From the PE.com news article:
WASHINGTON - Inland Rep. Joe Baca Sr. is again calling for the video-gaming industry to improve its rating system of violent and sexually explicit games so that parents have a more accurate idea of what interactive media their children consume.
Baca, D-Rialto, held a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, saying the ratings on video games, particularly those for teenagers and adults, aren’t clear enough and don’t provide enough information about the amount of violence or sexual material they contain.
“Parents are misled by the video-game ratings,” Baca said.
I have to wonder if Rep. Baca has even seen the ESRB ratings that he claims mislead people? Let’s review the two he’s having the most trouble with now, shall we?
TEEN Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language. |
MATURE Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language. |
Seems pretty straightforward to me. T is the “lite” version of M. Everything that could be present in T games will be even more so in M games. It doesn’t take a degree in rocket science to figure this out. Additionally there can be one or more “content descriptors” alongside the rating that gives more information on exactly what to expect in a title.
For example, Call of Duty 2 (rated T) has the following content descriptors: Blood, Mild Language, Violence.
Now compare that to the descriptors for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (rated M) which are: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs.
How is that in any way misleading? How much of a moron do you have to be to not understand that there’s likely to be a lot more that’s objectionable in GTA:SA than in CoD2?
Wait! Don’t tell me! I bet the answer is that you have to be moronic enough to get elected to Congress!
Posted on 04/29/2006 at 05:25 AM 
“But—but—people still end up buying those games!”
Because they want to.
“But—but—parents still find themselves shocked by the games their kids are playing!”
Because they (a) don’t pay attention to what they’re buying for their kids, or (b) aren’t providing proactive guidance and leadership as to what’s acceptable for the kids buy themselves.
“But—but—that means people having to take responsibility! Can’t we just outlaw it altogether?”
Aha.