gamepolitics: CA Congressman Calls on Game Industry to Improve ESRB

Game Politics (

gamepolitics) wrote,
@ 2006-04-27 06:16:00

Entry tags:

congress, democrats, esrb, game ratings, joe baca, legislation, patricia vance

CA Congressman Calls on Game Industry to Improve ESRB

Baca's back.

Congressman Joe Baca (D-CA), long-time critic of the video game industry, has been relatively quiet over the past year while political players like Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), California Assembly Speaker pro Tem Leland Yee (D) and Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) plowed ahead with high-profile video game legislation.

But don't think Baca has given up on the video game issue.

An article in today's Press Enterprise details a Capitol Hill press conference held by Baca on Wednesday. There, Baca called for the game industry to improve the ESRB rating system.

"Parents are misled by the video-game ratings," he told reporters.

The veteran congressman believes game ratings, especially for "T" and "M"-rated games, aren't clear enough and don't provide all of the information parents need to make purchasing decisions.

Over the years, Baca has introduced a number of video game-oriented bills in the House, but none have gained any traction. His latest effort, HB1145, which would require the Federal Trade Commission to study the ESRB system for unfair or deceptive practices, has been stuck in committee for more than a year.

ESRB president Patricia Vance, reacting to Baca's comments, said, ""M-rated titles include content that parents may find inappropriate for younger players. We continue to encourage parents to regularly check the ratings to help them make educated purchase decisions, and to monitor the games that their children play."

(Read 321 comments) - (Post a new comment)

Let's Arrest Patricia Vance for...

patvancegoof
2006-04-27 04:08 pm UTC (link)

conspiring to distribute material harmful to minors.

Patty, pay attention: Your organization puts phony ratings and descriptors, according to Harvard, on the games. That's fraud.

Secondly, you recite, like a mantra, the usefulness of the ESRB ratings in "helping parents make educated pruchase decisions." This is the biggest crock of all. Your organization fights the passage of laws that require A PARENT TO BE THERE AT THE POINT OF SALE, PATTY!

There is no parent involved in the sale when a 15-year-old, and in some instances a 9-year-old, as Lieberman has proven, presents to a cash register at Target and is able to buy GTA: SA, with no parent in site.

The ESRB does not want parents making these decision. The ESRB, and the ESA, want the retail industry to sell mature games to kids with no parents in sight, as proven by their efforts in courts to knock down laws that simply say: A parent must be there.

Patricia Vance is a liar. Hal Halpin is a liar. Doug Lowenstein is a liar. The entire video game industry is involved in a sham use of ESRB ratings to distribute sexual and violent material harmful to minors.

Yee is right. Clinton is right. David Walsh is right. All of you are wrong.

Repent of your sin, kiddies. Patricia Vance, I've given up on you.

Jack Thompson

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	Re: Let's Arrest Patricia Vance for... l0que 2006-04-27 04:11 pm UTC (link)
	Wrong, wrong, and wrong again. If that was the case, why have an ESRB? They just don't want loons like you regulating something that already is. You can regulate the video game industry the second the movie, music, and book industry is. (Reply to this) (Parent)

A proposition for you, Jack.

startropics
2006-04-27 04:12 pm UTC (link)

Parent has right to take game away from child.

"Blood and Gore" and "Intense Violence" are not phony ratings.

Jack, I have a way you can prove us all wrong.

Find me a game that has sexual content in it (Pre-re-release San Andreas does not count) that the ESRB has not placed a warning for, and you will prove us wrong.

This also does not include games released before the creation of the ESRB.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

Re: A proposition for you, Jack. -

l0que, 2006-04-27 04:14 pm UTC

Jack Thompson loses, then. -

startropics, 2006-04-27 04:18 pm UTC

	Re: Let's Arrest Patricia Vance for... mrpat___ 2006-04-27 04:15 pm UTC (link)
	I seem to recall you accusing someone on another forum of fraud - how'd that go? (Reply to this) (Parent)

Re: Let's Arrest Patricia Vance for...

durlock
2006-04-27 04:16 pm UTC (link)

Here's a better idea.

Why not, instead of going after the ESRB for giving a better ratings system then a movie...go for the companies that sell the games to the kids themselves until they make it a policy not to sell that games to these supposed kids unless the parents are there.

Have the friggin' employees explain the rating when it gets brought up too.

It'll cost the States a lot less money in the end you know.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	Re: Let's Arrest Patricia Vance for... sundaos 2006-04-27 04:18 pm UTC (link)
	I'm glad those laws were destroyed, wanna know why? because they were very unrealistic, ex. of thing illegal to sell to a minor: cigarrettes, $500 fine, achohol $1000 fine, video game $10,000 fine. Gimme a break Jack, where are the prioities? I would rather my kids buy a violent video game then to buy cigarrettes or achohol. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	David Walsh isn't right. startropics 2006-04-27 04:20 pm UTC (link)
	He gets paid off by Best Buy. What kind of idiot associates with filth like that? Oh. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

David Walsh IS right. -

dustin1986, 2006-04-27 07:30 pm UTC

	Lets arrest Jack Thompson for... mnementh2230 2006-04-27 04:24 pm UTC (link)
	violating the LiveJournal ToS Cyberstalking Lying on national television about political and legal matters .... I could go on, but really, it's not necessary. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

Re: Lets arrest Jack Thompson for... -

pyrosyerfoxy, 2006-04-27 04:46 pm UTC

Re: Lets arrest Jack Thompson for... -

kincyr, 2006-04-27 06:38 pm UTC

Re: Let's Arrest Jack Thompson for Idiocy!

nsbustin
2006-04-27 04:24 pm UTC (link)

Have you ever looked at the back of a video game at the rating? To anyone but the literate or STUPID, what is contained in the game is CLEARLY stated. The video game ratings are more detailed then any movie rating. In fact my provincial government feels that the ESRB is good enough to be adopted as the OFFICAL rating system of my province. Jacko once again you have shown yourself to being an out of touch windbag. Why don't you focus on an issue that actually has some importance, like poverty, rather then waste time and effort on a useless crusade?

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

Re: Let's Arrest Jack Thompson for Idiocy! -

nsbustin, 2006-04-27 04:41 pm UTC

	De-spininification! Engage! jabrwock 2006-04-27 04:25 pm UTC (link)
	http://jabrwock.livejournal.com/4020.html (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

Re: De-spininification! Engage! -

mnementh2230, 2006-04-27 04:28 pm UTC

Re: De-spininification! Engage! -

beacon80, 2006-04-27 04:53 pm UTC

Re: De-spininification! Engage! -

jabrwock, 2006-04-27 05:02 pm UTC

Re: De-spininification! Engage! -

goodrobotus, 2006-04-27 07:06 pm UTC

Re: De-spininification! Engage! -

skemodan, 2006-04-27 05:08 pm UTC

Re: De-spininification! Engage! -

windmasterdto, 2006-04-27 05:27 pm UTC

Re: Let's Arrest Patricia Vance for...

ianc14
2006-04-27 04:26 pm UTC (link)

Do kindly fuck off Jack.

But first:
Your organization fights the passage of laws that require A PARENT TO BE THERE AT THE POINT OF SALE, PATTY!
Its not the ESRBs fault if brain dead guys at the till let a kid buy a game thats rated too high for them.

The ESRB, and the ESA, want the retail industry to sell mature games to kids with no parents in sight, as proven by their efforts in courts to knock down laws that simply say: A parent must be there.

The fuck? Show me one law that JUST said that.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

Re: Let's Arrest Patricia Vance for... -

startropics, 2006-04-27 04:29 pm UTC

Re: Let's Arrest Patricia Vance for... -

mnementh2230, 2006-04-27 04:30 pm UTC

Re: Let's Arrest Patricia Vance for... -

beacon80, 2006-04-27 04:55 pm UTC

Re: Let's Arrest Patricia Vance for...

eternallegenduk
2006-04-27 04:29 pm UTC (link)

Patricia Vance, quoted from the article: "M-rated titles include content that parents may find inappropriate for younger players. We continue to encourage parents to regularly check the ratings to help them make educated purchase decisions, and to monitor the games that their children play."

Jack Thompson, from the comment I'm replying to: "The ESRB does not want parents making these decision."

startropics posts a scan of a GTA: Vice City cover above: "ESRB CONTENT RATING / MATURE 17+ / Blood and gore, violence, strong language, strong sexual content"

Jack Thompson, from the comment I'm replying to: "Your organization puts phony ratings and descriptors, according to Harvard, on the games. That's fraud."

Perhaps most telling of all, Jack Thompson: "The entire video game industry is involved in a sham use of ESRB ratings to distribute sexual and violent material harmful to minors."

You are a conspiracy theorist. Stealth Jews control your mind from outer space and the government bombed the World Trade Centre. What's really happening is that the entire video game industry is involved in a voluntary rating system which slaps a big "M" sticker on adult games and provides a brief description of why the sticker is necessary.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

Xlorep DarkHelm's Response to Jackass Thompson (part 1)

xlorep_darkhelm
2006-04-27 04:29 pm UTC (link)

conspiring to distribute material harmful to minors.

Prove it. You keep saying that, but you have no evidence of the case. The ESRB is around to provide assistance and information for parents to make an educated decision as to what to buy. That is all. Retailers have stepped up the age verification checks to help ensure minors do not get Mature-rated games, and are now comperable to the movie industry on effectiveness with this. The ESRB ratings couldn't really get much clearer. As it stands, the only people who don't comprehend the ratings, are like that because they'd rather not bother learning the ratings. And if they'd rather not learning the ratings, then for those people, the ratings are totally meaningless. Changing the system, enforcing the system, whatever, doesn't eliminate the total apathy the parents who currently couldn't care less about learning the existing system have. And as such, these apathetic parents have no say in if the rating system is good or not.

Patty, pay attention: Your organization puts phony ratings and descriptors, according to Harvard, on the games. That's fraud.

No, that's not even remotely what Harvard's results provided. All Harvard showed was that the ESRB doesn't put an all-inclusive and completely detailed list of what content is in the games. The ESRB's labels merely provide some, primarily the most important and notable content descriptors that give the game the given rating. As it stands, it is FAR more effective and clear than what the MPAA does for DVD labels.

Really, stop using your magic butthole to find "evidence" or state your claims.

Secondly, you recite, like a mantra, the usefulness of the ESRB ratings in "helping parents make educated pruchase decisions." This is the biggest crock of all. Your organization fights the passage of laws that require A PARENT TO BE THERE AT THE POINT OF SALE, PATTY!

The organization, well.... correction.... the video gaming community in general, is fighting laws that violate an individual's constitutional rights to freedom of speech, which includes artistic expression, and video games have been defined as a form of art. Further, many of these laws try to equate violence with pornography, which the court system has clearly and succinctly rejected the connection on every possible front. Right now, there is roughly the same percentage of age verification checks for video game purchases across the nation, as there are for movies. This has been shown time and again, Hal Halpin has explained it ad nausium as well. You personally would rather want all video games to cease production completely -- you have shown that you do not limit your crusade to merely "M" rated games -- but have frequently attacked all games, not to mention game players. Grow up.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

Xlorep DarkHelm's Response to Jackass Thompson (part 2) -

xlorep_darkhelm, 2006-04-27 04:32 pm UTC

Re: Xlorep DarkHelm's Response to Jackass Thompson (part 2) -

mnementh2230, 2006-04-27 04:34 pm UTC

Re: Xlorep DarkHelm's Response to Jackass Thompson (part 2) -

xlorep_darkhelm, 2006-04-27 04:37 pm UTC

	More de-spininification! Engage! jabrwock 2006-04-27 04:35 pm UTC (link)
	http://jabrwock.livejournal.com/4099.html (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

Re: More de-spininification! Engage! -

startropics, 2006-04-27 04:43 pm UTC

Re: More de-spininification! Engage! -

j_man924, 2006-04-27 05:19 pm UTC

Re: More de-spininification! Engage! -

tollwutig, 2006-04-27 07:04 pm UTC

	Re: Let's Arrest Patricia Vance for... dutch_gamer 2006-04-27 04:58 pm UTC (link)
	Ah I see the devilworshipper is back. And I mean you, Jack Thompson. You work for the Devil, just admit it. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

Re: Let's Arrest Patricia Vance for... -

kurisu7885, 2006-04-27 05:23 pm UTC

	Re: Let's Arrest Patricia Vance for... kurisu7885 2006-04-27 05:21 pm UTC (link)
	I need to repent for my sins? Hmm, well, see you i nhell Jack, if they let you in. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	Re: Let's Arrest Patricia Vance for... pgasniper 2006-04-27 05:33 pm UTC (link)
	"Let's Arrest Patricia Vance for... conspiring to distribute material harmful to minors" I've got a better idea... Lets put our hands in molten hot magma! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	Re: Let's Arrest Patricia Vance for... poet_ninja 2006-04-27 05:49 pm UTC (link)
	You are deliberately misconstruing the Harvard study, or never bothered to read it excepting to get that it claims one of your enemies is not 100% right about every -aspect- of a rating, and have mutated that to them being wrong all the time in your head. This is not the case. (Reply to this) (Parent)

Jack Thompson is a Liar

thejccalhoun
2006-04-27 05:53 pm UTC (link)

I suppose it takes one to know one Jack. Shall we recount all the lies you have written here at gamepolitics? Or shall we just direct them to your website jackandgoliath.com that you announced months ago? Oh wait, you lied about that too.
Just like you lied about Robida murders http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Thompson_and_the_Jacob_Robida_murders
or how you lie about the studies that do not show what you claim they show. Shall I go on?

(Reply to this) (Parent)

Jack's not even trying any more

dog_welder
2006-04-27 06:15 pm UTC (link)

I'd have thought Jack's lawyers would have been smart enough to tell him to cool the insane rhetoric, the deplorable hate speech, libel and slander while he was bringing a court case against the Florida Bar for investigating him for similar behavior. I'm not sure what's more shocking, that's there's a lawyer even more incompetent than Jack in Florida, or that Jack was able to find him to hire him.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

Re: Jack's not even trying any more -

tollwutig, 2006-04-27 07:05 pm UTC

Re: Let's Arrest Patricia Vance for...

illspirit
2006-04-27 06:40 pm UTC (link)

Attention Jack "Cowardly Lion" Thompson

Seeing how you like going after media which inspires school shootings, and you also hate gangsta rap, well, I've got a lovely new target for you:

Sometime last year, a thug rapper by the name of Ill Bill (no relation) put out a song titled The Anatomy of a School Shooting. As you could probably guess, the song glorifies Columbine ('tis even written from Eric Harris' perspective), and, well, to be frank, it almost makes it sound fun. There's more where this came from, to be sure. However this example is just too perfect. Part of the lyrics can be read here.

So, yea, here's my challenge. If you're really out to stop all media which promotes this type of behavior, and not just after games for a quick buck. Prove it. Put your money where your mouth is (after taking your foot out, naturally), and try to sue Bill and Necro. If you don't, I'll take this as admission that you don't care one bit about the kids, that you're only chasing ambulances, and generally just whoring yourself out for the media spotlight.

Then of course there's the whole violation of our equal protection rights provided by the Fourteenth Amendment thing. If you can sue the Florida Bar for violating your civil rights in regards to the First Amendment, what's to stop certain game publishers-- or even everyday Pixelantes --from suing you for violating out civil right to indemnity from selective persecution and prosecution?

I might also suggest you make a decision quick, because I have, well, let's just call it a hunch, that things are about to get really interesting. Ball's in your court. Tick tock Jack, tick tock...

(Reply to this) (Parent)

Re: Let's Arrest Patricia Vance for...

goodrobotus
2006-04-27 06:40 pm UTC (link)

(a) You're getting very boring and repetitive.
(b) We all know it's a plot by the commies allied with the Saturnians to bring back Gothor the Eater of Planets.

I bet we never landed on the moon either Jack.

Do you honestly think that a set of organisations that cannot even agree with itself and its own developers is capable of creating a situation your conspiracy theory seems to suggest?

I bet you bought into the Aquarian conspiracy, that the Beatles were a plan to subvert America using popular music and that words such as 'Teenager' were really keywords for LSD?

Your opinion is Paranoid Delusion at its most extreme, it really is.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

WHERE IS JACKANDGOLIATH.COM???

al_wesker
2006-04-27 07:20 pm UTC (link)

WHERE IS JACKANDGOLIATH.COM??? WHERE IS JACKANDGOLIATH.COM??? WHERE IS JACKANDGOLIATH.COM??? WHERE IS JACKANDGOLIATH.COM??? WHERE IS JACKANDGOLIATH.COM??? WHERE IS JACKANDGOLIATH.COM??? WHERE IS JACKANDGOLIATH.COM??? WHERE IS JACKANDGOLIATH.COM??? WHERE IS JACKANDGOLIATH.COM??? WHERE IS JACKANDGOLIATH.COM??? WHERE IS JACKANDGOLIATH.COM??? WHERE IS JACKANDGOLIATH.COM??? WHERE IS JACKANDGOLIATH.COM??? WHERE IS JACKANDGOLIATH.COM??? WHERE IS JACKANDGOLIATH.COM??? WHERE IS JACKANDGOLIATH.COM??? WHERE IS JACKANDGOLIATH.COM??? WHERE IS JACKANDGOLIATH.COM??? WHERE IS JACKANDGOLIATH.COM??? WHERE IS JACKANDGOLIATH.COM??? WHERE IS JACKANDGOLIATH.COM??? WHERE IS JACKANDGOLIATH.COM??? WHERE IS JACKANDGOLIATH.COM??? WHERE IS JACKANDGOLIATH.COM??? WHERE IS JACKANDGOLIATH.COM???

(Reply to this) (Parent)

Let's Arrest Jack Thompson for... A MULTITUDE OF CRIMES!

enmitywithin
2006-04-27 07:48 pm UTC (link)

conspiring to distribute material harmful to minors.
just how is she doing this? her organization simply rates the games.

Patty, pay attention: Your organization puts phony ratings and descriptors, according to Harvard, on the games. That's fraud.
Jack, Pay atttention: The ESRB rates a game by getting info from the game maker. and just HOW does harvard factor into this?

Secondly, you recite, like a mantra, the usefulness of the ESRB ratings in "helping parents make educated pruchase decisions." This is the biggest crock of all. Your organization fights the passage of laws that require A PARENT TO BE THERE AT THE POINT OF SALE, PATTY!
Secondly, you recite, like a mantra, that the ESRB is broken and that companies such as Take-two interactive are marketing M-rated games to minors. This is the biggest crock of all. You fight a multitude of people on a forum, and everytime you post YOU GET THOROUGHLY DEBUNKED JACK!

There is no parent involved in the sale when a 15-year-old, and in some instances a 9-year-old, as Lieberman has proven, presents to a cash register at Target and is able to buy GTA: SA, with no parent in site.
it is the fault of the store as well as the parent if a 15-year old or a 9-year old can purchase Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Fault on the Parent for not taking the time to see what game the kid is playing and to stop him/her if nessescary, and the store for selling it period.

The ESRB does not want parents making these decision. The ESRB, and the ESA, want the retail industry to sell mature games to kids with no parents in sight, as proven by their efforts in courts to knock down laws that simply say: A parent must be there.
the ESRB does want parents making these decisions, however the ESRB can't do it's job when parents don't care to see the M on the game case, or even the name of the game. The ESRB and the ESA do not want the retail industry to sell M-rated games to minors, as it does nothing good for them. The laws that have been knocked down were to protect those who are adults and would have their rights knocked down

Patricia Vance is a liar. Hal Halpin is a liar. Doug Lowenstein is a liar. The entire video game industry is involved in a sham use of ESRB ratings to distribute sexual and violent material harmful to minors.
Patricia Vance tells the truth. Hal Halpin tells the truth. Doug Lowenstein tells the truth. Jack Thompson Lies. The entire industry is involved in what is known as normalcy and responsibility, but the game developers can only go so far. They are not using the rating the distribute violent and sexual material to kids, Television does that already. Also, there is no conspiracy, Jack thompson is paranoid.

Yee is right. Clinton is right. David Walsh is right. All of you are wrong.

Repent of your sin, kiddies. Patricia Vance, I've given up on you.
Yee is a cowardly liar. Clinton is naive. David Walsh couldn't be farther from the truth. We are correct because we back up our statements.

Repent of your multitude of SINS before it is too late jack. I've given up on you.

Benjamin McDowell

PS: I give my real name, unlike people like John B.T. here who have to call himself "Jack"

(Reply to this) (Parent)

Re: Let's Arrest Patricia Vance for...

cecil475
2006-04-27 08:40 pm UTC (link)

- Yee is right. Clinton is right. David Walsh is right. All of you are wrong.

You keep slinging David Walsh's name around, dispite the fact he does not want to be assoicated with you.

Also you can't make up your mint weither to praise him or bash him. By the way that article on WCCO was amusing. keep it up. The public needs to see your true colors. Keep on crying about Bully. The game needs all the free publicity it can get.

- Warren Lewis

(Reply to this) (Parent)

Kiddies? -

lowe0, 2006-04-27 09:22 pm UTC

TRUTH - Pat Vance is... -

lost_watcher, 2006-04-27 09:22 pm UTC

Re: Let's Arrest Patricia Vance for... -

boffo97, 2006-04-28 01:51 am UTC

Kiddies, huh? Well, Jack.... -

gabrielcelesta, 2006-04-28 03:05 am UTC

Oh, by the way: Will somebody... -

gabrielcelesta, 2006-04-28 03:15 am UTC

Re: Oh, by the way: Will somebody... -