Bloggers rate new game legislation

Do video gamers quit after one round of a game? No. So why should video game critics be any different?

Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) reintroduced the Truth in Video Game Rating Act this week.

In this gambit, the presidential hopeful says that the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), the gaming world's self-regulatory agency, does a sloppy job with ratings, probably has a conflict of interest, and should be investigated. He points to 2005's Grand Theft Auto scandal, in which a game rated "M" (for mature) secretly contained content of a more adult nature (for which a game should technically be rated "adults only").

Debates are raging about whether Brownback's introducing this legislation has anything to do with brushing up his family-values image in preparation for seeking the Republican presidential nomination.

Particularly in question is the part of Brownback's legislation that calls for a game to be "played in its entirety" before rating becomes official. Now the ESRB, gamers and consumers are pointing out the impracticality or impossibility of enacting that measure, citing the fact that many games really have no endpoint. Playing a game also requires a substantially larger time commitment than, say, watching a movie to rate it.

Consumers might not have to be too worried about the outcome, since, as CNET News.com's Anne Broache points out, "Neither Brownback's earlier attempt nor (similar) House efforts ever progressed to a vote."

Full story: "Senator wants to ban 'deceptive' video game ratings"

Blog community response:

"He's just doing it so when the presidential race gets more momentum, he can say that he introduced legislation to 'protect the children'...The degree to which his legislation is stupid is completely irrelevant."
--Slashdot user Omeomi

"Games like GTA, The Elder Scrolls series, and other dynamic world games would be virtually impossible to review without there being hundreds of ratings reviewers who collaborate to systematically make different choices than each other. And then there are player mods to consider. Games like Half-Life become an entirely different beast once a few mods start getting popular."
--Slashdot user Jeckler

"So, we have a modest proposal for Senator Brownback or any other politician who wants to offer up similarly pointless legislation: you cannot offer such legislation up to Congress without first playing the video games you're worried about 'in their entirety' yourself. Deal?"
--Techdirt