Urge Your Congressman Not To Support Joe Baca’s Gaming Bill
A favorite method of governments to silence the complaints of consumers over a products harmful effects is the warning label. Whether it’s the worrying “cigarettes are linked to heart disease and cancer” on American tobacco products or the less subtle “smoking kills” labels on UK packages slapping a sticker on something is a compromise that politicians love.
Possibly to garner support from concerned parents and social conservatives Representative Joe Baca (D, CA) is proposing a similar act for video games. The “Video Game Health Labeling Act” as it’s called would apply this warning sticker to all games rated T for Teen or higher: “WARNING: Excessive exposure to violent video games and other violent media has been linked to aggressive behavior.”
As with many video game related government initiatives this reeks of knee-jerk reactions from politicians who know very little about video games, listening to cadres of worried parents who attribute the cause of tragedy to the media versus mental instability and reading supremely flawed research with no real ability to judge its merits.
In a letter Baca sent around seeking co-sponsors he pointed to research claiming a causal link between video game violence and real world aggression; research that has already been denounced by the federal government, especially since one of the first things any responsible researcher learns is that it’s nearly impossible to prove causation of any phenomenon.
There are some serious flaws to this bill. Firstly it would inaccurately portray many games as containing violent content. Games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero are given teen ratings because of the more mature content of many of the songs involved, but there’s no actual violence involved. Poker games and snowboarding games are also rated T for Teen and although it’s hard not to wince at watching a virtual snowboarder mess up a trick and slam into the ground, it’s not the sort of content parents are worried about.
Finally the sheer fact of the matter is that the current ratings system is enough. Despite occasional reports of vendors selling mature games to minors, the vast majority of parents are reporting that they are aware of the ratings system and are satisfied with it.