MediaWise.org's 2006 Video Game Report Card is online, with their latest
crop of judgments about the game industry (thanks
ABC News).
The report offers a list of "M" rated games to be avoided by children (duh!), as
well as other trendy topics like game addiction and obesity. The report also
offers an outlook on what they refer to as a "hopeful collaboration that will
soon produce a ten year plan:
Last year, we promised to bring people from
diverse backgrounds and interests together in order to discuss these issues.
This year, we convened the first National Summit on Video Games, Youth and
Public Policy, a two-day conference sponsored by the National Institute on Media
and Family and Iowa State University. For the first time ever, the Summit
gathered together academic scholars, public health officials, child health
advocates and representatives from the video game industry.
As a show of concern and dedication to addressing the challenges posed by video
games the Summit was a resounding success. One of the many positive outcomes of
the Summit was a pledge by the ESRB to put more funds into ratings education for
parents. We applaud this step not only as a show of good faith but as a
meaningful contribution to the effort to provide parents with the tools they
need to keep their kids healthy and safe.
Many of the participants were experts on the effects of media or video games.
After consideration of the research, participants signed an historic joint
statement that read: “Behavioral science research demonstrates that playing
violent video games can increase the likelihood of aggressive behavior in
children and youth.”
In the coming weeks, the Summit participants will release a ten-year plan, which
will outline benchmarks and creative solutions addressing children’s access to
violent and sexually explicit video games. One component of the plan calls for
ongoing summits to continue this important dialogue.