F.E.A.R, Doom 3 among dozen games on annual gaming report blacklist

F.E.A.R, Doom 3 among dozen games on annual gaming report blacklist

WASHINGTON - The 10th Annual MediaWise Video Game Report Card released by the National Institute on Media and the Family says that games have become more violent and immoral and says that console makers and parents alike have to share the blame for kids being exposed to these games.

The report also says that titles such as "F.E.A.R." and "Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse" glamorize cannibalism and this has an adverse affect on a child's innocent mind. The nation's premier agency on the impact of video games on children said that M-rated video games were gaining huge popularity and parents were not aware that their kids were growing up playing such games.”

We feel the ESRB, which is owned and operated by the video game industry, needs to be overhauled. Retailers need to stop selling violent video games to children, and lead all entertainment sectors by embracing a universal independent ratings system," said Dr David Walsh, the president and founder, the National Institute on Media and the Family.

He added that even though there have been reforms in the games industry over the past decade, violent games were still freely available to children. He added that retailers were not making good on their promise not to sell M-rates games to children less than 17 years of age "Unfortunately, they're not making good on that promise. Retailers would rather appear as if they care about children, instead of actually taking small steps to protect them," he observed.

The report also warned parents that the content of 12 games was found to be very violent and was unsuitable for children. Far Cry, F.E.A.R, The Warriors, Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse, True Crime: New York City, Blitz: The League, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, God of War, Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil, Urban Reign, Conker: Live and Reloaded and Resident Evil 4 were the culprits in this list.

Peter Jackson's King Kong, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer, Honor Amongst Thieves and Backyard Baseball 2005 were some of the games that met with approval for kids in the report. A secret shopper survey found that young boys aged 9 were freely able to buy M-rates games as retailers were not bothered about their selling practices.

The number of girls able to buy these games also reached a new high, the report said. The report concluded by saying that gaming was in a large measure responsible for the obesity pandemic that was looming large over America's youth.