According to USA Today, a video game in development for the Wii console is causing some controversy. The game is called “Beer Pong” and it mimics a college drinking game growing in popularity. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) gave the game a T-Rating, saying it was suitable for those aged 13 and up. According to the article, the game’s creators are now removing references to alcohol and changing its name to “Pong Toss.”
Connecticut’s Attorney General, Richard Blumenthal raised concerns about the inappropriate rating for the game’s original content and marketing alcohol to teenagers. In a special interview, Fox News spoke with Blumenthal and a representative from the game’s developer, JV Games. It’s interesting to see the different viewpoints side by side and to see how receptive JV Games was toward changing the game’s content.
Should game developers make games with significant drug and/or alcohol content? How do you think the ESRB should treat games with drug and alcohol content?
I think it important to differentiate between what may be legally acceptable and what is ethically responsible. For better or worse ethical responsibility has many different facets, depending on who one talks to. While one group may find a game as above funny and fun, another group can and does find ith ethically irresponsible. As a Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor I have seen the devastion, grief and hoplessness that comes from drug or alcohol abuse and addiction. These games seem to be one more symptom of current society attempting to lessen the impact or belittle the impact of life changing problems. Real and effective drug education of youth can go a long way towards reducing the societal effect of such games and presentations through informed understanding and increased power of choice.