Microsoft backs Eidos after senator attacks publisher

By Games Industry.biz Published 21 June, 2005

"Lowers common decency."

Microsoft has backed Eidos after a US senator declared that its gang warfare title 25 to Life "lowers common decency", while the British publisher has reacted by saying that it believes videogame are a creative form and that the ratings systems in place to govern them should be allowed to do their job.

"25 to Life was developed for a mature audience and has been rated so it will be sold only to the appropriate audiences," Microsoft said in a statement.

Earlier Charles Schumer, senator for New York, came out seeking ban of the game in the New York area, and pleaded with Microsoft and rival platform holder Sony, responsible for the PlayStation 2 console, to prevent its release.

Sony had yet to comment on Mr Schumer's comments at the time of publication, but Microsoft was quick to react this morning, contradicting the senator's implication that the game was designed for and marketed to children:

"The Xbox community is growing to include gamers of all ages - we encourage titles that will appeal to these different groups, whether you love action, sports, racing, or fighting games but we also stand behind, and fully comply with, local and pan-European ratings systems such as PEGI to ensure that this content is enjoyed by the appropriate audiences as well as informing parents about which games are appropriate for which gamers," the publisher said.

An Eidos spokesperson said: "Eidos believes that video games are a creative art form and we produce a wide range of content aimed at various age groups including games specifically targeted for the over-18 player.

"On the issue of who should be allowed to purchase our products, we have a very strict two-tier rating system in the UK to send a clear signal to both customers and retailers as to the appropriate audience for each game. 25 to Life will have a BBFC 18+ rating, which means that it is illegal to sell it to anyone under that age; retailers face a £5,000 fine and up to six months in prison if they do so."

Mr Schumer says 25 to Life "lowers common decency" and that "Little Johnny should be learning how to read, not how to kill cops," before going on to argue that games "aimed and marketed at kids shouldn't desensitise them to death and destruction".

He believes that 25 to Life "denigrates" the value of police forces. "You certainly don't need a degree in criminal justice to understand that when you make sport of behaviour that is dangerous and destructive you reinforce it," he said.

25 to Life, which is due out this August in the USA, has been rated "M" for Mature in the US, where ratings are not yet strictly enforced, but has yet to be rated by European ratings body PEGI, but Eidos says the British Board of Film Classification, which has the power to ban the sale of videogames to people of certain ages, will give it an 18+ rating.

Picture of Games.

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Comments (24) Latest comment 7 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • towser #1 7 years ago

    So he's got his hands on a finished copy, played the game through to completion and has made his remarks on a well informed and balanced opinion on the finished product....?

    No, didn't think so. He should shut his cake hole untill he has played the game and then preach to us about its rights or wrongs. Jackass.

    *edit* typo
    Edited by 1 at 21/06/05 @ 10:01

  • Blerk #2 7 years ago

    What we really need is a game about killing irritating Senators. :-)

    /ends up on the CIA's hit list

  • Tonka #3 7 years ago

    Why don't Rockstar make a "Dirty Harry" game to balance things a bit. Then whenever attacks on their games occur in the press they can just point at it and say: 'Well look at this game. The cop's the hero and the crooks are just that'

  • chronom4n #4 7 years ago

    man does this prick not have anything better to do?

  • ecureuil #5 7 years ago

    "Little Johnny should be learning how to read, not how to kill cops,"

    But this game will (I assume) have an 18 certificate/M rating, so "Little Johnny" should not be playing it in the first place.

  • KingOfSpain #6 7 years ago

    people should really stop reporting on the "ban this filth" mob.
    there is one every other week, it is silly. It is getting to the point were it is Non-news.

    all that happens is crap, cop killing game sells more.

  • WangFu #7 7 years ago

    I wonder how much Eidos paid for this publicity.

  • OnlyMe #8 7 years ago

    The only thing that keeps this wave of politicians slamming violent videogames that 's not really aimed at their 5 year old boy/girl but still have a copy because their mommy or daddy didn't care to take the "M" ratings seriously are the reporters giving the politicians exactly what they want - publicity.

    When these "news" reports ends, the politicians will realize there's nothing to gain by slamming violent videogames again, because nobody cares to write about it.

    That'll be the day though...

  • Xerx3s #9 7 years ago

    Who is this fucking arrogant yankee twat that he thinks to decide what i can and cant play?! Ill decide that for meself tyvm! Not that im going to buy a crappy game such as this though.

    Bet that hes a relious nutcake that burns everyone that doesnt agree with his insane vision of the world.

  • tonynibbles #10 7 years ago

    Is 25 to Life set in New York?

    If it is, then I could see a common cause for concern.

    Then again, I saw Spiderman recently and it totally altered my view on the city and its resident police force, who are incapable of keeping the crime rate low and well, that film and others have now warped my mind in to thinking that each and every cop will get taken out by even a spray bullet. Its reduced my respect for NYPD to almost zero.

    Talking of NYPD...

  • fox #11 7 years ago

    What do you want ppl?

    It's nothing you didn't expect: as game become more a more popular, more a more "accidents" connected to games happen. Politicians, as the spygoat looking scum they are will take advantadge of this. It's just normal and it will be normal when games start being censured, even for M audience...

    Hope i'm wrong, but...

  • groovychainsaw #12 7 years ago

    Either: Senators spend too much time playing computer games when they should dealing with serious issues (unlikely) Or: They shouldn''t comment on things they know nothing about, eh?
    Edited by 1 at 21/06/05 @ 10:38

  • verbatimboy #13 7 years ago

    A friend of mine he works for Eidos, and while he would not comment on this small situation he did mention some gosip. For all the gosip mercs, the UK based deveoper Climax has just closed one of its studios, the London studio or something.
    Edited by 2 at 21/06/05 @ 10:46

  • #14 7 years ago

    I think we should sell violence and porn to ppl of all ages ! and they should put crack on frosted shreddys instead of sugar.

  • marilena #15 7 years ago

    I do agree that the senator is talking bollocks, but I have to say putting the word "art" and the name 25 to Life in the same sentence is stretching things a bit.

  • Fozzie_bear #16 7 years ago

    If he's that worried about little Johhny learning to shoot a gun perhaps he'd be better off promoting a bill which would make it illegal for little Johnny or his parents to own a gun.

    The videogames industry needs to 'lobby' more politicians.

  • Zuiyo #17 7 years ago

    Next thing you know, they will try to ban N.W.A, the morons.

  • The-Bodybuilder #18 7 years ago

    Daily Mail are gonna have a field day with this one.

  • The Old Bill #19 7 years ago

    The Daily Mail had a field day over Pokemon mate.

  • smelliot #20 7 years ago

    I hate the American governors. They don't have the intelligence to even sample the thing they're getting so mad about. Even then, this game wasn't even made for children as this idiot suggests. Well done Microsoft for backing Eidos up (though admittedly Eidos have been churning out crap lately).

  • captain-future #21 7 years ago

    wow, what will happen when he sees LARA CROFT in all here beauty?
    I'm more than surprised that an Amercian politician attacks MS/Xbox/Eidos about "brutal" games - didn't he watch the last 10 movies in cinema?

  • brutal #22 7 years ago

    harsh - lego star wars is definately less than terrible.

  • ecureuil #23 7 years ago

    I wonder if Richard and Judy will cover this one like they did with their "sleeping with a prostitute and murdering her omg!" GTA coverage.

  • Genji #24 7 years ago

    I sometimes wish that games wouldn't "grow up". That always seems to entail sex and violence.

  • tacit_k #25 7 years ago

    Gosh hope he does some more good! Schumer and his buddies at HCI (handgun control Incorported) sure have stopped violence in the real world in New York now they can focus on games.

    Oh wait I was daydreaming again.

    Tell Chuckie when I can walk through SoHo at 2am with $200.00 in cash and a new pair of shoes, SAFELY, I will listen to his mindless drooling. Until then he should take more medication and talk less.
    Edited by 2 at 26/06/05 @ 21:49