A group of four senators have called for the Nintendo Wii to be dealt with more harshly by the ESRB, because the Wii remote allows for more interactivity and, apparently, teaches children how to kill people. Yes, they seriously suggest that the Wiimote is a valuable tool for an education in murder.
“That system permits children to act out each of the many graphic torture scenes and murders in Manhunt 2 rather than simply manipulating a game pad,” claimed the senators as they called for a re-re-rate of Rockstar’s latest mess. “This led one clinical psychologist to state that the realistic motions used with the Wii mean that ‘You’re basically teaching a child the behavioral sequencing of killing.’ While this was not cited as the reason for the BBFC decision, we do believe that the ESRB should take the Wiimote controller, and future advances in game controllers, which create more realistic gaming environments, into consideration.”
Of course, the biggest problem here is that they are once again hiding behind the children to justify their thirst for regulation. Manhunt 2 is rated M for Mature, not K for Kiddy Killin’s A-GoGo. As Nintendo pointed out, the average gamer age is 33 and this game is not intended for young children. Some people need to evolve their prehistoric thinking. We’ve moved on from the age of Tetris.
The letter goes on to challenge the ESRB’s authority, essentially, asking it to review the “robustness” of its rating system. Of all the things I could say about the ESRB, I would never accuse it of slacking. It only allowed Manhunt 2 to become an M-rated game after edits were made, so these senators clearly don’t know what they’re talking about. What scares me though, are the claims made against the ESRB’s system, as if it isn’t good enough. Disagree with the ESRB I sometimes may, but I do not want government poking its nose into the board’s affairs. A government-controlled ratings board would mean the death of videogame evolution. GTFO our ratings board, senators.
[Cheers, Aerox]
