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More "Mature" Rated Video Games on the Way

Techstination feature for Friday, April 18, 2003

Despite an outcry in Congress, more mature rated video games are on the way. Bloomberg Boot Camp, a report on today's technology. There have been protests in Washington before that haven't had much of an impact on the industry. Now Democratic Senator Joseph Lieberman and Republican Sam Brownback are pushing a bill that would fund a study on the health effects of violent video games and other media on children. But with the industry's big trade show E3 coming up next month, there is no let up of mature rated titles in the pipeline. At Vivendi Universal, the company's line up includes sequels to Fallout, Baldur's Gate and Hunter for the Xbox and Playstation 2 consoles. Marketing director Anthony Crouts... says it's not that less violent titles can't sell...

"Not necessarily. I think there's a lot of content there for E as well. But when you look at our line up and what we are adept at making, especially our partnership with Interplay, it is the teen and mature rated content. We have other parts of our company that does very well with the E rated and teen rated content as well. So it just really depends on the content and what the developers are more adept to making."

Virtually all of the games on the way are not only rated for their violence, parents might also be concerned with the portrayal and dress of the female characters as well. With the higher graphics capabilities of the consoles... costs of development have gone up... and so when it comes to the content...

"I think it's really catering to what the audience wants."

Vivendi is hardly alone... titles from many of the big game makers... including Activision and Microsoft, follow the same formula. Bloomberg Boot Camp, I'm Fred Fishkin.