SENATOR YEE WARNS PARENTS ABOUT HALLOWEEN RELEASE OF ULTRA-VIOLENT GAME
California Political Desk
October 30, 2007
Game maker uses holiday to release graphically violent video game.
SACRAMENTO – Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo), the author of California’s law attempting to prohibit the sale of extremely violent video games to minors, today urged parents to avoid purchasing Manhunt 2, a game already banned in England and that many have called the most violent video game ever produced.
Not surprisingly, this game is being released on Halloween,” said Yee. “Halloween already presents many safety concerns for parents. With the release of Manhunt 2, parents will now face a new challenge from the purveyors of violence.”
Manhunt 2 will hit store shelves at major retailers tomorrow and be available at under $30 – a price child advocates fear is enticing for some parents and affordable for many minors.
It is imperative that parents avoid purchasing this game for their children and always review the video games their children are playing,” said Yee, who is also a child psychologist. “Ultra-violent, interactive video games such as Manhunt 2 can have negative effects on our children.”
Earlier this year, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) gave Manhunt 2 a rating of AO (Adults Only). The ESRB designation of AO was only the second time a game had been given such a rating based on violent content. However, in August the game was re-rated M (Mature) after Rockstar Games, the game’s maker, submitted a modified version. The ESRB and Rockstar failed to publicly disclose what content had been removed from the game.
According to the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC), reviews of the original game content described players “sawing their enemies’ skulls in half; mutilating them with an axe; castrating them with a pair of pliers; or killing them by bashing their head into an electrical box.”
While M-rated games are designed for adults, there is no prohibition to selling such games to children. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reports that 42 percent of unaccompanied children 13 to 16 years of age can successfully purchase M-rated games.
In June 2005, the ESRB and Rockstar were involved in a multi-million dollar scandal dubbed by media watchers as “Hot Coffee,” in which Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, a game originally rated M by the ESRB, was found to have hidden animations allowing players to watch graphic scenes of oral sex, nudity, and simulated intercourse.
Over the summer, United States District Court Judge Ronald Whyte struck down the law authored by Senator Yee to fine retailers who sell extremely violent video games to minors, similar to prohibitions on pornography, alcohol, and tobacco. The State of California is appealing the district court’s decision.
SACRAMENTO – Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo), the author of California’s law attempting to prohibit the sale of extremely violent video games to minors, today urged parents to avoid purchasing Manhunt 2, a game already banned in England and that many have called the most violent video game ever produced.
Not surprisingly, this game is being released on Halloween,” said Yee. “Halloween already presents many safety concerns for parents. With the release of Manhunt 2, parents will now face a new challenge from the purveyors of violence.”
Manhunt 2 will hit store shelves at major retailers tomorrow and be available at under $30 – a price child advocates fear is enticing for some parents and affordable for many minors.
It is imperative that parents avoid purchasing this game for their children and always review the video games their children are playing,” said Yee, who is also a child psychologist. “Ultra-violent, interactive video games such as Manhunt 2 can have negative effects on our children.”
Earlier this year, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) gave Manhunt 2 a rating of AO (Adults Only). The ESRB designation of AO was only the second time a game had been given such a rating based on violent content. However, in August the game was re-rated M (Mature) after Rockstar Games, the game’s maker, submitted a modified version. The ESRB and Rockstar failed to publicly disclose what content had been removed from the game.
According to the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC), reviews of the original game content described players “sawing their enemies’ skulls in half; mutilating them with an axe; castrating them with a pair of pliers; or killing them by bashing their head into an electrical box.”
While M-rated games are designed for adults, there is no prohibition to selling such games to children. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reports that 42 percent of unaccompanied children 13 to 16 years of age can successfully purchase M-rated games.
In June 2005, the ESRB and Rockstar were involved in a multi-million dollar scandal dubbed by media watchers as “Hot Coffee,” in which Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, a game originally rated M by the ESRB, was found to have hidden animations allowing players to watch graphic scenes of oral sex, nudity, and simulated intercourse.
Over the summer, United States District Court Judge Ronald Whyte struck down the law authored by Senator Yee to fine retailers who sell extremely violent video games to minors, similar to prohibitions on pornography, alcohol, and tobacco. The State of California is appealing the district court’s decision.
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