Report: Parents, Kids Argue Over Video Game Habits

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4  /PRNewswire/ -- In the 12th Annual MediaWise(R) Video Game Report Card, the National Institute on Media and the Family highlighted a growing complacency among retailers, parents and the gaming industry regarding video game rating awareness, enforcement and usage. This year, the report card included the 1st Annual MediaWise-Harris Interactive(R) Poll, which revealed that parents and their children, especially those 8-12 years old, have repeated arguments over when and how much time kids can play video games.

"Over the past 10 years, parents, national retailers and the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) had made substantial progress in keeping violent video games out of the hands of children," said Dr. David Walsh, president and founder of the National Institute on Media and the Family. "But, over time, complacency seems to have set in and we became too comfortable with the status quo while the industry keeps rapidly changing. That means everyone has to be more vigilant in understanding and enforcing the ratings."

The poll also showed that of the kids who play video games, one in five reported that their parents never play any of the games with them. This may be one of the causes contributing to the fact that almost half (49%) of young players (8-12 years old) and most young teens (78%) admit to playing M-rated (Mature) video games.

Also revealed in this year's poll was the growing friction in families when it came to regulating a child's video gaming habits. Almost four out of 10 parents who have kids who play video games (38%) have repeated arguments with their children about the amount of time they spend playing video games. Arguments about when games should be played are common as well. These findings suggest that video games present families with more than the escape and entertainment they bargained for.

Joined by U.S. Representative Betty McCollum (D-MN) and U.S. Senators Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Walsh issued this year's grades to parents, retailers and the ESRB for ratings enforcement and education as well as a grade to the video game industry's parental controls and marketing tactics. The grades include:

  "C"  for parental involvement as too many parents do not understand video
       game ratings and don't use them to keep inappropriate games out of
       their kid's hands;
  "B-" for the ESRB's ratings education efforts;
  "C-" for retailer policies as fewer retailers are participating in efforts
       to educate their customers and employees on the ratings; and,
  "C"  for the gaming industry. While Microsoft should be commended for its
       new screen time timer, some game makers and console manufacturers
       have conducted questionable marketing tactics.




Another area of concern in this year's report card was the National Institute on Media and the Family's retail enforcement survey results. This year, kids successfully purchased M-rated games almost 50 percent of the time. While specialty stores substantially improved their compliance rates this year, national retailers and rental stores were permitting too many kids under the age of 16 to successfully purchase M-rated (Mature) games. While there were a few shining stars, like Kmart, EB Games and Hollywood Video, that prevented minors from buying a video game 100 percent of the time, there is still plenty of room for improvement. Perhaps the worst example of the system failing was an incident in which a 16-year-old girl was requested to show her ID, but after the clerk reviewed her ID, she was still able to purchase an M-rated game intended for players 17 and up.

Other areas of special concern highlighted in the 12th Annual MediaWise Video Game Report Card include:

  -- More parents understand TV ratings than video game ratings;
  -- Older teens are able to purchase M-rated games more often than not;
  -- Some churches and libraries hosting video game tournaments with popular
     M-rated (Mature) video games, like Halo 2, to recruit youth to use
     public libraries and participate in church activities.




Similar to previous years, the Annual MediaWise Video Game Report Card provides parents a list of recommended video games and games to avoid.

      The full report card is available at http://www.mediawise.org/.

  About the National Institute on Media and the Family


The National Institute on Media and the Family is an independent non-partisan, non-sectarian, nonprofit organization. The Institute's mission is to maximize the benefits and minimize the harm of media on the health and development of children and families. For more information, visit http://www.mediawise.org/.

Method

The YouthQuery(SM) was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive between August 15 and August 22, 2007 among 1,360 U.S. 8-18 year olds, including 1,158 8-16 year olds (597 8-12 year olds and 561 13-16 year olds). The results presented in the 2007 MediaWise Video Game Report Card are based only on the 8-16 year olds.

The Harris Poll(R) was conducted online within the United States between September 11 and 18, 2007 among 2,392 adults (aged 18 and over) of whom 690 have a child in their household.

No estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. A full methodology for each study is available.

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is the 13th largest and one of the fastest-growing market research firms in the world. The company provides innovative research, insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research methods. The company has built what it believes to be the world's largest panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its North American, European and Asian offices, and through a global network of independent market research firms. More information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at http://www.harrisinteractive.com/.

To become a member of the Harris Poll Online and be invited to participate in online surveys, register at http://www.harrispollonline.com/. 

National Institute on Media and the Family