Games Get Graded
Each year around this time the National Institute on Media and the Family (NIMF) releases its Videogame Report Card. The report assesses the industry's practices towards children and advises parents on what titles would make appropriate Christmas gifts for their kids. David Walsh, Ph.D., President and founder of the Institute, was joined by longtime videogame critic Senator Joseph Lieberman to present their grades to retailers, console manufacturers, parents, and the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB). This year the message was similar to previous years: "If there is a simple message we can give to parents, it is this -- 'watch what your kids watch, play what your kids play,'" said Dr. Walsh.
As part of the report, the Institute surveyed 1,430 third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students and their parents, and found a considerable gap between what kids and their parents had to say about videogames. While 99 percent of parents said they had a hand in which games their children bought and played, only 75 percent of children said they had to run a game by their parents first. And while 95 percent of parents said they talk to their kids about the games they're playing, 51 percent of the children said they didn't have this discussion. The report says, "perhaps parents are reluctant to confess how little they attempt to control the amount of time their kids spend in front of the screen. This much is certain: too many of us do not seem to exercise enough control. The amount of time kids spend playing videogames is on the rise."
The report also claims that videogames are associated with many health and social risks such as obesity, short attention spans, and a lack of social skills, but doesn't provide any research or evidence backing up these claims.
Read the full text here...Daemon Hatfield
Source: IGN