US physicians urge game-ratings overhaul

Earlier this week, the American Physiatrists Association tabled a resolution to "strongly encourage" the "inclusion of 'Internet/video game addiction' as a formal diagnostic disorder." That wasn't the end of the story, though. Now, the APA's parent organization, the American Medical Association, has called for further research on games' effects--and a reexamination of one of the game industry's central institutions.

Today, the AMA's Council on Science and Public Health issued a revised edition of a report first commissioned at last year's annual AMA meeting. Originally titled "Emotional and Behavioral Effects, Including Addictive Potential, of Video Games," the report is now called "Emotional and Behavioral Effects of Video Game and Internet Overuse."

Citing government studies, medical findings, and surveys commissioned by the Entertainment Software Association, the game industry's own lobby, the report came to several conclusions. Though it did say games can play a "potentially positive role" in society, the report outlined how the AMA is becoming increasingly worried about the effects of gaming on health.

"The [game] industry's predisposition toward age-inappropriate imaging and marketing techniques has led to concerns about untoward side effects, ranging from physical symptoms, such as seizures and tendonitis, to socially maladaptive behaviors, such as increased short-term aggressiveness and overuse syndromes," the report said.

The AMA report also issued several "directives to take action" on games. First, it called on the Federal Trade Commission and the ESRB to "establish an improved ratings system." It was unclear whether or not the suggested system would completely replace the old scheme, which issues letter-based ratings alongside a series of content descriptors.

ESRB president Patricia Vance responded to the AMA's directives by pointing out the ESRB ratings system's has been praised as "effective" by the FTC in the past. "While we agree with the AMA that parents should play an active role in determining which games their children play, their call for a review of the ESRB rating system seems to disregard the fact that the vast majority of parents are satisfied with ESRB ratings and use them regularly to choose games for their children," she told GameSpot via e-mail.

The AMA report also advocated a new nationwide initiative by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians to "educate physicians on the public health risks of media exposure and how to assess media usage in their pediatric populations and provide families with educational materials on the appropriate use of video games."

But while the AMA often described games and their effects in stark terms, its final report wasn't nearly as harsh as its prior form. As previously reported, the call to include game addiction as an official physiological disorder has been removed. Instead, the AMA is now merely asking the APA to review its report when preparing for the next revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, due in 2012.

Also gone is the AMA's recommendation that Internet usage and game playing be limited to "1 to 2 hours of total daily screen time." No new recommendations on time limits on gameplay and/or computer usage were offered in their place.