Kansas Republican Senator, Sam Brownback, has reintroduced the Truth in Video Game Rating Act (originally filed August 4, 2006) which ensures that video game rating companies play any game all the way through before assigning it a rating. As well, the act prohibits developers from withholding any content from the game from raters and punishes rating companies that do not follow through with thorough inspections. Currently, video game raters watch a video composed of short clips taken from different parts of the video game and according to Brown, the fact that some tapes do not adequately represent the games content creates an issue."Game reviewers must have access to the entire game for their ratings to accurately reflect a game's content."
The bill also commissions a Government Accountability Office study to determine if the Entertainment Software Rating Board's system is efficient and whether the Board could be controlled by outside parties with no financial interest. The study would also review the rating system on other entertainment such as television and movies. The Entertainment Software Association is strongly opposing the proposed bill. Company President, Doug Lowenstein, commented that some video games would be too long and would require professional gamers with skills necessary to play through games, not to mention that many games have an indefinite end. Similar bills have never made it to vote.
News source: DailyTech
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