Video Game Report Card PDF Manual Guide
For the past 13 years the National Institute on Media and the Family has issued an annual report on the issues and opportunities electronic games present for American families. The report card has been a very effective tool to bring about reforms in marketing practices, ratings accuracy, ratings education, and ratings enforcement at the retail level. We are proud that observers have called us the “conscience of the industry.” This year’s report card builds on our 13-year history by offering a progress report and road map.
As the industry has made reforms we have increasingly shifted our attention to the role of parents. This year’s edition continues in that direction. As the games become more sophisticated, parents must be aware that both the potential benefits and harm grow. So this year’s report card includes the 2008 Parents’ Guide to Video Games, an all-in-one summary that provides parents with everything they need to begin or continue making MediaWise video game choices for their kids. We hope you find this year’s report comprehensive and useful. New technology will present new opportunities as well as new challenges. We remain committed to providing parents with the tools and information they need to make every child’s relationship with video games a healthy one and usher in a MediaWise future
Gaming is Becoming a Big Part of Family Life As video game technology continues to evolve, so does its influence in the lives of American families. Once perceived by some to be a hobby for the young and the isolated, the video game is now an undeniably mainstream medium and often a catalyst for social activity involving people of all ages. And just as video games once conjured images of violence and cruelty in the minds of many, the term “video game” is now regularly accompanied by the term “family entertainment.” Video game producers continue to release
ultra-violent and mature-content titles, but increasingly, the big industry players are targeting parents and families as an important market for their products and services.
Despite the controversial M-rated games (for Mature) still receiving much of the hype and the headlines, the vast majority of game titles have family-friendly ratings. The industry emphasis on educational and family-friendly games has been accompanied by tie-ins with other family entertainment brands, such as Dora the Explorer. Content-neutral titles such as Rock Band and Guitar Hero continue to be family favorites. The past year has also seen a growing rise in games explicitly marketed to girls and women. With the Consumer Electronics Association claiming that 65 percent of 25-34 year old women are playing electronic games, the attention paid to female gamers
is only going to continue to increase
This effort by the industry to shed its previous reputation and expand its base of customers seems to be paying off as video game consoles are
becoming common components of many family home entertainment centers. Increasingly, the big three console makers, to varying degrees, are portraying their machines as “entertainment hubs,” to use Microsoft’s term. Americans can increasingly rely on them as catch-all devices serving the same functions previously only obtainable with the use of multiple components. All three of the major consoles offer users access to the Internet for online play as well as general browsing, and both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 include a high definition DVD player. The Nintendo Wii’s unique requirements for active game play (a subject discussed in more depth below) have meant the Wii is directly marketed as a family video game device. The campaign, and the functionality of the device itself, has made Wii the biggest seller among the three consoles. The three home consoles also now come equipped with parental control technology (as do some of the major handheld devices), making these entertainment systems as family-friendly as TVs with V-Chips.
Download Video Game Report Card PDF Manual Guide
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