A Stronger Video Game Content Rating System is a Must

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A Stronger Video Game Content Rating System is a Must

Many of today's youth are easily influenced by their environment. Their environment can include their family, friends, school, and even media (television, music, video games). With technology rapidly advancing, video games are having an even greater impact on youth. In the last few years, there has been a steady increase in the amount of violence contained in all media, especially video games. According to Alison Motluk, "more than 90 per cent of American children play video games every day, and half of the top sellers contain extreme violence" (10). Playing these violent video games is having a direct effect on aggression levels as seen in the recent rise of school violence. Many times the individuals involved have stated that they got their ideas from playing violent video games. Obviously, with youth violence on the rise, changes need to be made in order to help control this situation. A stricter rating system needs to be applied to video games, and more importantly the new rating system should be heavily enforced wherever video games are sold so that maturity levels are met before being allowed to purchase a video game.

Computer and video games have been rated using a rating scale since 1994. Video games are rated by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). The ESRB uses rating symbols on the front of each game to show the current rating of the game. The ratings currently used are early childhood (EC), everyone (E), everyone 10 and older (E10+), teen (T), mature (M), and adults only (AO). These ratings are to reflect the maturity level needed to play and understand the game. The combination of industry and public pressures to use ratings has encourag...

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...n levels. The current rating system is not doing enough to help protect minors from obtaining mature material. It is time for a change, a tougher rating system to help control this situation. Katie Hafner referenced one situation in which a mother, with video game playing kids, was surprised to find out that M stood for Mature. Her kids had been telling her it stood for Mild (1G). This is further evidence as to why parents need to educate themselves in video game ratings. Even the current faulty ratings need to be more heavily enforced everywhere games are being sold. Too often retailers are paying no attention to video game ratings and are selling games to children who are not mature enough to handle the content. This is why it is important that a new rating system is implemented and enforced everywhere games are being sold in order to help protect our youth.

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