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The
task force follows the governor's announcement earlier this month
that he plans to introduce legislation to ban the distribution,
sale, rental and availability of violent and sexually explicit video
games to children under age 18. Right now, despite parents' best
efforts to shield their children from violent and sexually explicit
video games, nothing under Illinois law specifically prohibits
children from buying or renting them.
"Parents today have a tough job," the
governor said. "Many find it difficult -- if not impossible -- to
monitor the video games their kids are playing. And with so many new
games on the market, with more realistic depictions of sexual
activity and violence than ever before, parents need some help in
determining what games could be harmful to their children's health
and development. This task force -- made up of parents and experts
-- can do some of the important research and groundwork that most
parents and caretakers don't have time to do themselves."
The governor charged the task force
with informing him of parents' concerns, gathering information about
the effects of violent and sexually explicit video games on
children, and providing recommendations on how to educate parents
and the public about this issue. The task force will include a
parents' advisory committee to actively solicit input from parents
around the state, identify additional areas of concern regarding
violent and sexually explicit video games, and advise the task force
and governor on issues raised in their communities regarding video
games.
Blagojevich named the following individuals to the Safe Games
Illinois Task Force on Thursday:
- First lady Patti Blagojevich,
parent, Chicago
- Gayla Boomer, president, Illinois
Parent Teacher Association, Chicago
- Dr. Dan Broughton, American
Association of Pediatrics, Minnesota
- Alderman Ed Burke, Chicago City
Council, Chicago
- Paul Caprio, Family PAC, Chicago
- Dennis and Patty Ferrell,
parents, Herod
- Rep. John Fritchey, Illinois
House of Representatives, Chicago
- David Gee, parent, Chicago
- Doug Gentile, National Institute
on Media and Family, Iowa State University, Iowa
- Kelli Hill, parent, Normal
- Sheila Jamison, parent, Decatur
- Erin Kern, parent, Belleville
- Kelly and Audi King, parents,
Golconda
- Eric Leonard, parent, Decatur
- Laura Mills, parent, Evanston
- Nell Minow, The Corporate Library
and Moviemom.com, Virginia
- Deb Perryman, Illinois Teacher of
the Year, Elgin
- Bill Peyton, parent, Norris City
- Joni Shaver, parent, Washington
- Dr. John Synder, American Medical
Association, Chicago
- Rev. Thomas Walker, Decatur
- Christine Westerlund, parent,
Chatham
The task force will begin working
immediately, but additional members will be named in the future. The
governor asked all four legislative leaders to recommend members.
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this article]
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During the upcoming legislative
session, the governor will introduce two bills: one to ban the
distribution, sale, rental and availability of violent video games
to children younger than 18, and another to ban the distribution,
sale, rental and availability of sexually explicit video games to
children younger than 18. The likely penalty for businesses
violating the bans would be a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up
to one year in prison or a $5,000 fine.
The two bills will also require
retailers to label violent and sexually explicit video games,
similar to the "Parental Advisory" label found on music CDs, and to
post signs explaining the video game rating system. A retailer's
failure to place proper signs would likely be punishable by a $1,000
fine for the first three violations and a $5,000 fine for every
subsequent violation.
Various studies demonstrate the
negative effect that playing violent and sexually explicit video
games has on minors. One such study, completed in 2003 by four
experts, including task force member Douglas Gentile from the
National Institute on Media and the Family, concluded that
adolescents who expose themselves to greater amounts of video game
violence were more hostile, reported getting into arguments with
teachers more frequently, were more likely to be involved in
physical fights and performed more poorly in school.
The National Institute of Media and
the Family recently found that 92 percent of all children ages 2 to
17 play video games, and the average child spends nine hours each
week playing them. The institute also found that 87 percent of
pre-teen and teenage boys play games rated "M" for "mature" by the
Entertainment Software Ratings Board. M-rated games often contain
realistic depictions of human injury and death, mutilation of body
parts, rape, sex, profanity, and drug, alcohol and tobacco
consumption.
Even though mature games are labeled
with the Entertainment Software Ratings Board's M rating, there are
no legal mechanisms in place preventing children from buying them.
Unlike the motion picture industry, the video game industry has not
developed an effective self-regulation system that keeps adult
material out of the hands of minors. In 2003, the Federal Trade
Commission found that 69 percent of teenagers were able to purchase
M-rated video games -- giving them easy access to images many adults
would consider offensive. The FTC also found that not only are
minors easily purchasing violent and sexually explicit games; 10 of
the 11 companies it studied produced at least one marketing document
specifically targeting boys under 17 for a violent, M-rated game.
More information about the effect
that playing violent and sexually explicit games has on children's
behavior can be found on the Internet at
www.safegamesillinois.org.
The website offers parents the opportunity to report video
games they feel are inappropriate for their kids and to report
Illinois retailers that are selling violent and sexually explicit
video games to minors. Website visitors can also register their own
comments and sign an online petition in support of the governor's
legislation to ban the sale of violent and sexually explicit video
games to minors.
[News release from the
governor's office] |
