NIMF gives games industry 'C' in 12th report card

Poor video games. It seems that you will not, as you had hoped, be receiving a complimentary personal pan from Pizza Hut, the true prize of any straight-A student. Their pizza-free afternoon is the fault of the National Institute on Media and the Family, which gave the industry a "C," saying it was in an "ominous backslide" since the 2006 edition of the report. Most troubling is the NIMF's finding that 50% of underaged kids are still able to buy M-rated games, up from 32% last year. Parents also get slapped on the wrist with a "C" for not understanding the rating's system.

The ESRB (which itself received a "B-" for its education efforts) lept to the industry's defense, saying the report card "contradicts recent Federal Trade Commission (FTC) findings related to parents' awareness, use and satisfaction with ESRB ratings." Wow, looks like the NIMF just got a "B" ... "B" for "burned," that is. Also included in the report is the NIMF's list of games to avoid this holiday season, which we've included after the break.

• Assassin's Creed M

• Call to Duty 4 M

• Conan M

• The Darkness M

• Jericho M

• Kane & Lynch: Dead Men M

• Manhunt 2 M

• Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles M

• Stranglehold M

• Time Shift M