Alabama Attorney General Backs ESRB Ratings

July 21, 2009

Alabama Attorney General Troy King (R) has become the latest high-ranking state official to endorse the video game industry's content rating system.

In a press release issued yesterday, King announced a public service ad campaign designed to raise parental awareness of the ESRB rating system. The PSAs featuring King will air on radio and TV.

The A.G. commented on the campaign in yesterday's press release:

I know parents face tough decisions these days about the media they allow into their homes. There’s simply no substitute, though, for parental involvement and responsibility, and it’s important that parents play an active role in choosing games for their children. ESRB ratings are an effective and informative resource that allows parents to decide if the video game their child wants is appropriate, and rating summaries provide even more insight into exactly what a parent would want to know about in a game. I’m proud to be educating parents in our state about the tools at their disposal.

As GamePolitics has noted in the past, such campaigns are a sweet deal for the politicians involved. The ESRB picks up the cost of production for the spots and elected officials get a chance to show voters that they are concerned about children.

Readers can see King's PSA (as well as those made by other political figures) at the ESRB website.

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Comments

Re: Alabama Attorney General Backs ESRB Ratings

Submitted by Bigman-K on Tue, 07/21/2009 - 13:09.

Politicans getting behind the ESRB rating system to help parents decide what games are or aren't appropriate for their kids i'm cool with (even if i find the ESRB rating system to be extremely strict, i mean how is Halo M). Politicans trying to ban, censor or restrict access to games through unconstitutional laws is what i despise.

"No law means no law" - Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black on the First Amendment

Re: Alabama Attorney General Backs ESRB Ratings

Submitted by jedidethfreak on Tue, 07/21/2009 - 12:10.

I don't understand why more legislators in the US haven't gotten behind the ESRB.

---

Freedom of speech means the freedom to say ANYTHING, so long as it is the truth. This does not exclude anything that might hurt someone's feelings.

--- With the first link, the chain is forged.

Re: Alabama Attorney General Backs ESRB Ratings

Submitted by magic_taco on Tue, 07/21/2009 - 10:01.

Nice to see another(If not the 3rd or 4th i've seen) state is getting it when it comes to issues involving video games,ESRB and parenting.

Something useful for Alabama's your tax dollars.

Magic Taco

Re: Alabama Attorney General Backs ESRB Ratings

Submitted by Morte on Tue, 07/21/2009 - 14:20.

You mean FINALLY something usefull for our tax dollars.

Seriously though, nice to see the people we've put into office seem to get it. Hopefully we as a state will continue to elect people with open minds rather than the "Good Ol' Boys" and religious extremists of yesteryear.

Re: Alabama Attorney General Backs ESRB Ratings

Submitted by Adamas Draconis on Tue, 07/21/2009 - 17:20.

Good luck on that one Morte, seen WAY too much 'Bama politics to not be cynical about it.

Hunting the shadows of the troubled dreams.

Re: Alabama Attorney General Backs ESRB Ratings

Submitted by Hitodama on Tue, 07/21/2009 - 23:17.

A new generation is rising. Soon, we will enter into a new age.

Re: Alabama Attorney General Backs ESRB Ratings

Submitted by Adamas Draconis on Tue, 07/21/2009 - 23:25.

I hope for it. I work for it. But you are talking about a state that needs a constitutional amendment for a town to adjust (up or down) local taxes (I notice no such requirement for state taxes).

Hunting the shadows of the troubled dreams.

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NyuRena: You nailed it James! Yikes..06/18/2013 - 1:56pm

james_fudge: With MS willing to share with the government, an always listening device should give everyone pause.06/18/2013 - 1:37pm

james_fudge: you can't turn off the Microphone on the Kinect and it has to be plugged in. It's not rocket science.06/18/2013 - 1:35pm

E. Zachary Knight: The Humble Bundle Guys just don't like me having money in my pocket do they? https://www.humblebundle.com/06/18/2013 - 1:12pm

E. Zachary Knight: CMiner, I know that my Android camera is off unless I am using an application that turns it on. Same with the microphone.06/18/2013 - 12:38pm

CMiner: Can you turn off the camera on an iPhone? Like, -really- turn it off, not just change a setting that -tells- you the camera is off?06/18/2013 - 12:13pm

james_fudge: when they make it a requirement, yes they are06/18/2013 - 12:10pm

CMiner: I just don't think Microsoft bears any more (or less) responsibility for privacy with its Kinect camera than do the makers of laptops or smartphones with integrated cameras.06/18/2013 - 12:00pm

Imautobot: The ability to operate the console without the camera is key. It's a peripheral, not directly integrated into the console, and yet it behaves as if it is. Thankfully I don't have kids, and won't have an Xbone either.06/18/2013 - 11:49am

CMiner: Oh, I agree that the decision to make the kinect mandatory/always listening is terrible.06/18/2013 - 11:48am

E. Zachary Knight: CMiner, and the easier the provider makes to do such things, the better. The fact that the XBone will not even funtion without it plugged in and turned on in some fashion makes a world of difference from a PC Webcam.06/18/2013 - 11:38am

CMiner: It takes steps on the user's part to ensure 100% privacy (unplugging, uninstalling, putting tape over it, not putting it in the kid's rooms, etc)06/18/2013 - 11:29am

CMiner: My point is that no webcam producing company can guarantee that no one will ever ever ever be able to access video from that webcam without your knowledge and permission06/18/2013 - 11:28am

E. Zachary Knight: Of course at that point, you are still opening up yourself to Windows zero day vulnerabilities and back doors that they are happy to share with the government before Windows users.06/18/2013 - 11:26am

E. Zachary Knight: Cminer, I don't because I wipe the OS and reinstall something more secure, Linux. Even still, just wiping the OS and reinstalling Windows fresh removes all the bloatware PC companies install.06/18/2013 - 11:26am

E. Zachary Knight: I agree that the Kinect requirement of the XBone has my civil liberty senses tingling. Just another nail in the coffin for me.06/18/2013 - 11:25am

E. Zachary Knight: Honestly, I wouldn't put anything with an integrated camera in my kids' rooms. You are just asking for trouble. Of course, I am not a fan of having tvs/videogames/computers in kids rooms in general.06/18/2013 - 11:24am

CMiner: In the case of integrated webcams on laptops, do you have the same concern that people at Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc might be spying on you?06/18/2013 - 11:24am

E. Zachary Knight: I love awesome indie devs. Incredipede is free if you run linux! http://www.incredipede.com/linux.html Thanks @ColinNorthway You're the best.06/18/2013 - 11:23am

Imautobot: More creepy is that the Xbox Camera can see in the dark. Now we're in Buffalo Bill territory.06/18/2013 - 11:21am

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