The Congressmen

Stearns turns the microphone over to the next speaker, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Illinois). She begins talking about loopholes in the ratings system for retail purchases and age verifications tools for online purchasing. And she's right, they are pretty weak. Anyone can go on a Web site and view trailers or purchase games with mature content by putting in whatever day, month and year they want in those useless age verification systems. Do we think our kids are retarded? Rep. Schakowsky is brief, and then turns it over to Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), who starts right off on GTA.

BARTON: "I hope the parents of America are paying close attention. Las year it was revealed that there was an explicit sexual scene hidden inside a video game called Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas."

Another congressman butchers the name of the most notorious game in the world. Rep. Barton mispronounces "Andreas," making it sound like "ANN-dree-uhs" instead of "ahn-DRAY-us." If these legislators can even get the name of the game straight, then how much can they really know about it?

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Rep. Barton goes on to describe some of the other violent and explicit content in GTA: San Andreas beyond the "Hot Coffee" scene. He adds that some of the scenes will be viewed later on in the hearing, while other scenes will not "because this is a public hearing." Gee, don't you think it would be a good idea to view all of the evidence in this case instead of skipping over stuff because you're afraid it will offend audience members? Isn't that the point of this entire hearing?

Then he makes a startling revelation:

BARTON: "I'll have to confess, Mr. Chairman, that I am also a video game player."

Well, honk my hooter!

BARTON: "I have worked my way up to Civilization 4."

And we're all very proud of you, Joe.

BARTON: "I haven't yet been able to beat it, but I at least understand the fundamentals of it."

And hey, at least you got the name right!

BARTON: "I think that game is an E [rated] game, which means anyone can play it."

Not to nitpick, but Civilization IV is E10+, which means anyone 10 and older can play it. Come on, guys, let's get our facts straight! I mean, this is a Congressional hearing!

Barton continues by saying that he has several stepchildren and grandchildren who play video games and is fed up with games like GTA being sold under "false pretenses." I don't get it - did the sex mini-game really push GTA over the top? Didn't it already explicit content that warranted a tough rating?

Next up is Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin), who discusses the issue of game ratings. Baldwin says that M-rated games tend to sell more copies, and since retailers often refuse to carry "Adult Only" AO-rated games, she suggests that many game companies are misrepresenting the true nature of their games in order to secure an M rating instead an AO rating. However, she also contends that Congress must not trample on the First Amendment rights of the game creators.

BALDWIN: "That is why I believe that self-regulation remains the best method in providing information to parents about the games content."

Score one for the gaming industry! On a side note, isn't it ironic that the only time Democrats are in favor of self-regulation for business is when it has to do with the entertainment industry, and the only time Republicans favor regulation is when it has to do with the entertainment industry?