Rep. Joseph Pitts of Pennsylvania said last week at a hearing on the subject of video game ratings:

I think it’s safe to say that a wealthy kid from the suburbs can play Grand Theft Auto or similar games without turning to a life of crime, but a poor kid who lives in a neighborhood where people really do steal cars or deal drugs or shoot cops might not be so fortunate.

Actually it wouldn’t surprise me at all to find that any effects from exposure to video game violence exposure would be likely mediated by social class and environmental factors. But in a way a trifle more complex than he said!

You can see him giving that soundbite around 4 minutes 23 seconds in to this somewhat amusing Daily Show take on the congressional hearings.

David Brake

Today marks the launch of Harm and Offence in Media Content by Andrea Millwood Hargrave and Sonia Livingstone (I was one of the book’s contributors). You can find the press release and a link to an executive summary of the book here and if you are in the UK you can order it online via Amazon for ?18.95 (?1 saving).

Briefly, the book breaks new ground we believe because it looks at recent research across the whole gamut of available medias - television, radio, music, press, film, games, internet, telephony and advertising - as well as the regulation associated with each medium. Something there for everyone we hope! Do let us know what you think of the book if you’ve had a look and I will endeavour to answer any questions that may arise.