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Weak Video Game Ratings Need to Better Inform Parents, Lawmakers Say

Card Consolidation Credit Debt By Sean Gaffney

All of our games are certified by PEGI (most European countries), USK (Germany), ESRB (United States of America) or OFLC (Australia). You will see these ratings prominently displayed on the front and back of the game's packaging and also in the game's advertising. ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) Ratings In the USA our games carry an ESRB rating and are rated in accordance to the strict guidelines ESRB recommend. These are here to help parents make informed decisions on buying interactive video games.

Credit Union (AXcess News) Washington - An industry-regulated video game rating system is misleading, unclear and does not provide parents with sufficient tools to monitor what their children are playing, Republican lawmakers said Wednesday.

If you are a parent, you now have a rich set of controls to ensure your children are only playing games that you consider appropriate. You can allow or restrict your children's access to games according to game title, rating, category, or content. Windows Vista supports six international rating standards and makes it easy for parents to manage and monitor their children's gaming experience.

Merchant Credit Guide Co At a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on violent video games, lawmakers grilled representatives of the video game industry for allowing racy content- such as in the game "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," the highest-selling game of 2004- to end up in the hands of children.

. (AXcess News) Houston, The Federal Trade Commission was called upon to investigate sexually explicit and violent video games which lawmakers said on Wednesday was insufficient in the FTC' Two Interactive Software Inc. ( TTWO) video game, " San Andreas." Republicans are concerned about the video industry' regulation of games in how it rates them, San Andreas was found to be explicitly violent as well as depicting nudity that exposed under aged children.

Apply Online For Credit Card That game came under congressional scrutiny after the discovery of a hidden mini-game called "Hot Coffee" that allowed players to participate in an explicit sex scene. The game was rated M for mature, but the rating did not mention the graphic sexual content. M-rated games are recommended for players over 17.

21 PM Rating + 3 Rating + 3 Rating + 3 Rating + 3 Rating + 3 Good card for games... but just a lie.. Good quality, would recommend to anyone who plays games at mid settings to max. Get good fps in Call of Duty 4 even on the max settings.

By Card Credit Debt Debt Guide Lawmakers scolded Patricia Vance, president of the Entertainment Software Rating Board, the video game industry self-regulation agency, for giving the game a M rating and not an AO, or adults only, rating. They also questioned the integrity of the rating process.

Video and computer games are subject to the Video Recordings Act 1984 but are generally exempt from legal classification. rating for games exempt from legal classification exists. The system belongs to the European Leisure Software Publisher's Association (ELSPA) but is administered by the Video Standards Council (VSC). Games are rated at four levels (3+, 11+, 15+ and 18+) and the rating appears on the games packaging.

Credit Repair The board that rates games does not actually play them. Members watch a video provided by the publisher that summarizes the game's content and compares it with a written report also provided by the publisher, Vance said.

Active Credit Credit Guide Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., questioned whether the rating process can be effective when publishers choose the content on which their game is rated. "Do you see a problem?" Blackburn asked Vance.

Credit Score "If they don't fully disclose the product, there are serious consequences," Vance responded, noting the board can fine the publisher.

Bad Car Credit Guide Loan The board did not fine Take-Two Interactive, publishers of the "Grand Theft Auto" game, for not disclosing the "Hot Coffee" mini-game. Vance said the publisher has spent $25 million recalling and reproducing the product without the content and further financial penalties aren't necessary.

Bad Credit Loan Last year the House and Senate passed resolutions instructing the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Take-Two Interactive and the game's developer, Rockstar Games.

Credit Definition Derivative The FTC later charged the companies with failing to fully disclose the game's content. The FTC, Take-Two and Rockstar reached a settlement Friday, in which the game companies pledged to disclose the content of future games and agree to fines of up to $11,000 per violation if they fail to do so.

Bad Credit Mortgage Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., who wrote the House resolution, complained the FTC had "no teeth" and that the actions were nothing but a "slap on the wrist."

The Insider Guide To Credit "I would have liked them to be fined millions for the trash they put out," he added.

Business Credit Card Committee members also questioned retail adherence to the ratings. They scolded Gary Severson, senior vice president of merchandising for Wal-Mart, for lax policies that allowed a minor to purchase "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" on the company's Web site. Severson said the company stopped selling the original version of the game after learning of its sexual content.

Banker Complete Credit Guide Lydia Parnes, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, testified that retailers have improved in complying with the rating system guidelines. A study conducted earlier this year found that 42 percent of secret shoppers ages 13 to 16 were able to purchase M-rated video games. In 2003, 69 percent of under-age secret shoppers were able to purchase the games.

Credit Card Application "While these results are headed in the right direction, there is still substantial room for improvement," Parnes' written statement said.

Credit Guide Managing The committee also voiced concerns that parents are not well informed about the rating system. Vance noted, however, that a board-commissioned study found that adults are involved in 83 percent of video game purchases.

Credit Card Offer Kimberly Thompson, a Harvard researcher, charged that the ratings aren't much help because they are not accurate. She said a study conducted by the Kids Risk Project at the Harvard School of Public Health found that 35 out of 55 games rated E for everyone "contained violence, with injuring characters rewarded or required for advancement in 33 games."

Merchant Credit Guide Company Content descriptors that accompany and explain the rating are not accurate, she said. "We consistently find that the games contain a significant amount of violence and explicit content that may be of concern to parents," Thompson said.

Bad Credit The rating process needs to be more transparent and based on consistent criteria, and the public needs to be informed about the entire process, she added. "We don't allow ambiguity in the ingredients on foods. Why should we be so tolerant of low quality in the ratings on media products?" Thompson asked.

Collection Collection Complete The committee is considering a resolution introduced by Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, that would make it illegal for retailers to distribute games rated adult-only to minors under 18 and mature rated games to those under 17. Similar legislation has been overturned in Michigan, Missouri, Indiana, Washington state, Illinois and Minnesota.

Credit Counseling Source: Scripps Howard Foundation

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