"Video games, school clubs, and girlfriends" are the three leading distractions keeping boys from their homework, explained an instructor at one of Taipei's top boys' high schools during a parent/teacher conference. To keep kids from staying online all night, she suggested that computers not be allowed in their rooms.
Besides worrying that video games might keep their kids from their schoolwork, many parents are troubled by the violence and eroticism that are an integral part of so many of them. The two perpetrators of the 1999 killing spree at Columbine High School in Colorado, USA, were fixated on the videogame Doom. They even mimicked portions of the game during the school shooting.
To smooth parents' feathers, the Computer Software Rating Regulations, drawn up by the Ministry of Economic Affairs' Industrial Development Bureau (IDB), took effect in January 2007. According to the latest survey by the End Child Prostitution Association Taiwan (ECPAT), only four of the ten major online computer game makers in Taiwan have rated their games as required by law, and that of the games that have been rated, not one has been labeled inappropriate for children and adolescents. This outcome shows that video-game makers and child protection groups don't see eye to eye by a long shot. It has caused many in Taiwan to doubt the authorities' ability to genuinely protect children.
A recent survey by the Institute for Information Industry estimates that more than 4 million people in Taiwan play online games. Despite their wide popularity, the content of some is inappropriate for children and adolescents, prompting the IDB to issue the Computer Software Rating Regulations in June 2006, with compliance required from January 2007.
Today, however, several months later, a number of manufacturers have as yet to comply with the regulations. According to an ECPAT survey of the official websites of Taiwan's ten major game makers in August 2007, only 70% of the 132 online games surveyed had been rated as required by regulations. Well-known game makers like Game Flier, Soft-World, and Gamania still hadn't rated a number of their games.
ECPAT secretary-general Lee Li-feng explains that the current regulations prescribe no penalties, so even if businesses fail to comply with them, the authorities have their hands tied. What's more, of the 132 online games reviewed, not one has been given a restricted rating, highlighting the huge gap that exists between the opinions of game makers and children's advocacy groups.
Offering Lineage II as an example, Lee explains that 1 million players are purported to have registered to play this popular online game during the first 80 days after it was introduced into Taiwan in 2004. It is rated "restricted" (not suited for minors) in Korea, but in Taiwan, it is classified as "adult guidance recommended," meaning children aged six to 12 should be accompanied by an adult when playing. Lee points out that discrepancies of this sort exist because the rating standards in Taiwan are centered on whether there are scenes of sex or gory violence in the game. Korea takes into consideration, however, whether the game will adversely impact kids' values overall. Children have no business playing games like Lineage II which features lots of fighting, cities under siege, scantily clad females, and even flimsy dresses being lifted by the wind.
And unlike the people in box offices at cinemas, there's nobody to screen the ages of potential players of online games. The Internet cafes in which most youngsters hang out only have age restrictions after midnight and it's even more difficult to determine whether age restrictions are being observed or whether an adult is present when people play online games on home computers; consequently, the rating "adult guidance recommended" means absolutely nothing.
In addition to reevaluating rating standards, ECPAT also suggests that Taiwan could consult methods adopted in Germany for verifying the ages of players of online games-potential players must first apply for certification with relevant government authorities in person, so that the applicant's age can be verified face to face. When the individual attempts to log onto an online game site with restricted ratings, the website operator is required to first obtain the player's age certification. Lee went on to say that the Ministry of the Interior is currently advocating the Citizen Digital Certificate which individuals over 20 years of age can apply for in person at their Household Registration Office. Just like Germany's Internet certification, the accreditation process is strict and certificates cannot be used by others. The MOI intends to lower the age limit for individuals applying for the certificate to 16, so perhaps it could be used by online game providers to verify the age of potential players. Before the needed regulations and mechanisms are in place, however, parents still have a couple of things at their disposal. As well as reporting unrated online game sites and software to the appropriate government agencies, they can consider installing filtering software on their home computers to prevent underage children from using online game sites with sex and violence.
Allowing children to play imagination-stimulating online games can train their creativity and concentration in the digital era. But the ready accessibility and anonymity of the Internet is a double-edged sword. To keep adolescents from coming in contact with games that feature sex and violence, in addition to demanding that game makers actually adhere to the requirements for ratings and age certification, parents should also spend some time with their children when they are on the Internet, as perhaps this is the most effective method in the long run.
