The Jimquisition

The Game Industry's Performative Concern For Children (2020x3)

Air date: Jan 20, 2020

The game industry hates to take responsibility for its own nonsense, and as regulators around the world hold it accountable for in-game gambling, publishers are scrabbling for a scapegoat. Introducing "Get Smart About PLAY," a performative initiative that feigns concern for children by shifting the spotlight onto parents. The campaign relies on parental controls, and behaves as if their existence gives publishers a license to do anything in games aimed at children. What the industry doesn't understand, however, is that parental controls shouldn't really be necessary for games rated as suitable for three-year-olds. In relying on parental controls, publishers are begging to have their content re-rated for adults. And no, parental locks are NOT the same as bike stabilizers.