Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, December 9, 1993 TAG: 9312090139
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A2 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
A hastily assembled coalition of video game manufacturers, distributors and retailers planned a news conference today, one hour before a Senate subcommittee was to begin hearings on video game violence.
Leading the preemptive publicity strike is Sega of America, one of the nation's largest video game distributors. The industry-wide rating plan is modeled after one Sega developed for its own products six months ago. It established three ratings - general audience, 13 or older, and 17 or older - for video games.
Sega's Washington lobbying firm, Manning Selvage & Lee, said the coalition planned to "announce an initiative to create a ratings system for all digital interactive media."
Violent and increasingly graphic games such as Mortal Kombat and Night Trap got the attention of Sens. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., and Herb Kohl, D-Wis. They proposed legislation that would give the industry up to one year to come up with its own plan before the government intervened.
"We're proud that Sega is taking a leadership role in providing parents with the tools to monitor the games their children will play," Sega Vice President Bill White said after Lieberman and Kohl proposed their legislation. "We invite the rest of the industry to follow suit."
In Night Trap, the player tries to defend a group of sorority girls wearing short pajamas against bloodsucking assailants. In Mortal Kombat, the successful player can triumphantly pluck out the spinal column of a victim. Both games are distributed by Sega.
Lieberman spokesman Jim Kennedy said any system of parental warning should involve retailers as well as producers of video games.
"We felt all along that this should be something the industry should do itself and that includes both manufacturers as well as distributors," Kennedy said.
Eilene Rosenthal, general counsel of the Software Publishers Association, said the industry coalition would work with Congress, parents and teachers' groups to "come up with something that everyone is very happy with."
Just how wide a coalition Sega has developed was uncertain. Sega's lobbying firm would not release the names of participants in the industry announcement.
"We have not been involved in this," said Wally Knief, spokesman for Blockbuster Video, the nationwide movie and video rental chain. But Knief said, "Whatever system the manufacturers come up with, we as retailers will follow what they have recommended."
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.