ESRB Finds Increased Parental Responsibility

[*NormalGamer*]

wii.ign.com/articles/785/785877p1.html

ESRB Finds Increased Parental Responsibility
A study finds that game ratings work.

by Micah Seff

May 4, 2007 - A recent ESRB-commissioned study has found that parents have been becoming increasingly more restrictive over the games their children play. According to the study's findings, 60% of parents with underage children "never" allow them to play M-rated games. Another 34% of parents only allow this "sometimes." The study, which surveyed over 500 parents who had recently purchased a computer or video game and have children age 3 to 17, also found that parents with children under the age of 13 are twice as likely as those with children under 13 to "never" allow the playing of M-rated games.

"Awareness and use of the ratings is clearly continuing to rise to considerably high levels, still showing steady growth from where they were just a few years ago," said Jay Campbell of Peter D. Hart Research Associates, the firm that conducted the study. "What is quite telling is that the number of parents who say they 'never' allow their children to play M-rated games rose as those who 'sometimes' do declined. This suggests that parents are becoming more assertive in using the ratings to set and enforce restrictions with respect to the games they allow their children to play."

The study resulted in many other findings as well. According to the results, nearly 90% of parents with videogame-ravenous children know about the ESRB ratings. Furthermore, 73% of parents reported checking the ESRB rating whenever deciding to rent or buy a game for their children.

"It's extremely encouraging that the vast majority of parents are involved and informed when it comes to choosing which games are appropriate for their families," said ESRB president Patricia Vance. "The ratings continue to be a very important, if not the most important tool to help parents make an informed decision, and it's clear that parents are using and relying on them in growing numbers."

*NG*: I'm impressed. Jack Thompson should definitely take notice.

[Setzer]

Personally I think consoles should have an average rate of what their games are rated by ESRB...

from what I know, The PS3 / 360 has many more violent M games then the nintendo Wii (no offenses)

Parents should take slightly more notice on what consoles their children are playing. If you think 360... Gears of war... If you think the nintendo wii... zelda and paper mario... which do you prefer your 8 year old kid playing?

[*NormalGamer*]

perfectdark said:

from what I know, The PS3 / 360 has many more violent M games then the nintendo Wii (no offenses)

That's true, but that will change, now that games like Scarface: TWIY, Manhunt 2, and No More Heroes are coming to the Wii. And like you said, parents just simply have to be in charge in what their children (who are under 8) are playing until they're old and mature enough to make their own decisions of what games they want to buy without parental supervision.

[Jason-RN]

I'm glad that parents are finally starting to keep an eye on what their kids are playing. Hopefully this will help shut up Jack Thompson.

[benwayshouse]

So, a five year old is more likely to have played a mature game than someone my age? Huh.. I don't get that bit of the argument (but maybe the families they surveyed with younger children didn't quite play video games yet), but this is a step in the right direction to make Jack Thompson stfu for life.

[Pilgrim John]

The one thing I've learned about guys like J. Thompson is that they stick around for an annoyingly long time. Even though this is a bit of good news, think it over: they only interviewed about 500 families. He's going to point that out, and then say that who's to say that the ESRB didn't just select "certain" families (Certain, as in "specifically just those who don't allow their kids to play M-rated games"). Trust me on this one, J. Thompson is an eye-watering fart that won't pass anytime soon.

[gamefreaks365]

I trust what the industry says in press releases about as much as Jack Thompson. Okay, maybe he's a little worse, but it's naive to trust a source with a clear motive. Do you think the ESRB is going to release a study that says the ratings don't work?

[Waffle Monger]

OMG! You know the VT Massacre? ...if you don't you live under a rock (unless you aren't in America).
Anyways, J.T. tried to pin the blame on video games... he failed... hahahaha

Anyways, I believe that video games help unleash frustrations more than create them. You have to be messed up in the first place to commit such an act of violence and then pray that video games would take the blame. I think that most of the problems come with bad parenting, and then other variables are thrown in there, but video games are only a mere scapegoat.

[Pilgrim John]

Cho Seng-Hui was on drugs as well--but not anything like pot or cocaine. He was on behavioral modification drugs, starting with Ritalin when he was very young. I think that was a pretty big factor. (My cousin is on those drugs too, but they don't help him, they just make him worse than he was originally.)
If I remember correctly, he was also ranting about how much he hated rich kids and debauchery. His family was always poor, and his drug-addled mind gave birth to a perverse hatred of people who were successful financially. VTU had multiple professors and students who were pretty "loose" in the sexual activity area, not to mention several books and classes that bombarded this confused Korean kid with sexual exploitation. (Seriously, what was he to think?) So those are two other factors as well.
All in all, the factors to Cho Seung-Hui's case were

• taking too many behavioral modification drugs
  
• his hatred for rich people
  
• constant bombardment of sexual activities that are deemed "immoral" in many polite circles
  

The last two of course, were brought about because of the BM medication. I've seen that kind of thing before (My cousin): they give him one medicine to make him more dopey so he can sit still. (Because teachers just want to make their jobs easier.) But then they prescribe MORE medications to counter the side effects of the first medication, and then more drugs to counter the side effects of the second drugs, and so on. Pretty soon, the kid becomes a confused mess, and enter: Cho Seung-Hui.
Video games had nothing to do with that massacre. Jack Thompson isn't an "ambulence-chaser" anymore, he is a "massacre chaser." He tried to blame the Columbine massacre on Doom, but the real factors included things like parental neglect--which like the "drug factory" scene mentioned above, leads to depression and anger. Though he claims to be a conservative Christian, there's nothing about his Crusade that remotely resembles those titles. If he's a conservative, and a Christian, why does he blame inanimate objects for the sins people commit? I don't hear Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter saying anything bad about video games and how much of a "blight" they are on society.
Eh, sorry for ranting. Just felt like I needed that off my chest.

[gamefreaks365]

What does Virginia Tech have to do with this study? All I said was Jack Thompson. lol I posted the Fox News interview that Thompson gave on my site's news. It was disgusting how he exploited the murder of those people to put his name out there and bash video games. I'm not going to take a position either way as to if games can lead to violent behavior. That's something for scientific study, not personal belief. I just think you should take a study like this with a grain of salt. In other news, the tobacco industry released a study revealing smoking improves health. More at 11.

[Waffle Monger]

Dammit! I tried to by Splinter-Cell at FYE today. The guy wouldn't let me buy it even though I had a 19-year-old companion with me. T_T

[Pilgrim John]

graymatter said:

Dammit! I tried to by Splinter-Cell at FYE today. The guy wouldn't let me buy it even though I had a 19-year-old companion with me. T_T

And who do we have to blame?
"THE ESRB!!" says Jack.

[Waffle Monger]

zer0 said:

graymatter said:

Dammit! I tried to by Splinter-Cell at FYE today. The guy wouldn't let me buy it even though I had a 19-year-old companion with me. T_T

And who do we have to blame?
"THE ESRB!!" says Jack.

Hell, I even sold GTA III to that same store. I think the ESRB screws things up for me too much.