Video Games Take a Violent Turn
KELLAN: What will the homes of the future look like? Some innovative designers have some ideas. "Better Homes and Gardens" magazine recently unveiled its "intelligent kitchen," featuring dent- proof floors, scratch-proof countertops, temperature-controlled refrigerator crispers, and pull-out dish drawers that make dishwashing a virtually invisible chore. Wouldn't that be nice. And not to be outdone, New York City's interior designers. In their annual showcase of the year, aimed at raising money for the boys' and girls' clubs, the designers transformed a turn-of-the century 5th Avenue townhouse into a series of multifunctional rooms. Fun features included a computer-controlled closet space, which monitors what's at the cleaners, and what's ready to wear, and studies that double as high- tech entertainment centers. 1999 was another year of record sales for the computer and video game industry. But some say game sellers are still looking the other way when it comes to graphic violence and possible links to aggressive behavior. Technology correspondent Rick Lockridge explored the issue during the recent Electronic Entertainment Expo trade show in Los Angeles.</s>RICK LOCKRIDGE, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is a sensitive issue in the video game industry, the only dark cloud over an otherwise hugely successful $6 billion-a-year business. The issue is video game violence, and how much does the splatter matter?</s>DOUG LOWENSTEIN, PRESIDENT IDSA: I think the issue has been vastly overblown and overstated, often by politicians and others who don't fully understand, frankly, this industry.</s>LOCKRIDGE: Doug Lowenstein says only about 10 percent of the top games earn the industry's "M" rating -- for mature players only. And indeed, the 20 best-selling games are dominated by Pokemon, characters who do fight but don't kill. There's also a friendly dragon named Spyro, another kid-friendly creature. But among young adult males, the ultra-violent games, the ones known as "first-person shooters" are still outgunning all other genres.</s>MEHRAN MIKAIL, VIDEO GAME STORE OWNER: I'm sure that tomorrow if they say one game is violent, we are going to sell hundreds of them.</s>KAREN DILL, LENOIR RHYNE COLLEGE: Those who played the violent games showed more aggressive behavior and had more aggressive thoughts.</s>LOCKRIDGE: Dr. Karen Dill is the co-author of a pair of studies on video games and violent behavior.</s>DILL: What you eat becomes a part of your physical health. And the same thing is true for your media diet. What you consume is going to affect your aggressive behavior.</s>LOWENSTEIN: There's absolutely no evidence, none, that playing a violent video game leads to aggressive behavior.</s>LOCKRIDGE: But each school shooting, each high-profile act of juvenile violence, sets off another round of finger-pointing. Is the industry doing a good enough job of policing itself? Sega's Peter Moore says a voluntary ratings system implemented six years ago is working well.</s>PETER MOORE, PRESIDENT SEGA OF AMERICA: So whether it's "E" for everybody, "T" for teen, or "M" for mature, the consumer understands what the contents of that entertainment is. And we fully support that. And every Sega game has a rating on the front cover.</s>LOCKRIDGE (on camera): There are signs the industry is finding creative new ways to challenge the abilities of young game players. (voice-over): Like this new game: You make the heroine dance instead of fight. She has a gun, but it shoots "love rays." Ecco the dolphin is out to save the world, like any good video game hero, but without weapons. Still, the new games have not come at the expense of the old ones. Duke Nukem is nuking more of them than ever. And the other masters of mayhem: They never retire, they just reload. For SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY WEEK, I'm Rick Lockridge.</s>KELLAN: Coming up, the world's fastest land animal makes a comeback in San Diego.