A poll finds that 60% of consumers believe the US government should directly regulate the sale of “violent” videogames. Fifty-one percent want the government to regulate game content, according to a poll by New York based PR firm Hill & Knowlton.
In other news, 51% of Americans have never heard of the First Amendment.
The Entertainment Software Association released a statement criticizing both the findings, and the timing of the statement during the Christmas shopping season.
Hill & Knowlton’s decision to release these findings was both unprofessional and unethical and its timing is questionable. We understand that parents have concerns about mature content getting into the hands of children and we are working to help make sure that does not happen. Continued…
A study comparing the effects of “violent” media to health risks such as smoking and AIDS has concluded that violent television and videogames are almost as deadly as smoking.
The authors repeat the claim that videogames desensitize children to violent acts.
Increased heart rates, perspiration, and self-reports of discomfort often accompany exposure to blood and gore. However, with repeated exposures, this negative emotional response habituates, and the child becomes “desensitized.” The child can then think about and plan proactive aggressive acts without experiencing negative affect.
The conclusions were published in the December 2007 Journal of Adolescent Health. Continued…
I don’t know one gamer that’s a fan of in-game ads, but they’re here to stay. And according to a study by The Nielsen Company, they can influence gamers quite a bit.
Nielsen partnered with Massive Entertainment to study 600 gamers’ brand awareness after exposure to in-game ads, and found that the ads raised brand familiarity by 64 percent. They used Need For Speed Carbon equipped with online ads to perform the test. Continued…
