14 DAY TRIAL // The new president of the United States, Barack Obama, has just made one of the most important speeches of his presidency, speaking in front of a joint session of Congress about the problems that are facing the nation and about how he plans to tackle them. And amongst phrases related to the economic recession, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the deepening deficit, the president found the time to mention videogames. Sadly, he did not do so in a positive manner.
While talking about how his cabinet plans to tackle problems related to education, Barack Obama said that “These education policies will open the doors of opportunity for our children. But it is up to us to ensure they walk through them. In the end, there is no program or policy that can substitute for a mother or father who will attend those parent/teacher conferences, or help with homework after dinner, or turn off the TV, put away the video games, and read to their child. I speak to you not just as a president, but as a father when I say that responsibility for our children's education must begin at home.”
The president made similar remarks during the campaign in the final months of 2008. He even name checked Grand Theft Auto IV in one of his speeches, again stating that education of the children of the United States of America was highly dependent upon them putting down videogames and focusing more on school work.
In principle, the president is right, but it makes little sense to demonize videogames in such a high profile speech. Sure, it's very important that parents communicate better with their children and pay attention to their activities. But it's foolish to create a feeling of anxiety amongst videogame developers and publishers, as the industry is one of the few still growing in the United States, despite the recession. The Entertainment Software Association, who represents the interests of game developers and publishers, should talk to Barack Obama and point that out.