Washington, DC – Congressman Joe Baca (D-California) today criticized the video game ratings system as confusing and inaccurate.  He vowed to hold the video game industry accountable and called for improvements in the ratings system.

 

Rep. Baca, a founder and co-chair of the Congressional Sex and Violence in the Media Caucus, has been a leading critic of the video game industry for improperly marketing violent and sexually explicit material to children.  He has also raised repeated objections to the ratings provided by the Entertainment Software Review Board, a self-governing body created by the industry.

 

Noting that parents seek guidance in evaluating video games, Rep. Baca said, “Parents want clear, accurate information that they can understand.  They need to know what is actually in a video game in order to make informed, responsible decisions about what is appropriate for their children.”  Yet several academic studies, as well as anecdotal reports, have called into question the accuracy and effectiveness of these ratings.

 

“For more than five years I have been hearing from parents who are not only disturbed by video game content but also confused by and frustrated with the video game ratings system.  Having examined some of the ratings and descriptions of several video games, I can understand their frustrations.  The ratings system needs to be fixed,” said Rep. Baca.

 

Rep. Baca was joined at a press conference today by Professor Kim Thompson, Director of the Kids Risk Project at the Harvard School of Public Health, and the author of multiple independent, quantitative studies that characterize content in video games related to violence, blood, sexual themes, substances, profanity, and gambling observed in game play, and the accuracy of information provided by ratings.  Professor Thompson shared the results of a new study, whose findings bolster Rep. Baca’s criticism of video game ratings

 

Her most recent study (published this month by the American Medical Association in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine) found that 81% of M-rated video games contained sex, profanity, violence, and/or the depiction of substances that was not labeled on the game box.  A previous study of T-rated games found the nearly half of the games in a random sample contained unlabeled content.  And perhaps most disturbingly, her study of E-rated games -- those the industry designates as appropriate for “Everyone” – indicates that even the youngest children are playing video games with considerable violent content.

 

“Violent and sexually explicit video games are not merely a modern form of entertainment; they have profoundly harmful impacts on children who use them.  Because the consequences are so serious, we must make sure parents have accurate information about video games,” said Rep. Baca.

 

“Therefore, I have written a letter along with Rep. Tom Osborne (R-Nebraska) – my co-chair of the Sex and Violence in the Media Caucus – and Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Virginia) to the ESRB, inviting its leaders to meet with us and calling on them to fix the ratings system,” announced Rep. Baca.

 

Today’s action continues Congressman Baca’s leadership on this issue.  He has previously called on the Federal Trade Commission to examine the ratings system, including introducing H.R. 1145, the SAFE Rating Act.  In addition, Rep. Baca together with Rep. Wolf met with the FTC Commissioner Deborah Majoras Platt to raise their concerns.  The FTC recently announced it will perform an investigation of video game ratings.

 

Rep. Baca commented, “I am pleased that the FTC is taking this action.  I expect its findings to be consistent with what parents have previously reported and with what Professor Thompson’s research has documented:  ESRB’s rating of video games is inaccurate and confusing.”

 

According to Professor Thompson, “Parents need to appreciate that video games may expose children and adolescents to a wide range of content that is not consistently labeled and consequently may surprise them.”

 

Dr. Elizabeth Carll, Chair of the Interactive Media Committee and former president of the Media Psychology Division of the American Psychological Association (APA) also spoke at the press conference, explaining the unique characteristics of video games and interactive media and how exposure to violent content in interactive media differs from exposure as a passive viewer of TV and movies.

 

Dr. Carll stated, "Research shows that exposure to violent video games increases children's aggressive thoughts and behavior and feelings of hostility".