Post by leunas on Feb 14, 2007 19:31:22 GMT -5
US Sen. and Republican presidential hopeful Sam Brownback is bringing back the Truth in Video Game Rating Act, which would require the Entertainment Software Rating Board to play a game in its entirety before issuing a rating.
"Video game reviewers should be required to review the entire content of a game to ensure the accuracy of the rating," said Brownback in a statement. "The current video game ratings system is not as accurate as it could be because reviewers do not see the full content of games and do not even play the games they rate."
Kansas' Brownback, who is vying for the Republican Presidential Nomination, argues that the current method of rating games is insufficient. The ESRB today relies primarily on submissions from publishers that are supposed to disclose all pertinent content within a game.
However, ESRB president Patricia Vance has argued on Capitol Hill that the length of today’s games combined with the number of games to be reviewed would make it impossible for the organization to play through every single title.
Last June, Vance announced that the ESRB would fine publishers up to $1 million for not disclosing all pertinent content in a game. Such a measure could have prevented the infamous Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Hot Coffee debacle.
Brownback’s bill would also have the Government Accountability Office look into the effectiveness of the ESRB ratings system, and could be cause for a move to an “independent rating system that would be controlled by parties with no financial interest in the industry.” The GAO would also explore the possibility of a universal ratings system across movies, TV and games.
The bill was originally introduced back in September 2006, but failed to move through legislature.
www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4741&Itemid=2
"Video game reviewers should be required to review the entire content of a game to ensure the accuracy of the rating," said Brownback in a statement. "The current video game ratings system is not as accurate as it could be because reviewers do not see the full content of games and do not even play the games they rate."
Kansas' Brownback, who is vying for the Republican Presidential Nomination, argues that the current method of rating games is insufficient. The ESRB today relies primarily on submissions from publishers that are supposed to disclose all pertinent content within a game.
However, ESRB president Patricia Vance has argued on Capitol Hill that the length of today’s games combined with the number of games to be reviewed would make it impossible for the organization to play through every single title.
Last June, Vance announced that the ESRB would fine publishers up to $1 million for not disclosing all pertinent content in a game. Such a measure could have prevented the infamous Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Hot Coffee debacle.
Brownback’s bill would also have the Government Accountability Office look into the effectiveness of the ESRB ratings system, and could be cause for a move to an “independent rating system that would be controlled by parties with no financial interest in the industry.” The GAO would also explore the possibility of a universal ratings system across movies, TV and games.
The bill was originally introduced back in September 2006, but failed to move through legislature.
www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4741&Itemid=2