Gamasutra, CA
09-07-06
NIMF Announces Game Ratings Summit
NIMF Announces Game Ratings Summit The non-profit National Institute on
Media and the Family organization has announced the National Video Game
Summit, a two-day event organized to address issues surrounding video game
ratings and concerns with inappropriate games being made available to children.
Scheduled to take place from October 20-21 at The University of Minnesota
Continuing Education and Conference Center in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, the
summit will be presided over by Dr. David Walsh, president of the National
Institute on Media and the Family, as well as Doug Gentile, Iowa State
University-Center for the Study of Violence.
The NIMF organization itself is known for its strong belief that the ESRB ratings
board is not doing a good job in policing the game business, and was
significantly active in the controversy over Grand Theft Auto's 'Hot Coffee' mod.
In addition, the group also highlights issues annually within its MediaWise Video
Game Report Card, in which the group breaks down what it sees as potentially
serious issues within the video game industry, and alerts parents regarding what
games are and are not appropriate for children.
The 2005 edition of the report card gave the ESRB an F grade in "Ratings
Accuracy," findings which the ratings organization dismissed, noting at the time
that: "NIMF relied on a for-profit company with a vested financial interest in
undermining the ESRB (PSVratings, Inc.) to prove this theory."
The organizers note that the 'National Video Game Summit' will feature a
gathering of more than twenty scholars, educators and experts on media
violence and child behavior issues. Attendees of the event will review the ESRB
video game rating system, as well as current and emerging trends related the
rating of video games.
Additionally, those participating in the summit will attempt to determine the
validity and accuracy of the current rating system, as well as government
regulation and policies concerning education. Ultimately, the National Institute on
Media and the Family hopes to emerge from the gathering with a proposed "10year action agenda based on the summit's conclusions".