![]() ![]() Without parents monitoring, it's possible to buy any game you want through digital storefronts - all you need is a credit card or a prepaid card (which can be purchased by anyone online or at retail). Where the video game industry could find a sticking point is in the push toward digital game sales. If the call from Trump is to "put a rating system for that," there's an easy answer: One already exists. Moreover, it was created by the video game industry lobby group that is scheduled to meet with the president and other lawmakers on Thursday. The ESRB was actually created in response to calls from government officials to regulate video game ratings in the early '90s. ![]() Simply put: It's very difficult to buy a violent video game in a store as a minor. If you're publishing a game in North America, and intending to sell it in a retail store, you're required to have an ESRB rating.Īnd if you're buying a game in a retail store that is rated "M for mature," for people 17 and older, you're almost certain to be carded - independent reports put retail compliance with video game ratings at north of 90%. Games are rated for various groups based on a variety of factors, including violence and depictions of sex. The Entertainment Software Ratings Board is responsible for giving out video game ratings in North America. If you've ever purchased a video game, you've probably run into a video game rating. Maybe you've seen these logos before on your favorite video game? In other words, video games are not the determining factor. There's a simple answer to that, of course: The same video games are sold all over the world, yet gun violence is far more prevalent in the US than in the vast majority of countries where games are sold. ![]() If these teenage gunmen were playing this game, and capable of committing such a horrific act, what did that mean for all the other kids playing these games? Since the game primarily focuses on shooting a gun - at demons, in outer space - commentators suggested that the gunmen had trained for the real-life shooting by playing "Doom." The game featured a gun as the main point of interaction and perspective - the "first-person shooter" was a relatively new concept in video games back in 1999 - and thus arose suspicion. The two Columbine High School gunmen were active "Doom" players. But the Columbine High School shooting in 1999 brought it into the national conversation once again. The suggestion that violent video games and films are at least partly responsible for the rise and persistence of gun violence in the US dates back to the early '90s. I grew up playing video games - 'Call of Duty,' those first-person-shooter games - and I would never, ever dream of taking the lives of any of my peers. So, why are we talking about violent video games? Good question.Īs a Parkland shooting survivor named Chris Grady told CNN in a recent interview: "That's just a really pathetic excuse on behalf of the president. ![]() But it's also clear that video games are not being viewed as having any kind of role in the mass shooting on February 14. It's entirely likely that, as a 19-year-old in 2018, the suspect played video games at some point. Notably, that history doesn't include video games (let alone violent video games). A profile from the Sun Sentinel in Florida's Broward County - where the shooting took place with a legally purchased assault-style rifle - details a history rife with problems. The 19-year-old suspect in the Parkland school shooting was reportedly "fascinated by guns" and had a record of aberrant behavior. President Donald Trump met with a bipartisan group of lawmakers at the White House on February 28 to discuss school and community safety. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. ![]()
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