IGDA Holds Game Violence Summit

The International Game Developers Association recently held a summit to discuss violence in video games. The summit was held to address concerns regarding the marketing of violent video games to children and to receive feedback from game developers regarding the topic. The IGDA hopes that conclusions drawn from the summit will lay down the foundation for a dedicated violence committee that will address the game developer's role in the creation and marketing of violent video game content.

"We believe in age-appropriate marketing, and we support the ratings system and open lines of communication," said Justin Chin, president, Infinite Machine. "However, we are not here to debate whether violent games result in violent behavior. The committee came together to work on building awareness and creating an overall understanding of the issues."

The IGDA hopes to build awareness among the game development community of the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) ratings system and to establish lines of communication with the ESRB to help provide ratings recommendations. Representatives from 3DO, Electronic Arts, Infinite Machine, LucasArts, Konami, Ronin, and other game development companies will make up the committee.

"It is critical that developers take artistic responsibility for the content they create," said Richard Hilleman, vice president in charge of production, Electronic Arts. "The IGDA's Violence Committee will work to help developers understand what they can do to address this issue conscientiously."