Let's Talk About Sex
A few more Congressmen make remarks. Rep. Lee Terry (R-Nebraska) has the floor now. He explains he's the father of three young boys, ages 11, 8 and 6, and he's concerned about the accuracy of the ratings system. He also believes that violent games are more dangerous than violent movies because children are taking part in the violence with video games. This is a point that I myself have pondered in previous musings.
Rep. Marsha Blackburn, (R-Tennessee) grabs the microphone and begins by turning the focus to sexual content in games. But rather than talk about games, she mentions first the number of children and teens being exploited by sexual predators via the Internet. What this has to do with games is beyond me.
BLACKBURN: "We've got a whole generation facing the threat that parents have never had to deal with before and a generation of kids being desensitized by abhorrent sexual behavior. I think we would be remised not to begin discussing how video game content is contributing to this problem."
The infamous "Hot Coffee" mini-game
Rep. Blackburn challenges the ESRB to show that no M-rated video game has explicit sexual content. She also wants to know if the ESRB will rate freeware on the Internet (huh?). And finally, Rep. Blackburn says she wants the ESRB to comment on religious overtones a factor in ratings.
"I bring this up because of the recent MPAA rating of PG on a film solely because of a religious reference aspect, putting this issue on par with violence, nudity, and foul language."
Agenda alert! Agenda alert! We've got a Bible Belt rant on the secular crusade against Christian values coming at twelve o'clock! Battle stations! Rep. Blackburn, I believe, is referring to "Facing the Giants," a Christian-themed football movie that received a PG rating recently for "mature themes and sport-related violence," not its religious overtones. And just to clarify, this has absolutely nothing to do with video games and the issue at hand, and yes, your tax dollars are slowly but surely being wasted.
Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pennsylvania), who's also a psychologist, begins his remarks by hocking his book, "The Angry Child," on children who display violent and aggressive behavior. He then states children who play interactive video games "have an increased tendency to act aggressively" and a "decreased tendency to use calmer and more thoughtful approaches. His basic point is that media that children are exposed to affects their behavior.
Murphy goes on to say he doesn't advocate a "nanny state" where the government is legislating intelligence or common sense. He does, however, believe that the Subcommittee and the gaming industry need raise awareness of the issue and educate parents about games.
