Video Games

PEGI The Pan-European Game Information (PEGI) age rating system was established to help European parents make informed decisions on buying computer games. It was launched in spring 2003 and replaced a number of national age rating systems with a single system now used throughout most of Europe, in 30 countries. The system is supported by the major console manufacturers, including Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. The PEGI labels appear on front and back of the packaging indicating one of the following age levels: 3, 7, 12, 16 and 18. They provide a reliable indication of the suitability of the game content in terms of protection of minors.

Descriptors shown on the back of the packaging indicate the main reasons why a game has received a particular age rating

Until now (2012) the British Board of Film Classification has provided 15 and 18 certificates that are legally enforceable. But there had never been the equivalent for 12-rated games, making it technically legal for children to buy them. Under the new rules, all games sold in the UK will now be regulated under the Pan European Game Information scheme, which makes it illegal to sell 12-rated video games to children The new system will end the BBFC's role in rating video games. All video games will be rated under the PEGI system by the Video Standards Council, unless the video game depicts "gross violence", "sexual activity" or "techniques likely to be useful in the commission of offences“. These must be classified under the British Board of Film Classification's (BBFC) film rating system under the Video Recordings Act of 1984.

The Act provides that it is an offence to supply such a game to anyone below the age limit, punishable by a fine of up to £5000 or up to six months in prison. However, in the region of 90% of all titles released on to the market are exempt from this legal classification.

Case Study 1- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a first- person shooter video game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. Released worldwide on November 10, 2009, it generated several controversies. In the game's fourth level, "No Russian", the player controls an undercover CIA agent who participates in a mass shooting at a Moscow airport to gain the trust of a Russian terrorist group. This level was largely criticized for allowing players to partake in a terrorist attack, international versions of the game were subject to censorship and rating changes due to the level's content.

Vince Horiuchi of The Salt Lake Tribune felt that the level was in poor taste following the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, and questioned why the level couldn't have been told through a non-interactive cut scene. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was subject to censorship and rating changes in international versions of the game, including the entire removal of the level from the Russian version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NMnnMRWJ-0 Norway's alleged mass killer, Anders Behring Breivik, testified that he played video games as a way to train for a shooting spree that killed 77 people last summer. In particular, he said at his trial that he played "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" as a means of shooting practice, according to CNN's report

Case Study 2- Grand Theft Auto V Grand Theft Auto V is an open world, action- adventure video game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. Upon its 17 September 2013 release on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the game generated controversies related to its violence and depiction of women. The mission "By the Book" generated controversy from reviewers for its depiction of torture. In the mission, protagonist Trevor Philips interrogates a man, Mr K, to extract information about an Azerbaijani fugitive who poses a threat to the FIB. Trevor uses torture equipment (such as electricity and pliers) on the restrained man, which players select from a table.

A 14-year-old Idaho boy in Coeur d'Alene had confessed to authorities about a pre-planned murder of his family members after idolising a violent game character, Trevor, in Grand Theft Auto 5. According to a report on KXLY, the boy shot his dad 3 times with a handgun after a scuffle outside the house. Then he found his brother hiding underneath his bed, the boy shot his brother 4 times with a shotgun, however he did not die, the boy then picked up a large knife and stabbed his brother multiple times before finishing him off with a machete, striking him repeatedly 30 times.

History of Controversies in Video Games First Controversial Video Game, "Death Race," -1976 The objective is to earn points by running over as many "gremlins" as possible within a given time frame. According to video game historian Steve L. Kent, “What got everyone upset about Death Race was that you heard this little 'ahhhk' when the person got hit, and a little gravestone came up.” Due to public outcry, Death Race’s manufacturer takes the game off the market

Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) Created -1993 After the controversial games such as “Mortal Kombat”, “Doom” and “Night Trap” , the ESRB, a self-regulatory organization that assigns age and content ratings to video games is established by the Entertainment Software Association. The rating system is strictly voluntary; however, nearly all video games are submitted for rating because many retail stores prohibit the sale of unrated video games and the major console manufacturers will not license games for their systems unless they carry ESRB ratings.

Jack Thompson Files First Video Game Lawsuit Anti-video games activist and attorney Jack Thompson files the first of what are to be a large number of lawsuits claiming video games are responsible for violence perpetrated by teens. The lawsuit is filed on behalf of the parents of three children killed in the Heath High School shooting in 1997.

Video Game Panic Reaches New Heights Following Columbine Massacre- 1999 Once it is revealed that the two students who opened fire at Columbine were fans of violent games, Doom in particular, people begin to blame the games for the tragedy. Several families of Columbine victims file a federal lawsuit against 25 entertainment companies for allegedly causing the deaths.

Mass shootings stir debate over media violence The tragic shooting at Sandy Hook elementary in Newtown, CT, in December of 2012, reopened the debate over the effects of media violence and especially the playing of violent video games. Community groups organized drives to remove video games and a number of libraries curtailed the playing of video games in their branches. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation pulled arcade games with plastic guns from rest areas along the Massachusetts turn-pike, replacing them with more "appropriate" games.