Children’s Group Says Video Games Are Too Violent

A children’s advocacy group on Monday leveled broad criticism at the video game industry, saying games are too violent and send messages that reinforce racial and gender stereotypes.

Oakland-based Children Now said a survey of popular titles showed that females and non-whites are underrepresented in games. When they are present, women are scantily clothed and more likely to be victims of violence, according to the survey. It also found that nearly 80% of games rated appropriate for all ages contain some violence.

“The preponderance of violence and the lack of representations of females and characters of color suggests that parents should not simply take the ratings as substitutes for their own judgment about what is best for their children,” said Lois Salisbury, president of Children Now.

Those in the game industry objected to the study’s methodology, which deems violent such games as “Ms. Pac Man,” “The Sims” and “Frogger.” Many, however, acknowledged that developers can do a better job of making games that appeal to a broad audience, not just young males.

“There are plenty of games that appeal to women, many of them enormously successful,” said Doug Lowenstein, president of the Interactive Digital Software Assn. “Can there be more? Absolutely.”

Lowenstein said varying definitions of violence make such studies subjective. Violence in games has not proven to encourage violent behavior in real life, he said.

Game developer American McGee, who designed “Alice” for Electronic Arts Inc., said conflict is one of a game maker’s most important tools.

“It’s hard to tell a story without conflict as a vehicle,” McGee said. “Games are cathartic, and people can act out their fantasies in a nondestructive way.”

Advocates at Children Now, however, said the ability of players to assume the role of characters makes games an especially powerful influence on behavior, attitudes and beliefs.

“These images can have unhealthy effects on children’s self esteem, behavior and relationships with others,” the study said.

The study found that more than 40% of players of video games are female, but just 13% of characters in games are. The survey of 70 games included the top 10 best-selling titles for seven popular hardware platforms.

But industry representatives said the list contains professional sports games such as “Madden NFL 2001,” which has only male players. In addition, a game such as “Michelle Kwan Figure Skating” was not counted.

“This list shows what people buy, not necessarily what we make,” McGee said.