Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, December 21, 1993 TAG: 9312240200
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By MELANIE S. HATTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Joey had played the game before. His eyes grew big when he saw another boy playing ``Mortal Kombat II,'' the new version that's bloodier than its predecessor.
``Look,'' he said excitedly, pointing to the screen where one of the characters was transformed into a dragon that scorches its opponent.
Sean was not as impressed: ``Euugh, look at the blood,'' he said.
Video game makers announced on Dec. 9 the formation of an industrywide coalition to establish a voluntary rating system for video games. Industry executives met with lawmakers and critics who believe the video games - popular items this holiday season - are promoting antisocial, if not criminal, behavior in children and teen-agers.
One concern is that the improvements in computer technology have made the characters more lifelike.
Earlier this year, Sega of America introduced its own rating standards that label video cartridges GA for a general audience, MA-13 for teen-agers 13 and over, and MA-17 for mature audiences 17 and over.
It rates ``Mortal Kombat,'' manufactured by Acclaim Entertainment, MA-13.
Players can ``execute bone-shattering combos and ferocious finishing moves,'' boasts the copy on the back of the box of the home-game version.
As a character beats his or her opponent, the words ``Finish Him'' flash across the screen in red. The winner then can pull out the opponent's spinal cord, rip off the head or pull out the heart. Blood splatters with every hit.
``It's the violence that makes them popular,'' said Marquette Poston, 19, as he played the game in the arcade. But, he conceded, ``they should have an adult arcade.''
``No one under 18 should play [`Mortal Kombat'] 'cause that's a lot of violence for a kid to see,'' said 22-year-old Larry Garrison.
Larry Touchton, manager of Mindboggle, said it's not the video games that make people violent: ``Today's society is the influence. This video is more or less accommodating'' what people want.
``It's sad, but it's true.''
Videos come and go in cycles, Touchton said. In the business eight years, he remembers when the space-adventure videos were popular, followed by driving games. Once the trend of goriness runs its course, he said, something else will come along. He said he understands the worries of critics, ``but you can't solve society's problems by banning video games.''
It's a $5.3 billion business dominated by Sega and Nintendo. Next month, January about 160 game makers and retailers, such as Wal-Mart, Toys R Us and Sears, plan to meet in Las Vegas to discuss development of a rating system.
Joey Slattery was upset when he heard the news and doesn't think the games should be rated if it means he can't play them.
``Video games don't make people violent,'' said the Blacksburg boy.
His mother, Marcia Slattery, said it's up to the parents to monitor what their children are exposed to.
If children are becoming aggressive, she said, the problem is bigger than simply playing violent video games. Slattery said she's more concerned with controlling how long her son plays.
David Harrison of Salem agreed. He has two sons who love video games and play ``Mortal Kombat'' in the arcades.
``I guess it's the excitement,'' he said, standing in the video-game aisle in Toys R Us, where titles like ``Streets of Rage'' and ``Zombies Ate My Neighbors'' line the shelves.
``Plus, too, they can control what the figures do,'' he said. Like Joey Slattery, both his sons - Caleb, 10, and Joshua, 6 - take karate lessons and enjoy that aspect of many of the games.
Harrison wouldn't buy ``Mortal Kombat'' for them to play at home, he said. Playing it at the arcade limits their access to it. He'd rather buy the sports games for home use.
Brenda Robbins' 7-year-old daughter, Amanda, has a Sega Genesis at home. Robbins said she buys non-violent games like Ms. Pac-Man. If a game doesn't meet her standards, her daughter knows not to ask for it.
Robbins wants a video-rating system as a guide for when her daughter gets older.
``There's too much violence in the world,'' she said.
by CNB