Yee Calls for Hearing on Video Game Industry

Speaker pro Tem Yee Calls Legislative Hearing to Bring Sunshine to Video Game Industry

Yee's Efforts Move ESRB to Give "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" Adults Only Rating

In light of the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) re-rating of the popular video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (GTA:SA) from Mature to Adults Only due to recently found hidden scenes that include explicit material, today California Assembly Speaker pro Tem Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/Daly City) announced that he will call a legislative hearing into the multi-billion dollar video game industry.

"Parents deserve to know how these scenes got into the game and how the ESRB allowed this game to receive only an M-rating, easily purchased by children," said Speaker pro Tem Yee. "Parents need reasonable assurance that the games their children are playing do not include harmful material. ESRB must tell us how they are going to prevent this from happening again."

Earlier this month, it was uncovered that hidden animations were included in the game that included graphic scenes of oral sex, nudity, and simulated intercourse, in addition to its already ultra-violent material. Since the game's release last year, Speaker pro Tem Yee had been calling on the ESRB to appropriately rate the game.

"Rockstar, the game's developer and Take 2 Interactive, the game's publisher, today received a slap on the wrist," said Speaker pro Tem Yee. "They mislead the public and the ESRB, and even after it was disclosed the game included these inappropriate scenes, they denied responsibility."

In a letter to the ESRB and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), Speaker pro Tem Yee asked a series of probing questions about the ratings system, including: what penalties are assessed to a game publisher for failing to fully disclose a game's contents; to what extent does the ESRB review the game; at what point does a game receive an AO rating due to violent content; what steps is the ESRB taking to make sure other games do not include hidden scenes inappropriate for children.

"There are a number of questions the ESRB and video game industry needs to answer," said Speaker pro Tem Yee. "In the coming weeks, I plan to call a special hearing of a Select Committee so that the public has a clear understanding of how this industry operates and how the rating system is administered."

Speaker pro Tem Yee's AB 450, legislation to limit children's access to ultra-violent video games, has been stalled on the Assembly floor, although he continues to work with various stakeholders on the bill.

"The video game industry cannot police themselves and this is yet another example of why we need legislation to limit these types of games to children," said Speaker pro Tem Yee.