Congressman Joe Baca (D-Rialto, CA.) introduced a bill that mandates that “all video games with an Electronics Software Ratings Board rating of Teen or higher” must be sold with a health warning label. The bill is called “The Video Game Health Labeling Act of 2011″ and would create a new rule within the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The label would read:
“WARNING: Excessive exposure to violent video games and other violent media has been linked to aggressive behavior.”
Please write to your congressmen and tell them that this is unconstitutional, and is only limited to one form a media. The studies Rep. Baca cites only say it is a correlation between violent media and aggression, not that violent media is the cause of aggression.
Source: GamePolitics
You game? Get fit! The Entertainment Consumers Association’s ECA Institute (ECAi) today announced the formation of a new work group titled Gamers for Health. Gamers for Health will provide ECA members and the gaming community with the tools and resources necessary to help incorporate gaming activities into healthy lifestyles. Launching today, the industry’s new destination for healthy gaming invites gamers everywhere to join the various programs, learn more about this important cause and get fit by gaming!
“To help promote the benefits of healthy gaming, our goal was to create a space for video game consumers to learn more about health and fitness, the expanding exergaming genre, and to provide the tools necessary to take action,” said Jennifer Mercurio, ECA Vice President & General Counsel. “With Gamers for Health, we’re creating a community of support and incentive, which is why some of us here at the ECA have already begun this program, and we’ll be offering incentives for members along the way. We all know the importance of leading a healthy and active lifestyle, and video games can help us achieve our goals.”
In addition to the numerous resources provided, Gamers for Health lets members create their own profile, list what games and platforms they will use, and then share their healthy gaming goals and achievements through various blog entries and picture/video uploads. Several ECA staffers have already started their programs and are encouraging others to join in the fun.
To learn more about Gamers for Health and to participate in the get fit by gaming program, go to: http://www.ecainstitute.org/content/gamers-health. For more information on the ECA and to learn how to become a member: www.theECA.com.