Senator Sam Brownback has always reminded me of that angry elderly person.
You know who I’m talking about, the one who rants and raves about “those darn video games” and “that evil rock and roll” every time some youngster engages in violent acts. After all, games such as Mortal Kombat and Grand Theft Auto are convenient scapegoats to which one may assess blame.
Similar to the case of the elderly man, I have serious doubts as to whether Brownback really understands video games or the video industry.
But lets come back to that in a second. What I have a real problem with is how a self-professed advocate of limited government, the family, and conservative principles wants the federal government to preside over parental choice in the realm of video games. “Papa Brownback” has a disturbing trend of trying to legislate family values via the federal government.
During July 2005, Brownback introduced a resolution calling on the Federal Trade Commission to conduct an investigation of Rockstar Games, the company that produces the ever so convenient scapegoat Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Some of you may remember this fiasco. Basically, a hacker discovered a hidden part of the game that allowed the main character to engage in virtual sexual intercourse. Sometimes when video games are produced, the programmers mess around with different ideas and forget to wipe them from the depths of the code. Therefore, they are not part of the actual game and are sometimes never discovered. In the case of GTA:SA, the hacker had to violate the end user liscense agreement (EULA) and intellectual property rights of Rockstar and Take Two Interactive to gain access to the content. Any normal user would have never been exposed to this material.
In light of the newly discovered content, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) launched an investigation and decided to rate GTA:SA “Adult Only” instead of “Mature.” This forced Rockstar to issue a new version of the game without the hidden content since most stores refuse to sell games with “AO” ratings. Sounds like they took control of the situation right?
Not according to Brownback. According to his press release:
“It would be inexcusable for any maker of video games to intentionally deceive the ratings board,” Brownback said. “Inserting pornographic content into any video game used by teenagers or even younger children is unacceptable, and pretending it got there by mistake is even more egregious.”
Nevermind the fact that millions of children can instantly access hardcore, graphic pornography via the internet. Lets attack Rockstar for this little mistake that probably didn’t harm anyone.
Of course, Brownback has been down this road before. During March 2006, Brownback chaired a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution. The goal was to discuss the effects of violent video games on our youth and the constitutionality of laws that regulate their sale. This was shortly after he joined his buddies Hillary Clinton and “Nintendo Joe” Lieberman in calling for a $90 million request in federal funds to study the effects of iPods and the internet on children. Perhaps they were just unaware of some of the existing work relative to this matter.
Since the ESRB apparently didn’t do enough to protect the innocent children from the evil programmers at Rockstar Games – who sought to corrupt them via hidden unfinished computer graphics that resembled sexual intercourse – Brownback sought to change the way they rate games. On September 26, 2006, Brownback introduced the Truth in Video Game Rating Act. This little gem would require the ESRB to play games in their entirety before assessing a rating. However, unlike Pac Man and Space Invaders, passing many of today’s video games requires hundreds of hours or more. In addition, it is most likely impossible for someone to play through games such as Final Fantasy XI, Everquest 2, and World of Warcraft. People spend thousands of hours (and good portions of their lives) completing small portions of the goals in those virtual worlds. Nevertheless, Brownback reintroduced the irrational bill this February.
According to a spokesman from the ESRB:
“Senator Brownback’s bill not only attempts to address problems that don’t exist, but his recommendations are unworkable and will not help consumers. For instance, how does one play a game in its ‘entirety’ when a game has no defined end?”
Now, back to the question of whether Brownback even understands video games or the video game industry. Brownback is a smart guy. After all, he understands the interests of big business and votes to keep them supplied with cheap immigrant labor – even though it clearly works against the interests of American workers. However, like most politicians who seem use video games as a way to look tough on social issues, Brownback shows an absolute disconnect from reality.
Consider the following facts, courtesy of the ESRB’s 2006 Sales, Demographics, and Usage Data booklet.
- 69% of American households play video games
- The average video gamer is 33 years old
- Only 31% of gamers are under 18In 2005, 25% of gamers were more than 50 years old.
- The average age of the most frequent purchaser is 40.
Wait, it only gets better.
- Parents are present 89% of the time games are purchased or rented.
- Children receive their parents’ permission 87% of the time before purchasing or renting a game.
- 35% of American parents say they play video games.
We need to ask ourselves the following question: “Why does Senator Brownback continue to waste federal funds and his own time with this ridiculous issue?”
When I approached the ESRB booth at CPAC and discussed this issue with them, they replied that it is a parents right to choose what video games their children play. The problem with Brownback is that alone doesn’t seem to be enough for him. It appears that he would rather enforce his own standards of morality on the ESRB’s rating system.
This country doesn’t need the previously mentioned elderly person who scapegoats video games as our next President, and it certainly doesn’t need “Papa Brownback” cutting parents out of the mix by enforcing his own standard of morality.
Brownback needs to start focusing on the real issues that we’re facing today instead of playing games.
Conservatives Against Brownback 
Leave it to the government to begin to take away all entertainment. We really are on the brink of a one world government. Everything from video games to cigarettes to mcdonalds.
Do you really find McDonald’s entertaining? Heh.
As for cigarettes, I couldn’t live without ’em.
Keep your hands of my smokes!
Oh sure, so I suppose it’s fine by you that kids can walk into Wal-Mart and for $10 buy pornography disguised as a video game!
And you guys call yourselves conservatives? Unbelievable! True Conservatives care about what happens to our children, for the children are our future. You want a bunch of sick, twisted, thugs running through the school hallways? You want more Columbines?
Disgusting.
Harry, harry, tsk tsk. Conservatives do not want the government to control and monitor behavior. Leave that to parents and family. I don’t know what your kids are doing, but children need to be supervised. If I had children, they certainly would not be allowed to just, walk in to wal-mart buying porn. With all your talk of government controlled behavior and the columbine argument, (let’s blame marilyn manson and black trench coats instead of the parents,) you sound like a liberal.
Well, pornography should only be purchased by adults 21 (or 18) and over. Do you, CAB, want alcohol to be available to teenagers? Should there be any restrictions at all? Is this LibertariansAgainstBrownback.com? LOL.
LOL?
Bob, what are you a 12 year old girl? haha. I love it when people (usually libs but not always) change the subject when they are losing. This issue isn’t about alcohol bobby boy, its about the government increasing his size and influence… never a good thing…
Harry, Wal-Mart does not sell pornography, and it certainly doesn’t carry video games with that level of material.
If you read the post, you’d see that in GTA: San Andreas, you had to take a lot of steps and actually hack the game to get access to an unfinished part that looked like porn (I’ve seen images of it and it was blocky and crudely designed).
The ESRB promptly changed the rating of GTA:SA when this problem arose, and Rockstar Games issued new copies without it. Problem solved.
Here’s the deal, there has been no conclusive evidence establishing a link between video games and actual violence in children. Many of the studies have been poorly done or show exactly the opposite. I know because I’ve read most of them myself. In fact, video games have been known to help improve the motor skills of young children – a rather good side-effect I must say. In addition, they are a way for parents to spend quality time with their children.
Brownback wastes taxpayer dollars and time on this frivilous issue, and it shows how little he really knows about the topic. However, it also shows that he likes to legislate his standard of morality on others and cut parents out of the picture. That is not conservative.
Parents are present 89% of the time their children purchase video games. In fact, the average video gamer is 33 years old. Brownback needs to move on and focus on something else – like representing the interests of Americans instead of big business on the immigration issue.
Kyle, please don’t call me “bobby.” I’m not a 12 year old girl. I don’t think that pornographic (and excessively violent) games should be sold to children. Is that a problem for you?
I have no problem with the average gamer (a 33 year old loser) buying video games. But I do have a problem with children having access to these materials.
Do you have children? I do, and I’d rather the local game store sell them inappropriate material, not trash.
And I’d appreciate it if you would can the condescending attitude. Thanks.
Perhaps you should be more concerned with whether or not your children will buy the inappropriate material – not whether the local store will sell them. Parents should be monitoring what goes on in the home, not a politician in Washington.
Perhaps you should be more concerned whether or not your children will buy dangerous illegal drugs like pot or meth – not whether the local store will sell them. Parents should be monitoring illegal drug use, not a politician in Washington.
video games cause no problems at all huh? let’s reconsider this for a moment and look at some real life cases of what has happened when some kids were playing video games.
In November 2002, an Ohio girl was beaten to death by a 15 yr old boy with a bed post from the victims bed. (Investigators later discovered that his favorite way to kill his victims in his video game, Grand Theft Auto was to use a baseball bat) The boy then stole a car as players do in the game. Witnesses say the murderer played the4 game for hours, in a zombie like trance when he played.
In Michigan in 2003, police in Oakland California arrested a group of young men, known as the “Nut Case” gang, for crimes that included dozens of carjackings, robberies, and murders. They told police they used Grnad Theft Auto 3 to train for their crimes.
There are more incidents, you may say ya but thats just a couple of kids and they were probably messed up to begin with… BUT, you must ask yourself is this really ok to have young people playing games were players are rewarded for acting out robberies,killings, and effective ways to solicit prostitutes. Since obviously all the video game makers care about is making money. It’s about a 7 million dollar industry. If you think they care about the impact this may have on children your kidding yourselfs. Atleast somebody’s willing to stand up in the midist of persecution because they care about children!
I have no problem with him being tough on video game producers. Don’t try to excuse them for making violent and morally corrupt entertainment with the capitalist card! Brownback is pro-family and he wants to protect families. Yeah, Grand Theft Auto is a fun game, but it also has elements that are simply unacceptable. I’ve played it and it does have features that allow you to pick up hookers and have sex with them. I’ve seen my brother do it!
I’m sorry, but I don’t want companies to be allowed to make games however they want, with total disregard for what they are doing to the moral fabric of our public. Perhaps Brownback’s legislation about rating the game “in its entirety” is rational, but I fully support his basic motive – to stop corporations from corrupting our youth (and even our adults). I don’t believe that any kind of porn or immoral encouragement should be given to adults either.
“Perhaps Brownback’s legislation about rating the game “in its entirety” is rational…”
Sorry, I meant to say …is NOT rational.
Bry,
The average video game player is like 25, so drumming up the, “please, please, do it for the children,” argument just doesn’t fly.
The biggest problem I have is you saying, “I don’t want companies to be allowed to make games however they want…”
Wait, so you want government to control what private companies are able to make and manufacture? That is the exact opposite of conservatism. That is big government, new world order type of thing. Let me ask you, what about R rated movies? Saving Private Ryan, The Godfather, Schindler’s List? All Adult movies, and have violence or nudity in them.
If Brownback really wants to help families like he says, he should stop forcing government down their throat. If parent’s are responsible, they will manage their families.