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American Amusement Machine Association

National Institute on Media and the Family ("NIMF")
9th Annual MediaWise Video Game and Computer Game Report Card


The National Institute on Media and the Family ("NIMF") released its 9th Annual MediaWise Video Game and Computer Game Report Card at a press event that we attended and that featured Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), Representative Betty McCollum (D-MN) and NIMF's Founder, Dr. David Walsh.  The press conference was not well attended, and we anticipate that the event will receive only modest media attention. 

Very importantly, NIMF again opted to assign grades only to home-based systems and games, and included no reference to, or mention of, coin-operated video games.  A copy of this year's Report Card is available at:  http://www.mediafamily.org/research/2004_VGRC.pdf

As you will note in the Report Card, the focus of the press event, and of the Report Card, remained on home and PC-based games (with grades ranging from B to F for various elements).  Not surprisingly, the most intense criticism was directed to the game "JFK Reloaded" that was released yesterday and that allows players to simulate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy (and that has provoked a firestorm of criticism)  (See:   http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/11/21/kennedy.game.reut/index.html for CNN coverage of the JFK Reloaded game)

While the coin-op industry and the Coin-Operated Video Game Parental Advisory System were again not included in this year's Report Card, AAMA and AMOA should continue ongoing efforts to encourage more rigorous and consistent enforcement of our System and Code of Conduct. A copy of the NIMF press release that accompanied the report follows:

National Institute on Media and the Family Releases:  Ninth Annual MediaWise Video Game Report CardVideo Game Industry's Double Messages are Double Trouble for Parents
Despite Efforts, Youth Access to Violent and Sexually Graphic Games Still Major Issue
Dr. David Walsh, in coordination with Senator Joe Lieberman, Senator Herb Kohl, and Congresswoman Betty McCollum, today released the National Institute on Media and the Family's Ninth Annual MediaWise Video Game Report Card in Washington, DC. This year's MediaWise Video Game Report Card highlights the mixed messages the video game industry sends to parents. To help parents get the right message about video games, the Institute is launching a new public service announcement that encourages parents to "Watch What their Kids Watch."

"The double messages sent to parents about video games are double trouble," said Dr. Walsh. "For instance, the video game industry says parents should use the ratings, but denies violent video games affect children. The result is parents are lead to believe the ratings don't really matter."

"That is a big problem for parents when you consider this year's crop of games, such as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Leisure Suit Larry, that children have access to, and that drastically push the envelope on sex and violence."

Dr. Walsh also called attention to the results of this year's secret shopper survey. Last year, the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association announced that, by this shopping season, they would enforce policies restricting youth access to M-rated video games without parental permission. However, the Institute's secret shopper survey found that boys as young as seven were able to buy M-rated games 50 percent of the time, whereas girls were only able to purchase games 8 percent of the time.

"The double message from video game retailers to parents of young children is that retailers will enforce the ratings, but only for daughters, not for sons," said Dr. Walsh.

Other areas of special concern in the Ninth Annual MediaWise Video Game Report Card include: adolescent brain development; video games and the childhood obesity epidemic; and the need for the ESRB to improve its "OK to Play" education campaign. Similar to previous years, the Annual MediaWise Video Game Report Card also provides parents a list of recommended video games and games to avoid.