WASHINGTON (BP)–Congressmen from both political parties have partnered to sponsor legislation designed to prevent children from purchasing or renting adult video games.
Reps. Jim Matheson, D.-Utah, and Lee Terry, R.-Neb., announced May 7 the introduction of the Video Game Ratings Enforcement Act, H.R. 5990. The bill would require retailers to check the identification of customers seeking to buy or rent games rated M for “mature” or AO for “adult only.” Games rated M have content that may be suitable only for those at least 17 years old, while AO games include material that is appropriate only for those 18 or older, according to an industry ratings board.
The measure does not bar parents from renting or purchasing M- or AO-rated games for their children, but it mandates stores display explanations of the rating system to help parents in purchasing or renting video games. Retail violators could receive a civil penalty of as much as $5,000.
The congressional action came at the close of a record-setting sales week for a controversial new game, “Grand Theft Auto IV.” The game, which was released April 29, broke all-time sales records for a first week and first day. Worldwide sales for the first week were six million copies at a retail value of more than $500 million, according to FOX Business. The game’s opening day was 3.6 million copies sold for a value of about $310 million, FOX reported.
“Grand Theft Auto IV,” which is rated M, has received heavy criticism from pro-family and other organizations. The graphic and realistic game enables the video gamer, playing the role of the main character, to kill policemen and gang members, have sex with prostitutes, visit strip clubs, steal cars, get drunk and run over pedestrians.
The “Grand Theft Auto” franchise may be the most popular video game series for young teenage boys. “If you let your child play this game, you’re a bad parent,” said one of the game’s writers, Lazlow Jones, according to The Washington Post,
“Games like ‘Grand Theft Auto IV’ appeal to the lowest common denominator …,” said Parents Television Council President Tim Winter in commending Matheson and Terry. “Video game ratings supposedly exist to protect children from material that is created for adults, but there is no consequence for irresponsible retailers who repeatedly sell these games to children.”
Matheson said in a written release he knows he, as a parent, is “the first line of defense against my kids playing Mature-rated video games. But parents can’t be everywhere monitoring everything and some reasonable, common sense rules ought to be in place to back parents up.”
A Federal Trade Commission study in 2005 showed 42 percent of unsupervised 13 to 16 year olds were able to buy M-rated games at stores, according to Matheson’s office.
Video games rated M “may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language,” according to the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). Games rated AO “may include prolonged scenes of intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and nudity,” according to the board.
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Compiled by Baptist Press Washington bureau chief Tom Strode, with reporting by Michael Foust, assistant editor for Baptist Press.
