Play Meter

JOHNSON TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS AMOA immediate past president Cr!lig Johns?n testif1ed and fielded questions at a Dec. 9 Senate hearmg on the issue of VIOience in video games. He represented the associat~on before the SE'.nate Government Affairs Committee's Subcommittee ~:m Regulation. & Government Information, as well as the Subcommittee on Juvem~e Justice. Johnson's remarks were carried in full by C-SPAN and m . . . brief by the NBC Nightly News. Among the other witness~s wer~ Ho~ard L1~cohi, semo~ vice president, Nintendo of Amenca ; Bill White, semor vice pres1dent, Sega of America ; and representatives of the Software Pubhsh~rs Association and the Video Software Dealers Assoc1atIOn. Leadmg the hearing were Sens. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.l and Herbert Kohl (D-Wis.). Johnson stated AMOA's position on violence in video games (printed in fullin the December issue) and went on to add: " While AMOA does not manufacture video games and cannot control what the designers put into the games, we d~ believe ~hat the violence in the games would best be controlled w1thm the mdustry through self-policing policies. The issue is relatively new, and most games that are now on the streets have been under design for some time. In many cases the design of video ~ames takes 9ve~ one yec:ir to complete. We appreciate the attentIOn Congress 1s g1v11;ig this 1~­ sue. Your interest will help our industry focus on the solutIOn to this concern. I encourage you to allow the industry time to tak~ care of its own problems and to limit and control the violence that 1s now in some video games." Johnson also pointed out the differences between the coin-op and consumer game industry (violence in the latter having been the impetus for the hearings). For example, he ma~e it clear ~hat SE'.ga's Night Trap, which caught a lot of the heat, 1s not a com-op title. (Note : On Dec. 16, Toys 'R' Us announced th~t the g~me was being removed from its 581 stores.) When asked 1~ th~ c01~-op mdustry could adopt a ratings system for games, which 1s bemg proposed for the home market, Johnson frankly replied that momtormg such a system would be extremely difficult due to the operator/ location set-up. "Our industry needs to realize that Congress is very serious about this," Johnson told Play Meter. "It's interesting the number of people who have told me, 'This just concerns the consumer side of the business.' I told them that's flat untrue. Congress is going to implement programs designed for the home market, and if we're not careful we could get caught up in them. That would mean big trouble. " Congress is in a difficult position with legislation because of the First Amendment. They know they can't say, 'You can't do this, you can't say that.' But the subtle hint was that life would be miserable for us if we don't clean up our own house. And I think we all have to agree that we're startmg to cross the edge; we're going a little bit too far. Congress could cause such a stink that a great number of advocacy groups and parents would end up speaking out against us. That would hurt us in the cash box and hurt our location relationships. We as an industry need to stand up and take action so that we protect ourselves." Meanwhile, AAMA did not have a representative testify before the subcommittee but instead submitted a statement, which read, in part: ''AAMA does not represent the home segment of the video market ; (we) represent the coin-operated market exclusively. "AAMA appreciates the opportunity to inform members (of the subcommittees ) that our industry is already working to take appropriate steps to protect the interests of children who might be exposed to graphic violence or sexually suggestive material in the products of AAMA i:nembers. A!th.ough we believe that .chil?ren are able to differentiate between video games and real-life situations, a committee of our association was established earlier this year and has met to discuss various options for voluntary industry self-regulation. Several options have been discussed by this committee, including some of the suggestions made by Senator Lieberman. "AAMA has reviewed the proposed National Independent Council for Entertainment in Video Devices Act of 1993, and commends Senators Kohl and Lieberman for their interest in video game violence. AAMA believes that the creation of an independent council, however, is unnecessary in light of the industry's ongoing efforts to address the issue of violence in video games. AAMA intends to continue to review this issue with our members, eliminating the need for such a council, which would operate at taxpayer expense. "The coin-operated amusement machine industry recognizes and has acted in consideration of its responsibility to its customers: the children and parents of our nation. Congress, however, must grapple with the unfortunate reality that there are myriad causes of VIOience in our society. Limiting the exposure of children to violence is an important societal objective, and one which our industry takes seriously. Members of Congress may rest assured that the coin-operated amusement machine industry has and will continue to review this issue regarding the use of a limited number NEWS BULLETIN of video games which contain graphic violence." . Immediately after the hearing, AMOA's Governme~t RelatIOns Committee, chaired by Tami Norberg-Paulsen, appomted Randy Chilton and Frank Seninsky to serve as AMOA representati':'es on a soon-to-be-formed industry coalition that will monitor the issue. The coalition is expected to hold its first meeting during this month's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. MICHIGAN CONSIDERS VIOLENT VIDEO LAW The furor over violent video games exists in state government, too. Michigan Rep. Alma Stallworth (D-De~roitl is. drafting legislation that would Iimit children's access to VIOient video games and establish a ratings system for them. The bill ?bjects to games that depict "graphic violence," i.e., bloodshed, dismemberment, orget this-pain and suffering. . . . "I'm concerned that our industry 1s bemg asked to solve the ills of society, and violence in vidE'.os is nothing more than !lnother symptom," said Candace Cummmgs-Super, e~ecutiv~, director of the Michigan Coin Machme Operators Association. How much encroachment can we expect from government before the people are no longer asked to think for themselves?" SEGA NAMES DEWITT Ned DeWitt has been appointed president and chief operating officer of Sega Enterprises Inc. USA). He will report to Hayao Nakayama, president and CEO of Sega Enterprises Ltd., and be located in Redwood City, Calif. Dewitt's prior experience includes nine years as president and CEO of Six Flags Inc.; president of the Entertainment Group of Madison Square Garden ; and, most recently, co-owner of a consulting firm serving Major League Baseball and World Cup Soccer Inc., USA 1994. Dave Rosen, co-chairman of Sega of America, said, "We are very pleased to have an individ~al with Mr. DeWitt's experience jo~n .our company. Tom Petit, president of the amusement sales d1v1sIOn, and Alan Stone executive vice president of the amusement operations division, .;,.ill assume expanded responsibilities as Sega l!SA positions itself for dynamic growth in the future under Mr. DeW1tt's direction.'' Sega USA is a subsidiary of Sega of America, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sega Enterprises Ltd. in Tokyo. AMOA INST ALLS CIGARETTE HOTLINE AMOA has set up a cigarette vending hotline for those having problems in their localities. The tobacco companies and others concerned will then be contacted to lend whatever help they can. The toll-free number is (800) 274-4550. NFL HARD YARDAGE RELEASED AS KIT Shipping began Dec. 6 for two- or four-player kits of Strata's NFL Hard Yardage, an interactive football game based on NFL F ilms Inc. and NFL Properties Inc. licenses. "In order to ~upr.ort. market demand crea~ed by so~d game ea~n­ ings and our d1stnbutIOn network, we negotiated a kit release wi t~ the NFL,' ' said Strata president RicharcfDitton. ''Our part supphers and printers will be working around the clock to enable us to meet a strenuous kit production schedule." NBA JAM SETS EARNINGS MARK Despite only being on the market for 10 months, Midway Mfg.'s NBA JAM has become the highest-earning arcade game in the history of the industry, earning as much as $2,400 a week, according to company officials. This puts the game ahead of such '80s smashes as Ms. Pac-Man and Mario Brothers. In October NBA JAM received "Most Played Video Game for 1993" honors at the AMOA show. ''The game's highly advanced graphics, superior game play, and overall entertainment effects only enhance the ex~erience of controlling the signature moves and skills of the NBA s greatest stars right at your fingertips," said director of marketing Roger Sharpe. "This is really responsible for making the game so popular to basketball and non-basketball fans alike." Professional athletes have also become involved with the NBA JAM craze. Baseball All-Star Ken Griffey Jr. has six models at his home in Seattle, and NBA Hall of Farner Jerry West has one as well. CAPCOM MOVES Capcom USA has relocated to expanded facilities. The address is 475 Oakmead Pkwy., Sunnyvale, CA 94086. The phone and FAX numbers are (408) 774-0500 and (408) 774-3995 (sales and marketing FAX) . CORRECTION Namco alerted us to a typographical error that recently appeared in our Equipment Poll, which identified its sit-down driver as Suzuka 9Hours. The name is, of course, Suzuka BHours. The company wanted to clear up any confusion the typo may have caused.