Gamers: POTUS Candidates Hate You For Your Freedoms
By Nate Anderson
January 01, 2008 - 08:11PM CT

Video gamers, the Democratic presidential candidates have a simple message for you: "We are not afraid to regulate the sex and violence right out of your consoles. Don't make us do it." With the new year still shiny and filled with that fresh-from-the-dealership scent, it's a perfect time to kick back, pop that Orange Box disc into the drive, and let off a little steam with Gordon Freeman's crowbar.

But it's also worth taking ten minutes to ponder what gaming might look like after 2008's US presidential election (hint: that crowbar could be under increased scrutiny). To do that, let's turn to Common Sense Media, which sent questionnaires last autumn to the leading candidates of both parties. Now that Hillary Clinton's campaign has responded, the Democratic slate is well-represented (Mitt Romney was the only Republican to respond).

The questions covered several media issues, but the most important one for our purposes was the question about violent video games. Would the POTUS contenders use legislation to "keep violent video games out of kids' hands"? The Democrats (except for Clinton) all paid lip service to the idea of parental responsibility and industry self-regulation as the first, best hope for solving the problem.

"The ESRB is a good example of industry responsibility," said John Edwards. Barack Obama said that there's "a golden opportunity for the industry to do this on their own" and that he wants to "improve the voluntary ratings system we currently have." Bill Richardson stressed parental involvement and (somewhat oddly) pledged to give all federal employees eight hours of paid one-on-one time with their kids.

Ars Technica
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