skew ratings in their favor by concealing the material they do not want reviewed...
The PTC applauds Senator Brownback for adding language... to commission a... study to evaluate the current video game rating system, look into instating an independent rating system... and consider the application of a universal ratings system...
The full text of the Brownback bill, S.568, can be seen here. The measure has been referred to the Senate's Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
A PUBLICATION OF THE ECA
SUBSCRIBE
LOGINGamePolitics ShoutBox
Posted 11/23/09 at 07:56am
DarkSaber: http://tinyurl.com/yl2vfw6 Here's the link, good for conspiracy theories.
DarkSaber: http://tinyurl.com/yl2vfw6 Here's the link, good for conspiracy theories.
Posted 11/23/09 at 07:42am
JDKJ: Leaders never follow. Followers never lead.
JDKJ: Leaders never follow. Followers never lead.
Posted 11/23/09 at 06:48am
DarkSaber: Anyone been following this Hadley Climatic Research Centre server hack story?
DarkSaber: Anyone been following this Hadley Climatic Research Centre server hack story?
Posted 11/22/09 at 11:48pm
ZippyDSMlee: AE:they feeding you well? I am enjoying win7 and heading to bed...uhg I need to get up early and start back to cleaning/painting blahg >< need tog et stuff done befor thanksgiving....
ZippyDSMlee: AE:they feeding you well? I am enjoying win7 and heading to bed...uhg I need to get up early and start back to cleaning/painting blahg >< need tog et stuff done befor thanksgiving....
Posted 11/22/09 at 11:41pm
Andrew Eisen: Just got home from an eight hour recording session at Capitol Records. A lot of fun but damn exhausting.
Andrew Eisen: Just got home from an eight hour recording session at Capitol Records. A lot of fun but damn exhausting.
Posted 11/22/09 at 08:44pm
BearDogg-X: 10 N. O. Who Dat?
BearDogg-X: 10 N. O. Who Dat?
Posted 11/22/09 at 09:45am
ZippyDSMlee: JD:I think doc phill is still sout about the break up with his wife he dose not fill holes as much as make them bigger these day
ZippyDSMlee: JD:I think doc phill is still sout about the break up with his wife he dose not fill holes as much as make them bigger these day
Posted 11/22/09 at 12:06am
JDKJ: You should get Phil McCraken to help you spackle those banisters.
JDKJ: You should get Phil McCraken to help you spackle those banisters.
Posted 11/21/09 at 11:57pm
ZippyDSMlee: Oh in the pirate hunter article I need my song ieda heckled DS,JD,Beemon sic im !!!
ZippyDSMlee: Oh in the pirate hunter article I need my song ieda heckled DS,JD,Beemon sic im !!!
Posted 11/21/09 at 11:56pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:no I am tried from prepping the banisters for painting , worked on them from 12 to 4 and 6 to 8...after I got back from the store...got up early got ready...blah...been up all day..I need a nap...
ZippyDSMlee: JD:no I am tried from prepping the banisters for painting , worked on them from 12 to 4 and 6 to 8...after I got back from the store...got up early got ready...blah...been up all day..I need a nap...
Posted 11/21/09 at 11:42pm
JDKJ: No. You gonna stay up late tonight soldering?
JDKJ: No. You gonna stay up late tonight soldering?
Posted 11/21/09 at 11:41pm
ZippyDSMlee: JDKJ:Don't you mean Mctite?
ZippyDSMlee: JDKJ:Don't you mean Mctite?
Posted 11/21/09 at 11:33pm
JDKJ: @Zip: Neil, Bob, and Lik McTaint. The McTaint brothers. LOL!!!
JDKJ: @Zip: Neil, Bob, and Lik McTaint. The McTaint brothers. LOL!!!
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:44pm
Flamespeak: I still think military personell, killing other military personell, on a military complex should be handled by military courts.
Flamespeak: I still think military personell, killing other military personell, on a military complex should be handled by military courts.
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:43pm
Flamespeak: I could see this a mixture of the two charges rather than just one or the other.
Flamespeak: I could see this a mixture of the two charges rather than just one or the other.
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:43pm
Flamespeak: I think this was mainly a person who snapped, but evidence is showing he definitely had strong inlinations to islamic-extremism.
Flamespeak: I think this was mainly a person who snapped, but evidence is showing he definitely had strong inlinations to islamic-extremism.
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:41pm
Flamespeak: People are trying to claim that Hasan's actions were not terrorism. I don't jump on the 'terror train' like others, however
Flamespeak: People are trying to claim that Hasan's actions were not terrorism. I don't jump on the 'terror train' like others, however
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:38pm
mentor07825: Britain certainly does deserve it! And the French! God damn it, it was a hand ball!!!
mentor07825: Britain certainly does deserve it! And the French! God damn it, it was a hand ball!!!
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:34pm
ZippyDSMlee: mentor07825:Well Brittan dose deserve it....
ZippyDSMlee: mentor07825:Well Brittan dose deserve it....
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:33pm
ZippyDSMlee: Alyric:I don;t hasliburton having to pay back billoins... don;t you love it when the rich roll over the goverment without a care?
ZippyDSMlee: Alyric:I don;t hasliburton having to pay back billoins... don;t you love it when the rich roll over the goverment without a care?
Copyright © 2007 ECA. All rights reserved.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
"I think it’s a good thing that the PTC is putting the blame on game developers for hiding the material, rather than putting the blame on the ESRB for not rating the games well enough."
That's the next step. First you assert that game companies hide stuff. Then you blame the ESRB for not finding it, even though they have severe penalties for hidden stuff discovered after release, even if it's accidental.
Color me not suprised. Good to know, though, GP. Keep your enemies closer and all that.
But I would have been shocked to find out the the King Kooks at the PTC didn't support this POS legislature. In fact, I am sort-of gald about it, because most reasonable parents that I know laugh at the PTC.
Now of course, I don't mean what the PTC is saying is right, after all, not all game developers hide their content.
I don't think that will fly.
This pile of crap bill will be struck down as unconstitutional.
The PTC should find something else better to do with their time and energy.
I should also point out that Brownback was(I don't know if that moron still is) a member of the PTC's so-called "celebrity advisory panel"(so is/was Lieberman).
I believe this is what you were after?
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/10/01
In other words, try to establish a federally managed organization to take over the whole process. Then we'll get FCC-style knee-jerk behavior.
Penny Arcade hit the the proverbial nail on the head with this issue. For those of you who missed the comic about it (it's fairly recent), you'll have to find it yourself. My kingdom for the ability to use HTML again.
Well, the paranoia-levels at the PTC have (yet) again shown themselves to be at a full 100%!
Which by itself isn't anything new.
It makes no sense, but this country has a major problem with the topic of human sexuality. Unfortunately, the problem won't likely be corrected anytime soon.
They same that the game rating system is flawed by using videos rather than playing the game, and yet fail to realise that this MUST also mean that the game lawmaking procedure is also flawed for precisely the same reason, since these laws only ever have accompanying video, they never ask people to play the actual game.
Hippocrisy much?
Although, yeah, they have a point. I mean, look at Nintendo. They stuff their games full of sex and then don't mention it to the ESRB. Like, umm...Super Smash Bros, oh yeah, a LOT of sexual content in that. Yoshi-on-Pikachu action; I was scarred for life.
Oh, the Sims games, oh my god. It promotes prostitution! And there was a lot more violence in Pikmin that you didn't see! It was like it was made by R*!
I'm not soo sure if we should be surprised with this incident - it feels like a lof of this legislation is crawling out of the woodwork now that the 2008 presidential race is starting up.
It would suit them perfectly, since Spore has evolution, and according to people who think like the PTC, evolution is a farce
Yes, there is the 2nd clause, but would that REALLY change the rating if it doesn't blow out of proportion later? "We were going to add a minigame that gives a brief sexual scene, but we decided against it and have not even programed in the naked skins yet so there is no nudity."
So yea, one game, one problem, and the law does nothing to actually address it. (Unless you think you would put an AO rating on the game for 'Fully clothed, accessible only by intentional hacking' program...)
Because at the time television was the big "evil" that our children need to be "protected" from. Now they appear to have expanded their scope to the next big "evil," video games.
Also, video games are commonly played on televisions. That may be one of their ways to justify it. =)
1.GTA: SA
2.???????????
3.?????????????
4.????????????????
5.?????????????????
Profit
1. biased to the point that if they began publishing articles in "credible" newspapers, they'd immediately turn them into tabloids
2. apparent attempt at making the esrb look like they are only shown certain parts of a game when in fact they are specifically required to show the most gruesome and violent parts
3. They claim developers are trying to skew the footage for certain ratings (come on now, really)
4. They are applauding a obviously unconstitutional bill.