NY Senator Looking At 25 To Life News
Jon Wilcox
21/06/2005
United States Senator challenges Sony and Microsoft to end license agreements with the SCi Games owned publisher...
In a move that is sure to jump over the pond and into both Parliament and reactionary newspapers, US Senator Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, New York) has pleaded with Microsoft and Sony to drop their respective license agreements with UK publisher Eidos regarding the forthcoming Cops ânâ Robbers title, 25 To Life.
Completely ignoring the fact that the game has a Mature rating from the (Entertainment Software Rating Board) ESRB, and therefore is advised to be sold and played by gamers aged 17 years and above, the Democrat (who hardly comes across as being a liberal lefty) commented that âLittle Johnny should be learning how to read, not how to kill copsâ¦The bottom line is that games that are aimed and marketed at kids shouldnât desensitize [sic] them to death and destruction.â Whilst it would be more than fair for such a remark to be made if the game was available for all ages to play, the fact that the ESRB has advised a 17 year old rating, makes it seem that the Senator should try and withhold from patronising his future electorate, unless of course heâs trying to build up his standing within the US political system. As a side-note it would perhaps be more noteworthy if he tried to develop education in his home state, as learning to read at the age of 17 years old does seem a little bit on the âslowâ side.
Continuing with the sort of rant that we in the UK are only too aware of thanks to some of our daily newspapers, the Senator said, âThere is nowhere that the value of the police force is felt more strongly than here in New York, and to sell a video game that denigrates their value is simply unacceptableâ¦You certainly donât need a degree in criminal justice to understand that when you make sport of behavior [sic] that is dangerous and destructive you reinforce it. The last thing we need here in New York is to reinforce a destructive culture of violence and disrespect for the law.â
Sadly it seems that political statements such as the Senatorâs arenât restricted to his âlevelâ as Richmond County District Attorney Daniel M. Donovan Jr. supported Schumer saying that, âThis is not a game to the men and women in our police services, but is a dangerous reality to those who put their lives on the line each day combating gang members and the guns and drugs that they peddle. As long as there is a profit to be made, these games will continue to be targeted to our communities. I am calling upon manufacturers and retailers to show some sensitivity to those who have fallen in the line of duty and stop producing and selling these obscene games.â
Once again it seems that sensationalist statements have managed to rear their ugly heads, although it may pain the Senator to learn that his ramblings will probably lead to an injection of sales for 25 To Life once it gets its release on PlayStation 2 and Xbox in October 2005. Incidentally, the game has been given an 18 rating by the British Board of Film Classification, which means that it is illegal for retailers to sell the game to minors â“ just in case anyone from the Daily Mail is reading.
Weâll have more shortly...