How the Game Industry Can Fight Back!
And why they should: 5 Years of GamerDad in a handy Nutshell
5 years makes you think. Today I’m thinking about Larry. GamerDad has had several roles, and one of them is to provide a moderate voice regarding the game industry. We speak the truth and parents trust us, the media trusts us, and gamers trust us. Come on inside to find out what GamerDad thinks the industry needs to do to better serve parents!
A while ago, a few years really, at the Game Developer’s Conference, a Lawyer named Larry Walters spoke about how the industry could better serve parents and itself against misinformation, legislation, and censorship. One passage stood out to me:
“One of the key ways to do this is … (for the game industry)… to work with parents instead of simply dismissing or even working against them, because this drives them into the arms of fringe elements… who then fill their heads with ridiculous claims which convince them that all video games are developed by the devil.”
It felt really good to read that.
Why?
Because I’ve been doing EXACTLY this for a long time now.
GamerDad was born, 5 years ago, with this very proposition in mind. We saw how the mainstream media covered gaming and we saw an industry that seemed to have no idea how to counter the rampant misinformation out there.
Since then, I’ve watched as brilliant minds like Patricia Vance (President of the Entertainment Software Ratings Board ﾖESRB) and Doug Lowenstein (former President of the ESA) struggle with Senators and other lawmakers, trying to make a case in favor of the industry but never, seemingly, able to challenge the assumptions themselves.
A great example is the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas “Hot Coffee” debacle. It was a terrible situation where Rockstar Game’s development team developed a simple “sex game” (probably as an immature joke) and then “broke” it from the game and failed to remove it. Enterprising hackers managed to hook it back up (with considerable effort) and boom we have silly looking “porn” in a game that’s actually much less offensive than the R-rated Team America: World Police’s famous marionette sex scene. The ESRB absolutely should have been angry, and the rating was quickly changed to Adult’s Only. The problem was they never countered the assertion that this was:
A: Malicious.
B: Not Obscene
So people like me, and all other gamers, had to deal with reporters, family members, etc., who STILL to this DAY think that Rockstar tried to sneak pornography on purpose into a game. Forget that it was a game that was rated like an R-rated movie. Forget that the ESRB descriptors warned about “sexual content” the industry damaging assumption still exists today because nothing was done to stop it.
So, needless to say, I agree with Mr. Walters. How much do I agree? Well, he took the words right out of my mouth!
Here are some examples of when I’ve made this very recommendation:
…(O)thers don’t trust the ESRB ratings because they considered vague and arbitrary. (GamerDad’s view remains that the ESRB largely does a good job.) A lot of the reason for these fallacies is that the industry doesn’t defend itself well. They duck when sniped at, you might say. That needs to stop.
-GamerDad Signal: The ERC’s “Commitment to Parents” 6/22/06
* (T)his is a good industry, but the media often misportrays the game industry as irresponsible. A pro-active approach is necessary. Parents need better information than newspapers and “pundits who aren’t gamers themselves” can provide…
“It’s a scary Internet out there, but the industry isn’t as bad as people think it is. The industry needs to do a better job defending itself. We try to give people the truth, and let them decide,” he says..”
So, Game Industry! Know this. I’ve got your back. I understand you better than any other Child/Media Expert out there. I speak the truth and the truth is, this is a wonderful industry devoted to entertaining children and adults. We have nothing to be ashamed of, but parents need your our help. Join me! Spread the word. Now is the time of the GamerParent.
July 9th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Yep – the game industry has no one to blame but themselves for not handling this mess … and they failed to pull you in to help them early enough!
July 9th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Not entirely relevant but still has some relevance.
The main problem with the ESRB rating system is the jump from T to M.
The 4 year jump is a bit too large and the lack of a rating in between creates quite a few “fence games” (Halo series, Call of Duty 4, The Orange Box ect) that don’t think comfortably in either rating. This can make the content level of certain games unclear (look at the difference between Halo 3 and Manhunt) and makes the rating system a little vague. A 15 rating would sort out all those problems.
Anyway, I agree. One of the big problems is the completely useless ESA.
July 9th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
The 15+ Rating would make sense only if the M or AO was a true ‘R’ like rating and things that got it were understood to be adult focused games like GTA, etc.
July 9th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
The ESA has wandered afield hasn’t it….
Agreed on the 15+ rating. I said as much when they announced the – also needed – E10 rating.
July 9th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Mike, raising the M rating to 18+ and getting read of the pointless AO rating would solve that problem.
July 10th, 2008 at 5:29 am
Wasn’t Doug Lowenstein president of the ESA?
July 10th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Yes, slip of the keyboard there. Fixed