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VIOLENCE IN VIDEO GAMES
Y 4. EN 2/3; 103-124
Uiolence in Video Ganes/ Serial Ho
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON
TELECOxMMUNICATIOXS AND FINANCE
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON
ENERGY AND COMMERCE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED THIRD CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
JUNE 30, 1994
Serial No. 103-124
Printed for the use of the Committee on Energy and Commerce
VI-
Nov 2
/554
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
83-286CC WASHINGTON : 1994
For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office
Superintendent of Documents. Congressional Sales Office. Washington, DC 20402
ISBN 0-16-045912-5
o 1 '^n/-
VIOLENCE IN VIDEO GAMES
Y 4. EN 2/3: 103-124
Uiolence in Uideo Ganes, Serial No
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON
TELECOxMMUXICATIONS AND FINANCE
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON
ENERGY AND COMMERCE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED THIRD CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
JUNE 30, 1994
Serial No. 103-124
Printed for the use of the Committee on Energy and Commerce
^ S!94
^^â– u
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
83-286CC WASHINGTON : 1994
For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office
Superintendent of Documents. Congressional Sales Office. Washington, DC 20402
ISBN 0-16-045912-5
COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE
JOHN D. DINGELL,
HENRY A. WAXMAN, CaUfornia
PHILIP R. SHARP, Indiana
EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts
AL SWIFT, Washington
CARDISS COLLINS, IlUnois
MIKE SYNAR, Oklahoma
W.J. "BILLY' TAUZIN, Louisiana
RON WYDEN, Oregon
RALPH M. HALL, Texas
BILL RICIiARDSON, New Mexico
JIM SLATTERY, Kansas
JOHN BRYANT, Texas
RICK BOUCHER, Virginia
JIM COOPER, Tennessee
J. ROY ROWLAND, Georgia
THOMAS J. MANTON, New York
EDOLPHUS TOWNS, New York
GERRY E. STUDDS, Massachusetts
RICHARD H. LEHMAN, California
FRANK PALLONE, Jr., New Jersey
CRAIG A. WASHINGTON, Texas
LYNN SCHENK, California
SHERROD BROWN, Ohio
MIKE KREIDLER, Washington
MARJORIE MARGOLIES-MEZVINSKY,
Pennsylvania
BLANCHE M. LAMBERT, Arkansas
Alan J. Roth, Staff Director and Chief Counsel
Dennis B. Fitzgibbons, Deputy Staff Director
Margaret A. Durbin, Minority Chief Counsel and Staff Director
Michigan, Chairman
CARLOS J, MOORHEAD, CaUfornia
THOMAS J. BLILEY, Jr., Virginia
JACK FIELDS, Texas
MICHAEL G. OXLEY, Ohio
MICHAEL BILIRAKIS, Florida
DAN SCHAEFER, Colorado
JOE BARTON, Texas
ALEX MCMILLAN, North Carolina
J. DENNIS HASTERT, IlUnois
FRED UPTON, Michigan
CLIFF STEARNS, Florida
BILL PAXON, New York
PAUL E. GILLMOR, Ohio
SCOTT KLUG, Wisconsin
GARY A. FRANKS, Connecticut
JAMES C. GREENWOOD, Pennsylvania
MICHAEL D. CRAPO, Idaho
Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance
EDWARD J.
W.J. "BILLY' TAUZIN, Louisiana
MARKEY, Massachusetts, Chairman
JACK FIELDS, Texas
THOMAS J. BLILEY, Jr., Virginia
MICHAEL G. OXLEY, Ohio
DAN SCHAEFER, Colorado
JOE BARTON, Texas
ALEX MCMILLAN, North CaroUna
J. DENNIS HASTERT, IlUnois
PAUL E. GILLMOR, Ohio
CARLOS J. MOORHEAD, CaUfornia
(Ex Officio)
RICK BOUCHER, Virginia
THOMAS J. MANTON, New York
RICHARD H. LEHMAN, CaUfornia
LYNN SCHENK, CaUfornia
MARJORIE MARGOLIES-MEZVINSKY,
Pennsylvania
MIKE SYNAR, Oklahoma
RON WYDEN, Oregon
RALPH M. HALL, Texas
BILL RICHARDSON, New Mexico
JIM SLATTERY, Kansas
JOHN BRYANT, Texas
JIM COOPER, Tennessee
JOHN D. DINGELL, Michigan
(Ex Officio)
David H. Moulton, Chief Counsel /Staff Director
Kristan Van Hook, Policy Analyst
Winifred A. Loeffler, Legislative Assistant
Catherine M. Reid, Minority Counsel
Michael Regan, Minority Counsel
(II)
CONTENTS
Page
Testimony of:
Kelly, Marcy, president, Mediascope 12
Lantos, Hon. Tom, a Representative in Congress from the State of Cali-
fornia 4
Lowenstein, Douglas, president, Interactive Digital Software Association . 14
McAfee, Robert E., president-elect, American Medical Association 16
Thomas, Stanley, president, Sega Channel 8
(III)
VIOLENCE IN VIDEO GAMES
THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 1994
House of Representatives,
Committee on Energy and Commerce,
Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance,
Washington, DC.
The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:18 a.m., in room
2322, Raybum House Office Building, Hon. Edward J. Markey
(chairman) presiding.
Mr. Markey. Good morning and welcome to the Subcommittee
on Telecommunications and Finance. Our hearing is on violence in
video games, ratings and blocking technology.
Conservative growth estimates suggest that the game industry
will double in the next few years, soon reaching $15 billion annu-
ally. Nintendo imports alone made up nearly 10 percent of the U.S.
trade deficit with Japan in 1993.
I will say that again. Nintendo imports alone made up nearly 10
percent of the U.S. trade deficit with Japan in 1993.
Four out of ten U.S. households have Sega or Nintendo systems
according to a recent Newsday report. This phenomenal growth will
only increase as these industries gain access to the information su-
perhighway and the opportunities it brings.
On Tuesday, the House resoundingly passed legislation crafted
by this committee to spur the development of the information su-
perhighway and to encourage the communications revolution.
There is great promise in the technology that will increase opportu-
nities for learning, for work, for communication and for pure enter-
tainment.
These advances in technology will make it possible for a 12-year-
old to retrieve the Grapes of Wrath with a click of a mouse from
the Library of Congress. That same technology will allow him to
download Mortal Kombat with his remote control without having
to lie about his age or ask in person at a video store.
These developments, which this subcommittee has encouraged,
require us to take a careful look at what this can mean for parents
trying to raise children in a violent world. There have been hun-
dreds of scientific studies over the past 3 decades documenting the
effects of media violence on children. Numerous public health
groups, professional organizations and government agencies have
reviewed these studies independently and come to the same conclu-
sion: Media violence contributes to the problems of violence and ag-
gression in our society.
Games that have been criticized for excessive violence will soon
be available over cable systems and eventually over the phone sys-
(1)
tern and other communications networks. Just as the technological
developments that enable a game to portray graphic death scenes
have led to plans for a rating system, technological advances that
will bring these games directly into people's living rooms by way
of cable or phone systems underscore the need for finding ways to
strengthen the ability of caregivers to protect young children from
excessive and gratuitous video violence. That is why we are here
today.
[The prepared statements of Mr. Markey and Mr. Fields follow:]
Statement of Edward J. Markey
Good morning and welcome to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Fi-
nance oversight hearing on violence in video games, ratings, and blocking tech-
nology.
Conservative growth estimates suggest that the game industry will double in the
next few years, soon reaching $15 billion dollars annually. Nintendo imports alone
made up nearly 10 percent of the U.S. trade deficit with Japan in 1993. Four out
of ten U.S. households have a Sega or Nintendo system according to a recent
Neivsday report. This phenomenal growth will only increase as these industries gain
access to the information superhighway and the opportunities it brings.
On Tuesday, the House resoundingly passed legislation crafted by this committee
to spur the development of the information superhighway and to encourage the com-
munications revolution. There is great promise in the technology that will increase
opportunities for learning, for worK, for communication, and for pure entertainment.
Because we are in the earlv stages of building the superhighway, we are in a unique
position to build in the tools that parents need to address this situation.
Advances in technology will make it possible for a 12-year-old to retrieve The
Grapes of Wrath with the click of a mouse from the Library of Congress. That same
technology will allow him to down-load Mortal Kombat with his remote control with-
out having to lie about his age or ask in person at a video store.
These developments, which this subcommittee has encouraged, require us to take
a careful look at what this can mean for parents trying to raise children in a violent
world. There have been hundreds of scientific studies over the last 3 decades docu-
menting the effects of media violence on children. Numerous public health groups,
professional organizations, and government agencies have reviewed these studies
independently and have come to the same conclusion: Media violence contributes to
the problems of violence and aggression in our society.
Games that have been criticized for excessive violence will soon be available over
cable systems and eventually over the phone system and other communications net-
works. Just as the technological developments that enable a game to portray graph-
ic death scenes have led to plans for a rating system, technological advances that
will bring these games directly into people's living rooms via the cable or phone sys-
tem underscore the need for finding ways to strengthen the ability of caregivers to
protect young children from excessive, gratuitous and voluminous video violence.
Parents have the right to supervise their children and to make decisions about
what toys and activities are appropriate. This includes the ability to control what
comes into their living rooms, often without their knowledge or consent. It is unrea-
sonable to believe that in the future parents will be able to supervise hundreds of
channels and interactive games. We no longer live in a world in which kids go home
to Mom and a bowl of tomato soup for lunch.
I would like to take the opportunity this morning to applaud the progress made
by the video game and software industries in addressing the problem of violence in
the entertainment media. They join the cable industry and the satellite industry in
making a responsible commitment to this Nation's parents to help them to choose
what their children watch. The tremendous progress they have made with a rating
system has occurred in less than a year.
After decades of parental concern. Congressional hearings, and public health
warnings, the broadcast industry yesterday announced a plan to conduct an annual
report on violence on their networks. This is a very positive step. But an annual
report does not help parents control day-to-day television viewing for their young
children.
The television set manufacturers are also prepared to participate in providing par-
ents with the ability to block violent programs. They are hoping to build into TV
sets the "V-chip" blocking capability that has been proposed in H.R. 2888 by myself,
Representative Fields, and many other members. Their voluntary efforts to address
this issue are being opposed by the broadcast industry. I am hopeful that their pro-
posal succeeds.
It is just this kind of voluntary, good faith effort that is the best answer to public
concern surrounding these issues. If the V-chip can be built into sets voluntarily,
parents will have access to this technology far more quickly than if we had to pass
legislation.
I look forward to hearing from our distinguished panel who have spent a great
deal of time and energy on this important issue.
Statement of Hon. Jack Fields
Mr. Chairman, I appreciate your holding this oversight hearing on video game vi-
olence. Previously, we have had a series of hearings on excessive violence in tele-
vision. As video games begin to be distributed via mass media, it is appropriate that
we hold this hearing today.
We have seen a dramatic change in the complexity of video games over the years
as technology has improved. Video games have advanced from crudely drawn ani-
mated figures to more realistic figures capable of performing a variety of actions —
including, unfortunately in some instances, murdering and disfiguring other video
characters. My son. Josh, spends many hours playing these video games and as the
games are made available on cable, I can expect he will spend even more time be-
fore the television.
With the potential of more children being exposed to video games on the broadcast
channels and cable parents need to be provided with adequate information about
games that they may consider unsuitable for their children, and parents need to be
able to prevent their children from having access to those games which are inappro-
priate.
Mr. Chairman, I want to commend your leadership in addressing the issue of vio-
lence in the media. I am convinced that largely due to your efforts, the broadcast
and cable industry has responded so positively to the challenge to protect our chil-
dren against exposure to excessive violence on television. The latest evidence of this
response is yesterday's announcement by the four networks to appoint an independ-
ent program monitor, the UCLA Center for Communications Policy, to review their
programming over the next two television seasons. This, together with the cable in-
dustry's recent appointment of Mediascope to review cable programming, indicates
the television industry's strong commitment to addressing the violence issue.
I would also like to commend the video game industry for creating an industry
wide ratings system. This rating system will cover more than 2,500 interactive soft-
ware titles annually. I hope we will see the ratings system in place soon. I am inter-
ested to hear how the industry will assist parents during the implementation period
of the ratings system.
Again, I thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I look forward to the testimony of today's
panel.
Mr. Markey. We have a distinguished group of guests who will
be testifying, and we look forward to their testimony.
Let me turn and recognize the gentlelady from California, Ms.
Schenk.
Ms. Schenk. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for hav-
ing this hearing.
And particularly I want to note the presence of our very good
friend. Congressman Lantos. We use the word good friend here a
lot, but it has special meaning for me with Congressman Lantos.
Today's hearing is a step in the right direction in our subcommit-
tee's oversight of violent entertainment, and it is an important
step. Video games have become as important a force in the lives
of our children as cable or broadcast television.
Tomorrow's entertainment universe will offer children not only
video on demand but video games on demand. And we should view
violent video games with the same concern and the same urgency
that we view violent TV programming. Today, parents need our
help to decipher the differences between hundreds of video game ti-
tles.
It is crucial that parents have one consistent set of standards or
ratings for computer software, for Sega games, for Nintendo and
for all the others. It is crucial that we have an independent body
that develops and evaluates these standards in the best interests
of parents and children, not industry.
I know that graphic video games such as Night Trap and Mortal
Kombat are at this point the exception and not the rule, but we
have to be proactive to make sure that they don't become the rule.
I look forward to working with you, Mr. Chairman, and with the
industry to ensure that these efforts continue with some amount of
urgency.
And I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr, Markey. The gentlelady's time has expired.
We will turn to Congressman Tom Lantos who is the sponsor of
the lead legislation here in the House of Representatives on this
issue. And we appreciate the fact that you are willing to come here
and testify today, Tom. Whenever you are ready, please begin.
STATEMENT OF HON. TOM LANTOS, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
Mr. Lantos. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Congresswoman Schenk.
I am delighted to be here.
At the outset, I want to commend you for your enormous con-
tributions toward making our society more civilized because that is
basically what we are dealing with. Some view your V-chip legisla-
tion as a technological fix. It is far more than a technological fix.
It is a significant step in the direction of turning this society of in-
creasing violence, sadism, blood, mayhem, into a somewhat more
civilized society. I want to salute you, and I want to tell you that
I am delighted to cosponsor that legislation.
We need, of course, not just a technological fix but a judgmental
fix. And that is where the legislation of Senator Lieberman, Sen-
ator Kohl, in the other body and my legislation in the House, H.R.
3785, steps in.
I must begin with a personal confession. I am not a great player
of interactive video games because I am part of the generation that
grew up on chess. And while chess may be less
Mr. Markey. But not in the United States.
Mr. Lantos [continuing]. — Less visually exciting, it has in many
ways some intellectual challenge attached to it, and I don't regret
being part of the chess generation.
But being the proud grandfather of 15 grandchildren, it came to
me as a personal shock as I was visiting with some of them that
a friend had given them one of these nightmare games. And these
otherwise marvelous little children were relishing the degree of sa-
dism and torture that they could engage in. And I decided that it
was both a professional and a personal responsibility to do some-
thing about it, which accounts for my involvement in this issue.
I think it is important to realize, Mr. Chairman, that torture, sa-
dism and violence have existed long before this industry was
bom — from Chinese water torture to the Marquis de Sade and
Dracula in my own native country. And we have a long and
undistinguished record of creativity in terms of portraying horror
to one another.
And I suspect that at a time when our daily papers are filled
with everything from drive-by shootings to the nightmare of Bosnia
and Schindler's List, it is important to realize that we have an
enormous pedagogic responsibility to bring judgment to bear on
what is available to children.
And here I must say that, in my view, the particular platform
is utterly secondary. Whether a parent picks up a cassette and
takes it home to play or whether this comes directly via cable or
by television or by any other mechanical device is a very secondary
aspect of this matter. It is the substance we are dealing with.
I think it is fair to say that a portion of the industry deserves
a great deal of credit for working with us in attempting to establish
an independent rating commission. It is our hope, the hope of Sen-
ator Lieberman, myself and others who are involved with H.R.
3785 on the House side, that the industry itself will develop a cred-
ible and independent ratings system that will do the job.
And our legislation, as you know, Mr. Chairman, has a built-in
sunset provision. We go out of business if the industry does this,
and that is our hope.
I would be less than candid with you if I did not report that seg-
ments of the industry are wholly uncooperative, and we are deter-
mined to take whatever steps are necessary — blocking their mar-
keting capabilities or whatever other legal means that might be at
our disposal, nationwide boycotts by parent-teacher organizations,
teacher organizations, school boards and others — to see to it that
this nightmare is not allowed to penetrate the consciousness of the
upcoming generation.
I would be delighted to answer any questions you may have. And
I want to commend, again, you and Congressman Schenk for the
outstanding leadership you have provided.
Mr. Markey. Well, could you tell us who is not being coopera-
tive? Where do you see the problem in this industry?
Mr. Lantos. Well, basically — and I don't want to generalize, but
I think this generalization is as close to being accurate as gen-
eralizations are — the major and responsible players in the industry
seem to be cooperative and want to resolve the issue without gov-
ernmental interference, which is our hope, and establish a bona
fide, substantive, independent rating commission that will provide
parents with an opportunity to exercise their judgment.
There are large numbers of smaller and independent operators
who, for a variety of reasons, some of them in my judgment utterly
synthetic, claim that it would place too large a burden on them to
move along these lines and so far have refused to cooperate.
As you know. Senator Lieberman is scheduling a hearing for
early next month, middle of next month, and we hope to be able
to meet this issue head on.
I just would like to say, Mr. Chairman, we are determined to
deal with the issue without any loopholes. The final product, the
minds of our children, is far too precious to allow recalcitrant en-
trepreneurs to block our efforts.
Mr. Markey. So you would think that legislation is necessary un-
less we could be sure that we were capturing all the recalcitrant
participants?
Mr. Lantos. I am convinced that legislation is necessary. The
legislation that we are sponsoring is sort of a two-stage legislation.
It calls for the establishment of an independent rating commission,
and, hopefully, this will be industry-provided, industry-supplied, in-
dustry-funded. And will do the job. If it doesn't, we have to take
additional steps, because defeat cannot be allowed in this arena.
Mr. Markey. One of the concerns that we have on this sub-
committee is that, from broadcasting to movies in theaters to the
cable industry to video game makers to software manufacturers,
there is no common sense of what a standard ratings system
should look like. No rating that parents could rely upon, that they
would see on any product to mean something, as we now try to do
with food or with other consumer products.
Can you give us your views on that with regard to how we could
synthesize, perhaps, the efforts that are taking place across all of
these various technologies?
Mr. Lantos. Mr. Chairman, the problem of not being able to
agree on a common system of rating is not an intellectual problem.
It is clearly an attempt by segments of the industry to escape any
and all participation in any other entity except their profit-seeking
motive in determining what our children see and what games our
children or grandchildren play with.
This is clearly not a task which is beyond our intellectual capa-
bility. As a matter of fact, my mention of Schindler's List, for in-
stance, very clearly indicates that the issue cannot be either tech-
nological or mechanical. There is an enormous amount of mayhem
and bloodbath in Schindler's List, yet it is my hope that the film
will be seen by every teenager in this country as a pedagogic de-
vice.
We are not dealing with a mechanistic notion of what is violence.
Violence must be put in a context where the portrayal of violence
serves a useful educational function. The portrayal of violence can
play an extremely important social constructive role. It is incon-
ceivable to me that those segments of the industry which are drag-
ging their feet and are opposing our legislation claim for a moment
that it is impossible to rate their product. They simply don't want
any rating.
And as the tobacco industry has been discovering lately and a
number of other purveyors of undesirable products, physical or in-
tellectual or mental or psychological, the public won't stand for
this.
So my hope is that as we move along in the next few weeks and
months we will have total industry cooperation. If we won't, we will
not be deterred to take whatever legal steps are at our disposal,
whatever commercial pressure is at our disposal, whatever embar-
rassing public exposure is at our disposal to deal with it.
Let me just mention one specific example of how this works.
Earlier on, I was chairman of a subcommittee with oversight on
OSHA, and one of the topics that I became fascinated by is the per-
sistence of child labor at the end of the 20th century. We attempted
to deal with the worst violators of child labor on the basis of per-
suasion, and we failed.
Then we had a nationally televised hearing during the course of
which a beautiful woman testified with tears in her eyes that her
only 15-year-old boy was killed trying to deliver Domino's Pizza
under the 30-minute deadline on a wet and slippery road. Now, the