Where Politics And Video Games Collide

[...] The effect of this letter has yet to be seen, but one ding in the armor of the ESRB may be enough. Considering a bill currently being revived in Congress, may pressure the ESRB to be far stricter in their reviewing process. This bill may be damaging to games with branching storylines, as forcing the rater to play through the game and seeing each and every possibility may be utterly impossible. This is especially true in more dynamic games or games with user-created content. The early warning of ratings may be vital for games on the tipping lines between ratings, as early warning can give them more time to effectively correct questionable areas. In an industry with fast stringent deadlines, the more time given the better. As well, anti-games activists such as Jack Thompson may use this as fodder in their campaigns. Much like the infamous Hot Coffee debate, this seems like one that is going to loom over the face of gaming for some time. As well, despite such friendly titles as “Table Tennis”, Rockstar finds itself in a bad place politically. Many censors now have their sights locked in on Rockstar, and are waiting for that one fowl-up that could potentially end the company. They are already in some pretty hot water due to financial problems, not helped by the delay of blockbuster title “Grand Theft Auto 4″. Still, Rockstar has proved cunning in the past, and likely will continue to be so in the future - while continuously pushing the boundaries of good taste and testing the system it finds itself in along the way. [...]