RSSRepublicans Slam Take-Two, FTC Settlement
By Ed Oswald | Published June 15, 2006, 3:34 PM
Upset with the Federal Trade Commission's settlement with Take-Two Interactive over "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," Republican members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and took a tough stand against violent video games on Wednesday.
While this particular effort is coming from the right, regulation of violent video games is a bipartisan issue. Senator Hillary Clinton has led the charge on the Democratic side, introducing legislation in the Senate late last year.
Several House committee members said the FTC was too lenient in its punishment of Take-Two. The settlement called for prominent disclosure on the cover of the game of any questionable material, unless the company had already informed the ESRB of its content. Additionally, the company is barred from misrepresenting the content of a game in the future.
As well as the above stipulations, Take-Two is now required to establish and maintain a system where content is reviewed prior to submission to a rating authority. Failure to comply with the order would result in fines of up to $11,000 per violation.
The FTC will also require Take-Two to file compliance reports on a regular basis, according to the settlement.
Michigan Republican Rep. Fred Upton said that the settlement was not even "a slap on the wrist," adding that he thought the FTC would have been more aggressive. The committee's chair, Rep. Joe Barton, added that the commission had yet to report to Congress on its investigation.
In a hearing on the matter, the FTC responded that it did not have the authority to impose any civil penalty on Take-Two. However, the lawmakers would hear none of it.
"[The video game makers] flout the law and continue to exploit our kids with violence and hate," said Florida Republican Cliff Stearns, according to Reuters. He said the agency needed to take a stand against companies like Take-Two in order to protect children from questionable content.
Lawmakers also urged more oversight of retailers, which current self-regulate the sale of violent video games to minors. An FTC study last year found 42 percent of children between ages 13 and 16 were able to buy "M" rated games.
This was an improvement, however, as 69 percent of minors were able to do the same in 2003.
This is just insane. It reminds of Oblivion which was rated teen, though you could shoot someone with an arrow, kill with a sword, etc. it was rated pretty low. The second someone could show barbie doll type nudity, it became 'M'? WTF?
We truely do have a puritan nation, I'd like to see any sex and any violent content be lumped as 'M', but just bumping ratings up on nudity is insane.
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|Wow, I had no Idea that the intelligence level on this forum was so low. You guys need to get a grip. The democratic party is dying and is in fact on it's last breath.
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|Okay.
Thanks for the insight. I won't ask you to back that up with any actual facts, as I am quite sure you have none.
Have a good day!
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|Only because the republicans are doing their best to make sure it is illegal to disagree with them.
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|So which passed law and/or pending bill has outlawed free speech for people not registered Republican? A Congressional search didn't turn anything up. Maybe you can point me in the right direction.
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|Too many to go through in a short amount of time, but the repubs bills on restricting 527s is one example. Setting up a multi-tiered internet is another.
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|"Foul language and personal attacks will not be tolerated."
What you posted could have been construde as such, but I don't care, I take your nasty insults. Apparently you can't take any opposition to your beliefs.
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|"[The video game makers] flout the law and continue to exploit our kids with violence and hate, said Florida Republican Cliff Stearns"
And yet your party advocates the same violence and hate in another part of the world. Hypocrit.
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|What?
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|It's called the Iraq war. Maybe you heard of it?
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|"the company is barred from misrepresenting the content of a game in the future"
does that mean it's ok for other companies?
lol
:-p
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|What a waste of time and money on the part of our government. I can't help but laugh at what a joke this is.
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|Until you realize your taxes are paying for it. Then it's no longer funny. It's infuriating.
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|Very true...
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|And of course, movies can have all the cop killing violence and sex, but dear goodness, no half-ass animated cartoon sex; after seeking it in fact!
Hypocritical vote-mongers. I'm starting to think that any re-election is bad. Let's cut term limits down to 1!
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|I'm a conservative, but hate having to vote Republican...
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|talk about hating yourself. ;P
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|Then don't. The republican party today is not conservative. They stand for the biggest expansion of the government in US's***ory. There really aren't any conservative values in that party.
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|Unfortunately, following that strategy hands a victory to Democrats, who are worse.
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|Oh, really now? Some are, the ones who follow the same neo-con philophy, oh, like Hillary Clinton, but not say, Russ Feingold, who you couldn't get a much better representation than that.
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|It's funny ... the GTA that I just beat a few days ago (GTA: LIBERTY CITY STORIES) has canibalism in it.
You actually see Donald Love, a character in the game, eating a corpse on a silver platter.
Yet, politicians are still worked up about this Hot Coffee mod that could only be available by using a hack than someone graphically eating corpses.
Politics suck.
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|FEAR is rife with it. No issues there, either.
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|Like flag burning and warning labels on records, this is all sound and fury. Republicans are defined by their incompetence on every issue they tackle. Meanwhile, #2500 gave it up today. Republicans just can't figure out how to tax sex in videogames, so they're bat-crazy in arms over it.
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|"Republicans are defined by their incompetence on every issue they tackle."
You are 100% correct.
Just look at the complete mess our country is in in just 6 years!
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|Hey we can agree on something :)
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|"Republicans just can't figure out how to tax sex in videogames, so they're bat-crazy in arms over it."
Perhaps the most incoherent comment I have ever read here.
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|How so? Explain that. I got the message quite clear. Republicans = corpratism = money, and if they don't get money, then often they will launch attacks again things. If they don't get lobbyist money from the game industry, they threaten more unneeded legislation. Some dems are the same, I won't argue that, but it's the ones who are in on this neo-con agenda. Not the ones who fight for civil liberties.
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|So, public whipping, following by tar and feathering, topped off with drawing and quartering might have been enough for our Puritan rulers?
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|Yea, well next there will be no smoking or cursing or drug use of any sort in video games.
Just like in some cities here in the States
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|"[The video game makers] flout the law and continue to exploit our kids with violence and hate"
Funny that they reference "violence and hate" when the questionable game material was about sex. No one was that upset when it was just about violence and hate.
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|Sure, you can steal cars, and murder ho's, but the second those clothes come off, mister, you're done!
Yeah, typical American parent.
*sigh*
How pathetic.
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|I love how parents like to blame the videogames (that THEY bought for their kids) as the source of the problem...
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|so...to paraphrase your point:
"parents...source of the problem"
I agree, wholeheartedly!
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|Too true!
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|maybe if being a politician wasn't a full time job they woudlnt waste our money.
instead theyre bored and want to make law for problems they dont need to get involved with.
parents are the responsible party for kids entertainment.
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