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Activision promotes ratings, educational properties of games
While the overwhelming majority of Activision's marketing force is being put to use selling Modern Warfare 2, one component of the company is hard at work not selling it -- to kids. Activision is working with Dr. Cheryl Olson, co-director for the Center for Mental Health and Media at Massachusetts General Hospital (and co-author of Grand Theft Childhood), on a campaign to help parents understand ESRB ratings, called "Ratings are not a Game." The first video deals with the obvious topic of "How Can I Tell If A Game Is Appropriate For My Child And How Do I Set Play Limits." In the second video, Olson discusses the skills and information learned from games, even those of the non-educational variety. Even if the video is sponsored content produced by Activision (and therefore isn't exactly unbiased), it's still novel to hear a reasonably positive message about games' effects on kids.
Penn & Teller call 'BS!' on video game violence
Penn & Teller are taking aim at the video game violence controversy in an upcoming episode of Penn & Teller: Bullshit! -- an ongoing television series that debunks misconceptions and popular fads. Earlier in the week, Penn Jillette revealed the video game themed episode had begun filming, via Twitter. Guests interviewed for the episode will include Grand Theft Childhood co-author, Dr. Cheryl Olson, along with her husband and writing partner, Dr. Lawrence Kutner. Disbarred Miami attorney, Jack Thompson, will also be featured in the episode. A Penn & Teller producer told GamePolitics the episode would likely air during the summer, but did not reveal a specific date. We can only hope that Penn gives Thompson a suitable tongue lashing or that the magical duo makes him disappear. Either way, we're good.
