WASHINGTON (AP) ? Video games that have players shoot rival gang members, watch bare-breasted women and recreate the assassination of President Kennedy were criticized Tuesday by advocacy groups that said, at the least, they should be kept away from children.
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In issuing its annual report card on video games, the National Institute on Media and the Family urged the industry to educate parents better about ratings and asked retailers not to sell such games to younger teenagers.
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?This segment of games keeps getting more realistic, and they keep pushing the envelope,? David Walsh, the institute?s president, said at a news conference. ?The problem is that these games are the ones that are particularly popular with kids, particularly teenagers.?
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Another group of church and civic leaders, the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, also urged video game makers to place tighter restrictions on the sale of violent video games to children, including having retailers place them in locations less accessible to children.The video game trade association said its games carry appropriate ratings and recommended that parents police the activities of their children.
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Among those listed as the worst games of the year was ?Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas,? a game in which the hero vows to avenge his mother?s murder and restore glory to his neighborhood gang.
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The institute?s list also includes ?The Guy Game,? which features video of women exposing their breasts.
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THE HIT LIST
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The most violent or sexually graphic video games, as rated by two advocacy organizations:
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National Institute on Media and the Family
.
? Doom 3
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? Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
.
? Half-Life 2
.
? Halo 2
.
? Resident Evil: Outbreak
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? Psi Ops: the Mindgate Conspiracy
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? The Guy Game
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? Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude
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? Mortal Kombat: Deception
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? Rumble Roses
.
Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility
.
? Doom 3
.
? Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
.
? Gunslinger Girls 2
.
? Half-Life 2
.
? Halo 2
.
? Hitman: Blood Money
.
? Manhunt
.
? Mortal Kombat: Deception
.
? Postal 2
.
? Shadowheart
.
.
In issuing its annual report card on video games, the National Institute on Media and the Family urged the industry to educate parents better about ratings and asked retailers not to sell such games to younger teenagers.
.
?This segment of games keeps getting more realistic, and they keep pushing the envelope,? David Walsh, the institute?s president, said at a news conference. ?The problem is that these games are the ones that are particularly popular with kids, particularly teenagers.?
.
Another group of church and civic leaders, the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, also urged video game makers to place tighter restrictions on the sale of violent video games to children, including having retailers place them in locations less accessible to children.The video game trade association said its games carry appropriate ratings and recommended that parents police the activities of their children.
.
Among those listed as the worst games of the year was ?Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas,? a game in which the hero vows to avenge his mother?s murder and restore glory to his neighborhood gang.
.
The institute?s list also includes ?The Guy Game,? which features video of women exposing their breasts.
.
THE HIT LIST
.
The most violent or sexually graphic video games, as rated by two advocacy organizations:
.
National Institute on Media and the Family
.
? Doom 3
.
? Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
.
? Half-Life 2
.
? Halo 2
.
? Resident Evil: Outbreak
.
? Psi Ops: the Mindgate Conspiracy
.
? The Guy Game
.
? Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude
.
? Mortal Kombat: Deception
.
? Rumble Roses
.
Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility
.
? Doom 3
.
? Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
.
? Gunslinger Girls 2
.
? Half-Life 2
.
? Halo 2
.
? Hitman: Blood Money
.
? Manhunt
.
? Mortal Kombat: Deception
.
? Postal 2
.
? Shadowheart
.
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