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The Self-Regulation of Virtual Reality: Issues of Voluntary Compliance and Enforcement in the Video Game Industry

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2014

Garry C. Gray  and
Tomas Nikolakakos
Garry C. Gray
Affiliation:
University of Toronto, Institute for Work and Health, 481 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2E9,ggray@iwh.on.ca
Tomas Nikolakakos
Affiliation:
University of Toronto, tomas.nikolakakos@utoronto.ca
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Abstract

The video and computer game industry now generates profits greater than Hollywood films and pornography, and ranks second in earnings only to the music industry. The most popular games are using more explicit representations of crime, drugs, sex, and extreme violence. Furthermore, with advancements in technology, the violent and sexual content of video games are becoming increasingly realistic and interactive. As a result, independent national debates have been taking place globally as to whether modern video games constitute a new social problem. In this study, we perform an interactive content analysis of the most popular video games and demonstrate that “socially questionable content” is just as prevalent as violent content in the most played video games. In addition, we examine “how” video games are rated by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and issues of voluntary compliance regulation.

Résumé

L'industrie du jeu vidéo et d'ordinateur récolte des bénéfices supérieurs aux films d'Hollywood et à la l'industrie de la pornographie—seul l'industrie de la musique excède ses revenus. Les jeux les plus célèbres emploient des représentations encore plus explicites de la criminalité, des drogues, du sexe, et de la violence extrême. En outre, grâce au progrès technologique, le contenu violent et sexuel des jeux vidèo devient de plus en plus réaliste et interactif. En conséquence, des discussions nationales indépendantes ont eu lieu globalement afin de déterminer si les jeux vidéo modernes constituent un nouveau problème social. Dans cette étude, nous effectuons une analyse du contenu interactif des jeux vidéo les plus célèbres, et nous démontrons que le contenu socialement contestable est aussi prévalent que le contenu violent. En plus, nous examinons de quelle manière les jeux vidéo sont côtés par l'Agence américaine d'évaluation des logiciels, ainsi que certaines questions entourant la réglementation volontaire.

Type
Research Article
Information
Canadian Journal of Law and Society / La Revue Canadienne Droit et Société , Volume 22 , Issue 1 , April 2007 , pp. 93 - 108
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Law and Society Association 2007

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References

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2 In 2003 Sony unveiled an accessory for their PlayStation2 called the EyeToy. By plugging the device into the console and aiming it at one's self, an individual person will appear on the TV screen and will actually become the playable-character in the video game.

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6 For a full list of content descriptors, see the Entertainment Software Ratings Board Rating Guide, ibid.

7 The ratings of movies are monitored by the Classification and Rating Administration (CARA) in the United States, and the Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Association (CMPDA) in Canada.

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10 Advocates of stricter regulation often point to the Columbine Case where in April 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold murdered 13 students and wounded another 23 before turning their guns on themselves at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. One of the many competing theories as to what pushed the boys to commit such a horrific act was their alleged love for violent video games. Harris and Klebold enjoyed playing the bloody, first-person-shooter game Doom, a game licensed by the U.S. military to train soldiers to kill effectively. Shortly after the massacre, a copy of Harris' website was found, with a downloadable version of Doom that he had customized. In his version there were two shooters (each with additional weapons and an unlimited supply of ammunition), and the enemy characters were altered so that they could not fight back.

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22 Initially, we also planned to observe the role of the playable character as either a “good-guy” or a “bad-guy,” however we later modified the measure to reflect the characters' behavior as being either positive (e.g. for the benefit of society), or negative (e.g. for the detriment of society).

23 See Surette, supra note 9; Bensley & Van Eenwyk, supra note 9; Anderson & Bushman, supra note 9.

24 Lachlan et al., supra note 18.

25 ibid. at 63.

26 See Lachlan et al., supra note 18; Haninger & Thompson, supra note 17; Dietz, supra note 9; Braun & Giroux, supra note 15.

27 According to the United States Federal Trade Commission (2000), see online: FTC <http://www.ftc.gov>, the voluntary rating systems adopted by the entertainment software, film and music industries have been inadequate in regulating the sale of explicit materials intended for older consumers. The findings for the music industry were very similar to those of the entertainment software industry, in terms of compliance with self-regulation.

28 Sherry, supra note 9 at 410.