Report Praises Games Industry, Disses Parents

According to a report released today by the National Institute on Media and the Family, the video game industry has done an excellent job in keeping mature- themed games out of the reach of children.  However, the same cannot be said for parents on their end.

The institute's 13th Annual MediaWise® Video Game Report Card talked about the increasing occurrences of family gaming, and the ESRB's wonderful ratings system.  Literally, an "A" was awarded to the ESRB for the excellent job in informing the public and working to keep inappropriate content away from younger gamers.  Notably, a literal "incomplete" was given "for parental involvement as too many parents are not using information like game ratings, parental controls and screen time limits provided by retailers and console makers."  Dr. David Walsh, president and founder of the institute, concludes:

"Now that we parents have the information and tools we need we have to step up and do our jobs. There are still too many kids playing M rated games and too many kids playing for too long. That's why this year's report card assigns a grade of 'Incomplete' to parents."

While we hope that this proverbial smack on the mouth will create an awareness of the ratings system, there are still a fair amount of warnings given in the report.  Walsh continues:

"Video games have become a staple in most American households... But too much video game playing can lead to an unhealthy lifestyle and can be a contributing factor to childhood obesity and sliding school grades, and, in some cases, may cause video game addiction."

The report also adds that "there have been calls for the American Psychiatric Association to add video game addiction to the list of official mental disorders."  But with the inclusion of recent studies and future ones, the image of video games in society should only continue to brighten.

Retailers were also given the grade of "B+" for the 80% enforcement rate that their policies are showing in keeping games out of the wrong hands.  So with grades like an A, B+, and an Incomplete, it sounds like someone isn't coming to class.  Too bad some parents can't be suspended.  On that note, let's keep this analogy rolling, shall we?