Yesterday, with approximately 63 million of my fellow Americans, I voted for Senator Barack Obama to become the next President of the United States of America. I did so because I believe US policy, both foreign and domestic, sorely needs an about-face.
But I have to admit that when I turned my ballot in yesterday afternoon, I didn't really consider whether or not it might impact me as a gamer.
Today, 1UP.com reminds us that when Common Sense Media asked Sen. Obama whether he would support (historically doomed) legislation regulating the sale of videogames, he responded:
"We need to give parents the tools and information they need to make choices about what programs their children are watching or what video games they are playing. As we move towards a digital environment, there is a golden opportunity for the industry to do this on their own—to use the latest in technology to give parents more information and more choice. For example, this technology could make it possible for parents to create their own family tier just by programming their television to block certain channels, block certain genres of programming like dramas, or block television at certain times of the day. The same can be said of video games, especially as we’re moving into an era when they can be downloaded as easily as today’s movies and television shows.
I would call upon the video game industry to give parents better information about programs and video games by improving the voluntary rating system we currently have. Broadcasters and video game producers should take it upon themselves to improve this system to include easier to find and easier to understand descriptions of exactly what kind of content is included. But if the industry fails to act, then my administration would.
And even if the industry does do some responsible self-policing, there’s still a role for the federal government to play. We need to understand the impact of these new media better. That’s why I supported federal funding to study the impact of video games on children’s cognitive development."
Today, it's too late for such concerns to influence my vote -- not that they necessarily would have -- but we suggest you take a look at today's 1UP article titled "What does an Obama presidency mean for videogames?" anyhow. It's good to know where our nation's President-elect stands on video game regulation, for instance, because he will likely appoint the Supreme Court justices who will try cases like this, and have the opportunity to create video game legislation himself.
Simultaneously, it's good to know how tech-savvy a President Obama might be. 1UP notes that Obama has reached out to gamers specifically on multiple occasions in the campaign. Once in office, might he lend an ear to a gamer constituency?
On a related note, GamePolitics is reporting that most game-regulation-friendly congressmen have won re-election.
November 5th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
I think the fact that he knows we have a voluntary rating system puts him head-and-shoulders above most current politicos.
November 5th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Seconding what Jesse said. It's good to have a President(-elect) who actually understands this newfangled medium.
November 7th, 2008 at 12:27 am
Regardless of your political affiliation or who you voted for, the Obama campaign showed a strong understanding of new technologies. Internet, text message, and in-game campaign ads show that even if Obama doesn't know a lot about the subjects himself, he obviously keeps someone on staff who does.
I don't think his presidency will have any negative or positive effect on games censorship. Maybe the changes in congress, but we'll have to see.