Satori

Recently someone sent me a survey as part of a school project. They wanted to know, what do I think of the videogame rating system and possible legislation to enforce it?

I'd never sat down to write out my thoughts on this topic, and it was a good exercise. So I figured, heck, why not post my answers and see what other people think?

Do you think video game censorship should be stricter?
No... rating systems and the marketplace have proven to be adequate measures for regulating the content of the movie industry; why should it be any different with games?

Do you think that video games are more violent now than they were in the last three years? Do you think that they should be toned down?
I shouldn’t be making those kinds of decisions... if I think a game is too violent, I should just choose not to play it. For example, I was not a fan of the violence in “Manhunt”, but I don’t think that I should be able to tell other people not to play it. That would be like me banning other people from seeing “Reservoir Dogs” or “Pulp Fiction”. No one should have the authority to make rules like that, as far as I am concerned.

Do you think the rating system that is already in place is a good thing, or does it limit the potential market for video game developers?
I think the current rating system (ESRB in the U.S.) is great, but I wonder if it couldn’t be made simpler to understand by merging it with the current movie rating system. It seems that awareness of the game rating system is only about 65% (if I remember correctly?), but I think everyone understands the movie rating system. Unifying the two seems like a great move – and while we’re at it, why not unify it with the TV rating system? We could add some game-specific descriptors for interactive content, but leave the broad categories (NC-17, R, PG-13, etc) the same.

Do you think that violence in video games influences children and young adults to engage in violent behavior?
If it did, wouldn’t we have many many more violent kids and young adults? And even older adults? Heck, I’ve been playing videogames of all types since I was a kid, and I’m 38 now. And I’m basically a pacifist! So no, I don’t think that violent videogames influence kids to engage in violent behavior. Honestly I think it is more likely that a movie would, especially given some of the incredibly graphic scenes of violence in movies these days.

I do think that it is possible that particular kids who are already prone to violence could be attracted to violent games, so there is probably some correlational data there. But it is hard for me to see how pushing a button on a controller equates to violence.

Do you believe the banning of selling M games to minors will help lower the crime rate?
I don’t believe it will have any impact at all. Hasn’t the violent crime rate gone down during the past decade, during the period in which violence in games has gone up? If there was any correlation between violence in games and violent behavior, it seems like violent crime would have gone up. But it hasn’t. So why would you consider banning the sales of M games to minors?

I think that games should be held to the same standards as movies. The movie rating system is a guideline, and if a parent wants to show their child a movie with an older rating, shouldn’t they be able to? The same goes for games. The ultimate control should be in the hands of the parents, until the kids are old enough to make choices for themselves. The move to place legal restrictions behind the game rating system is a move toward more government control of raising our kids as a society, and a sign of parents giving up personal responsibility for their kids. Does that really make sense for our society as a whole? I think the U.S. was founded on the concept of personal freedom, and I believe in this case that it clearly points away from making the sale of M-rated games to minors illegal.