When you’re a Democrat running for President in a time of war, what’s the best way to score points with conservative Middle America? How about sniping at the videogame industry?

If that sounds crazy to you, maybe videogames haven’t fully rotted away your brain. Banking on the fact that ignorant, reactive parents are going to pay more attention to her moral crusade than voting-age gamers, prospective Democratic Presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) has come out swinging her Wii-mote of righteous rage at the ESRB.

Along with Senators Joe Lieberman, Evan Bayh, and Sam Brownback, Clinton signed a letter to the ESRB taking it to task for not sticking Manhunt 2 with an AO rating, even after Rockstar made significant (and in some ways, fatal) changes to the game’s gore factor. And Clinton used to be so friendly with Gore!

Recycling the same junk science that put Jack Thompson in the Fox News rolodex, Clinton and company are also afraid that the Nintendo Wii will allow children to become intimately familiar with the downward stabbing motion. As if the shower scene from Psycho 48 years ago didn’t teach everyone that already.

Not to get too political here, but if you don’t want your rights as a thinking person to be trampled, or you want to see the ESRB treated with at least the same tolerance of free speech as the MPAA or other self-regulating industry organizations, better let the candidates know where you stand. To see the gaming business thrive, people need to stand up for the ESRB, or the next time Ripten writes a Top Ten Badass Weapons list, it’ll only include Nerf guns and Wiffle bats.

Source: GamePolitics

Tags: ESRB, Hillary-Clinton, Manhunt-2, Rockstar-Games

• “Irish Eyes Aren’t Smiling” Manhunt 2 Becomes First Game Banned In Ireland.
• Manhunt 2 Banned Again in the UK
• The Manhunt Is Over. Sony And Nintendo “Close The Lid” On Manhunt 2.
• Manhunt 2 Once Again a No-Go in Britain
• Manhunt 2 Not Home and Dry: BBFC Apply for Judicial Review
• Target Banning Manhunt 2 In Stores?
• NPD April 2009: Nintendo Banks on DS, Sells Over a Million Units
• These Games Aren’t Worthy For Your Kids

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