News article on announcement:
http://news.com.com/2100-1043_3-5975913.html
Sen. Clinton's statement today:
http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=249368&&;
"I have developed legislation that will empower parents by making sure
their kids can’t walk into a store and buy a video game that has
graphic, violent and pornographic content"
Background:
http://news.com.com/2010-1071_3-5741217.html
House vote in July for FTC investigation into Grand Theft Auto:
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll419.xml
-Declan
---
Statement from Douglas Lowenstein, president
Entertainment Software Association
"We share Senator Clinton’s commitment to effective enforcement of the
Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) ratings by retailers, and we
appreciate the fact that she has sought to draft a more thoughtful
proposal in this area than most others. However, we strongly oppose the
bill. We believe the combination of trustworthy ESRB ratings, parental
education, voluntary retail enforcement of ESRB ratings, and, most
recently, the major announcement that all next generation video game
consoles will include parental control systems, makes Senator Clinton's
bill unnecessary. There is now a continuum of tools from the store to
the home enabling parents to take charge of the video games their kids
play. It is now up to them to do their jobs as they see fit, not up to
government to do it for them.
"While we are gratified that the Senator holds the ESRB in such high
regard that her bill would give these ratings the force of law, the
courts have made clear that giving a private party governmental powers
is unconstitutional. Beyond that, the bill clearly infringes the
constitutionally protected creative rights of the video game industry.
Thus, if enacted, the bill will be struck down as have similar bills
passed in several states. So while this bill is positioned as a
pro-family measure, in truth it will leave parents no better off.
"It’s important to remember that just as there are books, movies, and
magazines for consumers of all ages, so there is also a variety of video
games for a diverse game-playing community, which is why parental
involvement in the purchase or rental of games is so important.
Thankfully, this is already happening. According to the Federal Trade
Commission’s own statistics, parents are involved in the purchase and
rental of games over 80 percent of the time. Knowing this, the answer
is not more government regulation but concrete, meaningful actions that
would really help parents make the right choices for their families.
"It is worth noting that on the same day David Walsh from the National
Institute on Media and the Family called for overhauling the ESRB’s
video game rating system, two Senators called for a bill that would
enshrine that same rating system into federal law, showing that they
think the ESRB rating system is credible, trustworthy, and helpful.
"We will continue our dialogue with Senator Clinton in the hope that we
can join together to work on initiatives to raise parental awareness and
use of the ESRB ratings Senator Clinton so respects. In so doing, we
believe we can really help parents keep inappropriate video games from
children in a way that’s legal, sensible, and most importantly, effective."
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