Five leading parent, church and women's groups along with New York City Council Member Eric Gioia today issued a "10 worst violent video game" list in the hopes of alerting unwary parents and grandparents to the blood-soaked and anti-social content of the games that might otherwise be purchased as holiday gifts for children. In a joint statement, the groups also urged retailers to stop selling the inappropriate games directly to children and called on the industry to come up with an improved and more widely promoted game rating system that parents can understand.

The five groups — the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), the National Committee on Women’s Organizations, Mothers Against Violence in America, Center for Advancement of Public Policy, Justice and Witness Ministries of the United Church of Christ and NYC Council Member Eric Gioia — highlighted 10 video games as the worst in terms of violence (in alphabetical order):

(1) Doom 3;

(2) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas;

(3) Gunslinger Girls 2;

(4) Half Life 2;

(5) Halo 2;

(6) Hitman: Blood Money (releases in 2005);

(7) Manhunt;

(8) Mortal Combat: Deception;

(9) Postal 2;

(10) Shadow Heart.

The list of problem games also extends to all earlier versions of the problem games, such as the Grand Theft Auto series and Hit Man series. The groups also voiced their concerns about a free, Web-based game "America's Army," which is used to promote enlistment in the U.S. Army, but is accessible to the youngest of children.

Sister Pat Wolf, executive director, ICCR, said: "To parents and grandparents faced with confusing advertising and a vague and poorly promoted rating system for videogames, I say this: Take the time to learn about the worst games and steer clear of them. While I doubt that many parents or grandparents would deliberately put a copy of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in the hands of a pre-teen, it is all too easy to see how that could happen today. Many adults who have not played video games may not realize that these ‘games' will typically force an impressionable child to kill in order to ‘win.' Adults buying video games for children need to understand that the game makers and retailers are not on their side when it comes to these violent video games. This fast-buck-at-any-cost mentality is something that is a real danger to kids."

Pamela Eakes, president and founder, Mothers Against Violence in America, said: "No parent or grandparent should succumb to the pressure from a young child who requests one of these violent video games, which put the player in the positions of a mass murderer, a gun-wielding street thug, an abuser of women, an indiscriminate sniper, a cop killer and so on. There is no seven- or eight-year-old child in America who will be well served in any way by gaining access to these cesspools of bloodlust, degradation of women and racial stereotyping. I wonder what it will say to a child if they receive such a game from a parent or grandparent, no matter how unwitting the gift giver might be."

NYC Council Member Eric Gioia, chair of the Committee on Oversight and Investigations in the New York City Council, said: "Some retailers are allowing children and teenagers to purchase the most violent, the most graphic, and the most sexually explicit video games ever created, notwithstanding ratings and warnings on the packaging.

An investigation I conducted last year showed a minor could walk into almost any store selling video games in New York City and purchase them without difficulty. But killing cops, beating women, and committing hate crimes, are not something I want my children practicing, in living, vivid, color. The video game industry asked for a chance to let self-regulation work, and we've given it to them. In a few weeks, we will see the results when I release my follow-up investigation. In the meantime, I renew my request to all retailers to act responsibly; keep adult content away from our kids. And to parents, I remind them that a well-informed parent is our best weapon against the distribution of inappropriate, potentially harmful video games to children."

Dr. Martha Burk, president, Center for Advancement of Public Policy and chair, National Council of Women’s Organizations, said: "Video game retailers must commit to keeping video games with graphic violence or strong sexual themes out of the hands of children. The best way to do this is to not sell the games. Corporate responsibility must mean more than meeting minimal rating standards, which presently serve the industry far more than they serve the consumer. Retailers must develop their own standards in regards to the marketing of these types of games, and disclose how they are implementing and complying with these standards. Too many newspaper ads today mix in the videogames for toddlers with videogames no child should see. And on Amazon.com, when you pull up Half Life 2, you find that a purchase will be rewarded with a stuffed Shrek 2 doll. That makes the violent video game seem like something designed for kids."

Dr. Bernice Powell Jackson, executive minister and officer, Justice and Witness Ministries of the United Church of Christ, and president, North American Region of the World Council of Churches, said: "Our concern about these violent video games is not guesswork. For example, there is ample evidence today that playing violent video games leads to increased aggressive thought, feelings and actions. We also have considerable anecdotal evidence of the fact that parents don't understand the industry rating system. And retailers must stop turning a blind eye when it comes to sales to children. This is a huge problem: A New York City Council study found that such purchases by children of inappropriate games happened in 34 out of 35 stores. These games are bad for kids. The rating system does not work. Retailers are making a mockery of the supposed limits on sales. All of this paints a very unattractive picture of a violent video game ‘system' in America that just does not work at all."

The statement from the five groups reads, in part, as follows:

"Video games have emerged as a popular form of entertainment, with 70 percent of children living in a home with at least one video game player, and 33 percent with one in their bedrooms. $7 billion were spent in the United States in 2003 on video and computer games. We are speaking today to corporations in the video game industry, and to adults who will be purchasing video games as holiday gifts for children. We believe that corporations in the video game industry, who may pride themselves as good corporate citizens, must assume greater responsibility in ensuring that violent interactive entertainment is not accessible to children and youth

"We call on the marketers and sellers of video games to: publish standards for marketing video games that encourage or reward players for performing acts of violence and brutality, and that depict images demeaning to women and minorities; place M-rated games in a location separate from other games in stores; post signage describing the video games ratings systems; and evaluate and report on their enforcement and compliance programs of policies to prevent minors from purchasing violent video games.

"We urge those who purchase video games for children, or allow children to purchase such games, to do so with great care " We encourage parents to exercise their power as consumers and hold retailers accountable for the way that violent video games are marketed and sold. Parents need to visit retailers and find out how they display the games and how stores enforce the current ratings system."

"They should urge retailers to stop selling violent games or at the very least separate them from child-friendly ones. They can advocate by writing to companies and letting them know their concerns about the marketing of violent entertainment media. They can find out what their internet service providers are doing to prevent children from purchasing or playing violent video games online."