Video game excesses attract Mayor Menino's attention

6/23/09The "Cranial Collapse," the "Death Dive," and the "Castration via Razor Sharp Hat" are just some of the moves that gamers are presented with in today's video game age. Gone are the days where Pac Man ate ghosts, a frog navigated through traffic, and the Mario Brothers were trying to save a princess. The video game industry has turned into a multi billion dollar money-making machine that shows no signs of slowing down with new gaming systems and more and more games that are pushing the envelope as far as they can. But Boston Mayor Thomas Menino is eagerly trying to return that envelope to the sender.

Earlier this month, Menino, who officially announced his re-election campaign two weeks ago, launched a campaign to encourage "parents to use Entertainment Software Rating Board's (ESRB) information to choose age-appropriate games for children." The campaign was kicked off at UMass Boston at the "GoKids" Center, where Patricia Vance, president of the ESRB and Michele Brooks, the assistant superintendent of Boston Public Schools were on hand. The Mayor's message was simple in saying, "some video games are for kids. Some aren't."

Elliot Mizrachi,an ESRB spokesperson said that Boston is not the only city teaming up for this campaign. "A number of elected officials have teamed up with us in the past to get the message out. We have worked with attorney generals, state governors, and this most recently with Mayor Menino." Mizrachi said the rating process is done very meticulously. "A group of three or more raters look at the video game that must be submitted for each game in two forms. One in a written questionnaire form and then a DVD submission of all the aspects of the game that need to be rated." The raters are all adults and come from a background dealing with children and obviously know how to look for the specifications of violence, drugs, sex, etc., that are in the video games," Mizarachi said.

A popular gaming site, Gamespot.com, and Family Media Guide, recently released a list of the current "Top Ten Most Violent Video Games," and the list proves Menino's point. Some of the games included are "God of War," where the player "becomes a ruthless warrior, seeking revenge against the gods who tricked him into murdering his own family and prisoners are burned alive or torn apart." "Best Death Kills," which tracks the "best" ways to kill your opponent. One of which is the, "Osama Bin Laden BBQ," from the game "Postal 2." The "kill" involves the gamer to pour a gallon of gasoline on Bin Laden and then throw a box of matches on him.

Nick Martin, press assistant to the mayor, said this is all about "insuring safe activities for the children of Boston. With the summer months here and parents working and knowing how popular video games are, we just want to insure that kids are playing age appropriate games." Mayor Menino tried to have legislation passed last year that would strictly regulate video games and their ratings but it was not passed. ESRB then contacted the mayor and this partnership was born. The marketing campaign, which has already begun, will feature television, radio, and outdoor print ads that will be very at places like bus stations and malls.

Martin said that this campaign was not based on one particular game but was spawned off of what he called the "Grand Theft Auto "generation." "Grand Theft Auto" is a popular series of games in which the player has to complete certain tasks but in the process can go on shooting spree's, speeding, and prostitution. The game has been linked to several real life crimes with families drawing direct connections to the game.

Mayor Menino said he wants to make it clear, that all video games are not damaging. "There are a lot of fun and entertaining games out there, and we want parents to check the ratings and help their children pick the right ones.