Watchdog group praises games industry, criticizes parents

The video game industry can breathe a sigh of relief. It won't have to hide its report card anymore.

The National Institute on Media and the Family, a conservative media watchdog group that has repeatedly criticized the game industry for failing to adequately warn families about inappropriate content, issued its 13th annual video game report card on Tuesday. And for the first time, the industry got nearly straight A's, receiving high marks in its ratings system and retail policies.

"This year the industry has improved its ratings enforcement and given parents new tools when choosing the right video game for their child," said NIMF president David Walsh. "That's a significant step in the right direction."

Significant is right. As recently as 2005, the NIMF gave the Entertainment Software Ratings Board a resounding "F."

The NIMF still points out one problem-spot: parents. This year's report gave parents an 'Incomplete' for not paying enough attention to ratings and failing to use parental controls built into game consoles.

To remedy the situation, the NIMF has red-flagged ten violent games concerned parents should keep away from the under-17 crowd this holiday, citing excessive bloodshed and brutality:

• Blitz: The League II

• Dead Space
• Fallout 3
• Far Cry 2
• Gears of War 2
• Legendary
• Left 4 Dead
• Resistance 2
• Saints Row 2
• Silent Hill: Homecoming

Notably, all ten are already rated M for Mature, so for once the industry and the watchdog are in agreement. On the flipside, the NIMF recommends these Teen-rated alternatives:

• Guitar Hero World Tour

• Rock Band 2
• Rock Revolution
• Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
• Shaun White Snowboarding

Changed the industry in a way that the competition will have to adapt to and opened the door for all new gamers. Sadly, they seem to have alienated their oldest fans while doing so.

PS3-

Even though it launched to hype that it could have never lived up too, its just now proving to some of us that some of what was promised years ago, is a true! But it may be to little to late.

So 7 Eleven, the 4th meal hotspot, will be selling video games FULLTIME. Yes, video games and not just just those crappy games on the level of PC freeware titles that can be found hidden in the endless queues of download.com, but games that we actually play [And love], for the most part.

I personally like the idea of them becoming a viable gaming retailer, there were many times were I needed to hit up my local gaming boutique to buy the latest hit but I always ended up getting there after operating hours. Now, thanks to 7 Eleven, I can buy a slurpee, a footlong and Left4Dead all in the same store without having to wait until the next morning to buy it! w00t!