ECA Fights Cigarette-Style Game Warning Label Bill
California Rep. Joe Baca, an obviously seasoned gamer (see picture), has proposed a bill that would force video games rated T (13+) or higher to sport an additional label warning potential customers and parents that violent video games have been linked to the crazies. Does it help if we mention that Baca made Esquire's list of Worst 10 Members of Congress?
The inaccurate and ignorant label that Baca would mandate reads:
WARNING: Excessive exposure to violent video games and other violent media has been linked to aggressive behavior.
The ECA has been quick to respond, and reminds us that just because an ignorant politician says a thing is so, that thing is not necessarily so:
Congress is simply misinformed on this issue. The vast majority of studies show that there is no proven causal link between violent media of any type and aggressive behavior. Several studies suggest that playing video games can be helpful to young people... Further, the bill requires the label even for games that are not rated T or above for violence, which could confuse parents and undermine the ESRB, which according to the FTC is the most enforced media retail system.HR 231 is an unconstitutional restraint on speech that will harm consumers and parents alike. Please join with the ECA, and let your representatives know that you want them to let the industry and parents continue with a system that works, and have Congress stay focused on the real problems facing our nation.
I'm more appalled that Baca's bill treats all games with a certain rating the same way, as if, to make a film analogy, the sex content of Henry & June was certain to impact a child exactly the same as the violent content of, say, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Any politician who made that suggestion would be laughed out of office - or not - but wouldn't it be nice if the same standards for "minimum allowable untruths" were applied to gaming media?
ECA Launches Fight Against Video Game Warning Label Bill [GamePolitics]
tiny dancer
Posted to Hot Stuff, Miscellany on 19 January 2009
· Comments (1)
Other stuff like this: eca, joe baca, video game legislation, warning label bill
I am actually a constituent of Congressman Baca. I may actually lobby the chief of staff or his field representative to make changes to the bill, because how its written it makes Singstar ABBA or Gran Turismo receive the warning on violent games, which makes the warning label silly.
Or better yet, he could scrap it to make a resolution about the video game rating system and have all the congress members put a pamphlet about video game ratings in the congressional newsletters they send.