US physicians urge game-ratings overhaul

[Spartan_X]

US physicians urge game-ratings overhaul

The American Medical Association calls for the ESRB's current system to be reexamined by the Federal Trade Commission, warns of possible health effects from overzealous gaming.

Earlier this week, the American Physiatrists Association tabled a resolution to "strongly encourage" the "inclusion of 'Internet/video game addiction' as a formal diagnostic disorder." That wasn't the end of the story, though. Now, the APA's parent organization, the American Medical Association, has called for further research on games' effects--and a reexamination of one of the game industry's central institutions.

Today, the AMA's Council on Science and Public Health issued a revised edition of a report first commissioned at last year's annual AMA meeting. Originally titled "Emotional and Behavioral Effects, Including Addictive Potential, of Video Games," the report is now called "Emotional and Behavioral Effects of Video Game and Internet Overuse."

Citing government studies, medical findings, and surveys commissioned by the Entertainment Software Association, the game industry's own lobby, the report came to several conclusions. Though it did say games can play a "potentially positive role" in society, the report outlined how the AMA is becoming increasingly worried about the effects of gaming on health.

"The [game] industry's predisposition toward age-inappropriate imaging and marketing techniques has led to concerns about untoward side effects, ranging from physical symptoms, such as seizures and tendonitis, to socially maladaptive behaviors, such as increased short-term aggressiveness and overuse syndromes," the report said.

The AMA report also issued several "directives to take action" on games. First, it called on the Federal Trade Commission and the ESRB to "establish an improved ratings system." It was unclear whether or not the suggested system would completely replace the old scheme, which issues letter-based ratings alongside a series of content descriptors.

ESRB president Patricia Vance responded to the AMA's directives by pointing out the ESRB ratings system's has been praised as "effective" by the FTC in the past. "While we agree with the AMA that parents should play an active role in determining which games their children play, their call for a review of the ESRB rating system seems to disregard the fact that the vast majority of parents are satisfied with ESRB ratings and use them regularly to choose games for their children," she told GameSpot via e-mail.

The AMA report also advocated a new nationwide initiative by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians to "educate physicians on the public health risks of media exposure and how to assess media usage in their pediatric populations and provide families with educational materials on the appropriate use of video games."

But while the AMA often described games and their effects in stark terms, its final report wasn't nearly as harsh as its prior form. As previously reported, the call to include game addiction as an official physiological disorder has been removed. Instead, the AMA is now merely asking the APA to review its report when preparing for the next revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, due in 2012.

Also gone is the AMA's recommendation that Internet usage and game playing be limited to "1 to 2 hours of total daily screen time." No new recommendations on time limits on gameplay and/or computer usage were offered in their place.

By Tor Thorsen -- GameSpot

Posted Jun 27, 2007 5:46 pm CT

Story from GameSpot: http://www.gamespot.com/news/6173252.html

Copyright ?2007 CNET Networks, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

[Emn1ty]

Might as well make a sports addiction illness, a learning addiction illness, movie addiction illness, and a weight lifting addiction illness. For christ's sake people, it is an entertainment medium, not a drug. It is no different to slice people up in God of War than it is to go watch the movie 300.

The only possible way the ESRB can be improved is if you had to get a license, like a driver's license, for a certain game and slide it into a console whenever you wanted to play it. It would then block you out if you were not old enough for the game. What people don't understand is that it is the complete responsibility of the parents to control what their kids are doing, and any addiction fostered to mature or any other kind of games under the age of 18 is entirely their own fault. If your kid is under the age of 13 and starts playing overly violent games, they are going to be a relatively unpleasant individual if those games are online ones where they can learn new ways to vent their anger.

IMO, just don't let a 12- child play T-M games, they are not going to understand them completely, and probably wont benefit from them. If your kid is under the age of 7 or 8, don't let him play any games. I say that because that is a sensitive time for them, and making games a regular part of their life in their early years will ingrain into them that games are a necessity, and not a leisure item.

Lastly... 2 hours of online time a day? If your kid is over the age of 13, he will probably need some form of internet access for longer than 2 hours for homework. Kids under the age of 11 shouldn't even be on the internet unless for a school project with parent supervision. The internet is a nasty place, protect your kids.

I laugh at the thought of gaming being a illness for a good 2 minutes.

[htwho]

Physicians + Video Gaming don't mix. Enough said.

[starmatrix]

if video games affect you that badly, then there was something wrong with you in the first place