Gamertell

Leave it to the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) to take the fun out of this year’s most anticipated game, Grand Theft Auto IV. Teaming with the National Institute on Media and the Family, the two forces are strongly advising parents to take special notice of the ESRB rating for the upcoming game before buying it for children under the age of 17.

Due to be released Tuesday April 29, 2008, GTA IV isn’t the first game to be targeted by watchdog groups. Upon the release of GTA III numerous media groups and even the United States Congress targeted GTA for its explicit violence and graphic nature, many calling for the game to be pulled from shelves. However, these comments only helped promote GTA’s sales.

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The UK is all set to revamp the videogame rating system according to the recommendations made by Dr. Tanya Byron, who is heading a review into the ill effects of games and the internet in the U.K. Byron told Next-Gen that the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has assured her that the government will adopt her recommendations in full.

Byron also talked about the appreciation her report has drawn from British parents but her suggestions might be…

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The Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC), Australia’s classification board, has refused to give a rating to Digital Extreme’s latest game, Dark Sector, essentially making it illegal to sell the game in that country. The OFLC considers the game to be too violent.

Dark Sector is a third-person shooter about a black-ops agent named Hayden Tenno who, while investigating the propagation of a deadly virus, gets infected with it and turns into a bio-weapon with extraordinary combat abilities. One of the main weapons on the game is the glaive, a plate-sized throwing star much like the one on the movie Krull. This weapon can help…

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With the holidays around the corner and the recent video game report card showing lack of parental participation have spurred former Oklahoma State Senator Glenn Coffee to join ESRB president Patricia E. Vance to unveil a new public service announcement campaign to explain and encourage parents to use the video game rating system.

The 30 second TV and radio spot shows Coffee encouraging parents to check the rating on the package each time they purchase or rent a video game to ensure that its appropriate for their children and family as well as spending time with their children as they play to make sure the choice was appropriate. Coffee joins other state-level politicians from Washington, Utah, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Rhode Island and Idaho in a campaign to promote parent involvement and education about the ESRB rating system regarding the video games their children play.

What makes this interesting is Coffee’s involvement as a sponsor in Oklahoma’s unconstitutional video game law, House Bill 3004, which was passed by Governor Brad Henry in 2006.

But that’s in the past now as Coffee now supports the ESRB in his PSA spot, where he’s seen sitting in his office talking about the importance of Oklahoma retailers complying with their store policies and encouraging parents to take the time to arm themselves with the knowledge of the ESRB rating system.

“Doing things with your kids can be fun. One of the things we enjoy is playing a computer and video games together,” he said and in the video as Coffee is seen talking with his children and in another segment playing a game with his children. “But how do you choose which video games are appropriate for your children and family? We rely on the video game rating system.”

In a press release Coffee explains that “as a father, I know about the tough decisions parents face today about the media they allow into their homes. The simple fact is that there’s no substitute for parental involvement and responsibility,” he said. Coffee who is a father of four children continued to explain why “it’s important that parents play an active role in choosing games for their children, just as it’s important for Oklahoma retailers to comply with their store policies that restrict the sale or rental of M-rated games to those under 17. ESRB ratings are an effective and informative resource that allows parents to decide if the video game their child wants is appropriate. I’m proud to be educating parents in our state about the tools at their disposal.”

The PSA is currently being distributed to television and radio stations as well as cable providers in Oklahoma to hopefully reach parents before they head out to retailers to purchase video games as holiday gifts for their children. ESRB has also published brochures for Oklahoma which are available at Blockbuster stores.

Read [ESRB Press Release] Download [ESRB Oklahoma Brochure (PDF)] Site [ESRB]