Warning of an "epidemic" of violence in video games, an industry watchdog on Thursday blasted some of the biggest titles of the year for treating women as sex objects and rewarding violence against them.
The National Institute on Media and the Family released its seventh annual report card on the video game industry at the Washington offices of Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, a long-time advocate of restrictions on violent games.
"Video game violence is now an epidemic, and violence against women has become a black mark on the entire industry," the report's author and the institute's founder, David Walsh, said in a statement.
The hottest new game of 2002, Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.'s "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City," took the brunt of the institute's criticism in its report.
"'Grand Theft Auto: Vice City' is receiving rave reviews for its technical excellence. However, its portrayal and mistreatment of women is disturbing," the report said. "The brutal murder of women as entertainment should be cause for great concern."
Also, many thanks to jago6498 for his post in BPN - Game industry gets an "F" :-(
View: Report Condemns Sex, Violence in Video Games
News source: Reuters UK
