Children in the
virtual violent
games
-The Matrix will be everywhereCommunity Pediatrics
Legislative Advocacy Project
Akihiro Asai
Menu
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Background
Case
Games and child health
Current regulation
AAP policy
Legislation issues
What can we do?
Back ground
• Video game industry
• 9.5 billion in the US in 2007
• Video games at home
• Wii + Xbox + PS 3 = 33 M in the US
• Portable games : 40M
− US minor population: 80 M
Video game history
• 1983 Family
Computer in Japan
• 1985 Nintendo in
US
New generation
• Wii (2006)
• Remote controller :
Tangible, motion
detecting in 3D.
Violence in video game
Case of Grand Theft Auto
• Extremely popular
• 50M sales in the world
• Main activity : Carjacking
• Once a car is stolen, the player can run
over pedestrians
• purchase guns to shoot at and kill rival
gang members (or pedestrians)
• the player is able to pick up
a prostitute, have sex to replenish
health, then kill her to take back the
money spent
Case of Grand Theft Auto
case #1
• 18yo male, D.M., shot and killed
two policemen and a dispatcher
after grabbing one of the
officers' weapons.
• At trial, the defense claimed that
Moore had been inspired by the video
game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
2003 June
Case of Grand Theft Auto
case #2
• 14yo and 16yo male, J.B. and
W.B. ,used a rifle to fire at
vehicles on I-40 in Tennessee,
killing a 45yo man and
wounding a 19yo woman.
• The two shooters told
investigators they had been
inspired by Grand Theft Auto III.
• June 2003
First-person shooter
• Highest immersion factor
• “ see through the eyes of the
character in the game”
• Virtual effects
• Columbine High School shooter
mentioned in their own video
Video games and child health
• Media exposure 2-18yo : 6hr 32min/day
− (TV, Video, Game, Radio, Print, Music, PC)
• Video game exposure : < 1 hour/day (average)
• violent video games increase aggressive behavior
in children and young adults
− Psychol Sci 2001 Sept
• Association between television, movie, and video
game exposure and school performance
− Pediatrics 2007 Feb
Influence on children
• Increase aggressive behavior,
desensitization to violence, fear, depression,
nightmares, and sleep disturbances
• Interaction -> enforce learning
• Video game: ideal tool when used to learn
violent behavior
• Vulnerable to learning and adopting violent
behavior
• Kids younger than 8
• cannot discriminate between fantasy and reality
Violence in children
• Interpersonal violence
• More prevalent than infectious, cancer,
congenital disorder
• the most prevalent cause of injury (33%)
• Homicide, suicide, and trauma
• leading causes of mortality in the
pediatric population,
• cumulative death rates of 22.8 /100 000 in
5 -14 yo ,114.4 / 100 000 in 15 -21 yo
Current regulation
• Entertainment Software Rating Board
• game industry’s self-regulatory body
• Game companies must
follow ”Principles and Guidelines for
Responsible Advertising Practices”
Rating
Strong violence and sexual contents
Only 25 game titles
Selling to 17yo and younger is not illegal
Not sold at almost all the store in town
Problem of rating system
• It does not have the legal authority !
• Rating mismatch, misconducts
• Confusion with other media rating
(TV, movie , etc)
• only 10% check the ratings of
computer or video games that
their adolescents wish to rent or buy
• Everyone can buy them all on-line
AAP Policy
• Media Violence
• November 2001
− Play of violent video games should be
restricted to age-limited areas of gaming
arcades; the distribution of videos and
video games and the exhibition of movies
should be limited to appropriate age
groups.
− Pediatricians should incorporate a media
history into annual health maintenance
examinations
− When heavy media use by a child is
identified, pediatricians should evaluate
the child for aggressive behaviors, fears,
or sleep disturbances and intervene
appropriately
− Limit media exposure 1-2 hours/day
Current legislation
• Truth in Video Game Rating Act
(Introduced in Senate)
• Video Game Rating Enforcement Act
of 2008 (Introduced in Senate)
• Children Protection from Video
Game Violence and Sexual Content
Act (Introduced in House)
• An act to amend the general
business law, in relation to
prohibiting sale of certain video
games to minors ( NY states)
Previous act
• Family Entertainment Protection Act
(FEPA)
• 2005 Nov, 109 Congress
• introduced by Senator Hillary Clinton, and cosponsored by Senators
• called for a federal mandate enforcement of the ESRB
ratings system for video games in order to protect
children from inappropriate content.
• impose fines for offense of selling a "Mature" or "AdultOnly" rated video game to a minor
• FTC investigation into the ESRB
• did not become law
• referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce,
Science and Transportation and expired at the end of
the109th session of Congress without further action
Recent movement
• A Louisiana federal judge has thrown out a
law written by video game critic Jack
Thompson (Attorney) which would have
prevented the sale of violent games to
minors.
− November 2006
• Judge strikes down Washington, Illinois,
Michigan state's violent video game law
− July 2004 - 2006
Other countries policy
• Japan
• CERO (Computer Entertainment Rating
Organization) : 3rd party
• A (all age) B >12yo C >15yo D >17yo
• Z >18 yo= adult only
• Not law binding
• “Harmful media” law by states
• To “Grand Theft Auto San Andreas”
• UK
• BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) rating
• Backed up by law
What can we do?
• Recognize the effect of video
game violence on children
• Continue to educate patients
and parents
• Encourage the government to
introduce legislations which
regulate game rating and sales
Emerging virtual world
The Matrix will be
everywhere