Baseball. Apple pie. Video games. Yup, that’s right. Video games are fast becoming one of America’s favorite pastimes.
According to a study conducted by the Entertainment Software Association, 35 percent of American parents play computer and video games. According to the ESA, an impressive 80 percent of parents report playing video games with their children. About 66 percent feel games have brought their families closer together.
Some of the interesting figures touted in the ESA’s study as reported on Gamasutra include:
three-quarters (73%) of gamer parents say they are regular voters, with party affiliation at 36% Democrat and 35% Republican, similar to the overall national averages, and 85 percent of all voter parents (both gamer and non-gamer) say that they should take the most responsibility in monitoring children’s’ exposure to games that may have content that is inappropriate for minors, as opposed to retailers or governments.
Finally, according to the ESA, 60% of parents agree that it is not the role of government to regulate game sales in an attempt to protect kids from exposure to violent and/or sexual video game content. However, 36% of those responding believe that it is the government's role, showing at least some controversy over the issue.
Gamasutra
Maybe some of the lawmakers who are pushing game regulation laws will take a good look at the figures. No matter how you crack it, the results show a strong majority of voting parents don’t think government should have the authority in deeming what gaming content is appropriate or inappropriate for their children.
Perhaps that’s asking too much?
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