Senator wants to ban 'deceptive' video game ratings

Cnet ^ | 02/14/2007 | Anne Broache

[JohnSheppard]

A U.S. Senate Republican with presidential ambitions has renewed his push to slap new regulations on the video and computer game industry, including a ban on "deceptive" labels by ratings outfits.

Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) on Tuesday reintroduced the Truth in Video Game Rating Act, first proposed last September. It calls for requiring video game rating organizations to play all games "in their entirety" before issuing labels and prohibiting game developers from withholding any "hidden" game content from raters. It would also punish ratings groups that "grossly mischaracterize" any game's content.

"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," Brownback, who is expected to seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, said in a statement.

The proposed regulations represent another reaction to a high-profile scandal surrounding the game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. In July 2005, reports surfaced that a readily downloadable modification could unlock sexually explicit scenes in the best-selling game, prompting bipartisan outcry from Capitol Hill and a federal investigation.

The Entertainment Software Association, which lobbies for the video game industry, did not respond to requests for comment about Brownback's bill on Wednesday. A representative for the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), the video game industry's primary self-regulatory body, said the organization had no comment at this time.

[amchugh]

Brownback is off the table for President in my book.

[Tribune7]

I just thought of an idea for a video game.

It's called Republican politician.

You take a Republican politican, beat it with a 2x4, and see how long it takes before it learns a lesson.