Bo Andersen, President & CEO of the Entertainment Merchants Association today applauded the efforts of video game and DVD retailers in enforcing ratings systems and keeping adult material out of the hands of teenagers. Both groups did pretty well in the latest "undercover shop" by the Federal Trade Commission, which seeks to identify the level of ratings enforcement by leading video game, DVD, music retailers and movie theaters. Andersen said,
"[The] EMA is pleased with the leading performance of its members in enforcement of the video game ratings and the significant improvement in enforcement of the DVD ratings. The credit for these improvements goes to the individual retailers who have made ratings enforcement a part of their corporate culture, and in the case of video games, the ESRB and their ESRB Retail Council."
"These numbers demonstrate once again that industry self-regulation can and does work, and there is no need for punitive government regulation, such as the California video game law that EMA and the Entertainment Software Association are currently challenging in the U.S. Supreme Court."
Comments
Re: EMA Proud of Retailers for Video Game Ratings ...
I'd rather we convert the parents by letting them know it's not the end of the world if their kids are playing M-rated games than telling them that retailers will do their job for them. If we focus on debunking the junk science, we can convince the parents that their kids' interest in violent games and other entertainment is just a natural part of growing up. Over the last decade, people like Jack Thompson and Common Sense Media have worked hard at convincing people that they are bad parents if they let their kids play violent games, and we need to work at undoing that stigma.
And can we end the secret shopper surveys already? With all this talk about where to cut the budget, we can at least save some cash if we drop this and defund the FTC in general.
Re: EMA Proud of Retailers for Video Game Ratings ...
Too bad the s%(twanks won't listen to this because it means they are neither NEEDED nor WANTED!
Hunting the shadows of the troubled dreams.
Re: EMA Proud of Retailers for Video Game Ratings ...
But it strenthens our side, and encourages their supporters, the parents, over to us. They need realize that with industry regulation, they have more control over the content their children access, than with government regulation.
It's the parents we need to convert.