Watchdog group praises games industry, criticizes parents

[Dream]

The video game industry can breathe a sigh of relief. It won't have to hide its report card anymore.

The National Institute on Media and the Family, a conservative media watchdog group that has repeatedly criticized the game industry for failing to adequately warn families about inappropriate content, issued its 13th annual video game report card on Tuesday. And for the first time, the industry got nearly straight A's, receiving high marks in its ratings system and retail policies.

"This year the industry has improved its ratings enforcement and given parents new tools when choosing the right video game for their child," said NIMF president David Walsh. "That's a significant step in the right direction."

Significant is right. As recently as 2005, the NIMF gave the Entertainment Software Ratings Board a resounding "F."

The NIMF still points out one problem-spot: parents. This year's report gave parents an 'Incomplete' for not paying enough attention to ratings and failing to use parental controls built into game consoles.

To remedy the situation, the NIMF has red-flagged ten violent games concerned parents should keep away from the under-17 crowd this holiday, citing excessive bloodshed and brutality:

• Blitz: The League II
• Dead Space
• Fallout 3
• Far Cry 2
• Gears of War 2
• Legendary
• Left 4 Dead
• Resistance 2
• Saints Row 2
• Silent Hill: Homecoming

Notably, all ten are already rated M for Mature, so for once the industry and the watchdog are in agreement. On the flipside, the NIMF recommends these Teen-rated alternatives:

• Guitar Hero World Tour
• Rock Band 2
• Rock Revolution
• Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
• Shaun White Snowboarding

[robexib]

NIMF sounds like nymph to me.

Also, M-Rated games are not going to brainwash a well-raised kid into crime, drugs, and sex. These guys are still epically failtarded.

[shesarebel]

My friend and I were talking about this the other day, I am going to quote him and say that if a child does not know the difference between the game and reality and starts to act like the games he plays then isn't it more the parent's fault than the game company's?

[JamesRottnek]

I was giddy with joy after reading the Newt article. Now that is all gone. I ought to sue NIMF.

By the way, who thinks NIMF sounds like a sexual acronym, like MILF?

[Dream]

NIMF sounds like nymph to me.

It's like someone misspelling nymph.

I was giddy with joy after reading the Newt article. Now that is all gone. I ought to sue NIMF.

Don't be sad. Like we haven't heard this a million times before. But Newt...Newt was more enlightening.

[Got Liberty?]

Blitz: The League II
Dead Space
Fallout 3
Far Cry 2
Gears of War 2
Legendary
Left 4 Dead
Resistance 2
Saints Row 2
Silent Hill: Homecoming
Of those 10, eight are considered decent games; Fallout 3 and GoW 2 are likely to be Games of the Year.

Guitar Hero World Tour
Rock Band 2
Rock Revolution
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
Shaun White Snowboarding
The first two might be appreciated, if you're into that sort of thing. I'm not, personally.

But... Spider-Man? Freakin' Shawn White? No gamer, of any type, would prefer those to Fallout 3.

Parents are not the problem. Parents know their kids, so any knee-jerk fear reaction may be tempered by the knowledge that they can handle it. Conservative watchdog groups know three-year-olds. Maybe. Not that that matters; "knee-jerk fear reaction" is conservative watchdog groups' middle name.

National Institute on Knee-Jerk Fear Reaction, Media, and the Family.

[Agnapostate]

By the way, who thinks NIMF sounds like a sexual acronym, like MILF?

I wish Ken were here to elaborate on that.

[JohnOSevens]

Meh. To me the more the Christian groups hate it, the more I want autographed copies.

[robexib]

Minister, you hit the nail on the head.

Humans want what they cannot have, after all.