While we think that the harmonisation of warning ratings is a fit subject for international legislation, we regret that we have significant issues with the proposal presented here. While we are aware that the Ambassador for Mount Kip has already put this forward for the approval of delegates, given that we have serious reservations that it fits the category it has been submitted under, we hope the honoured ambassador will forgive us for treating his work here as a draft rather than a finished product.
Mount Kip wrote:REALIZES that the people of the world watch movies and play many video games.
UNDERSTANDS that some movies and video games contain innappropiate content that are not suitable for certain ages of youth in most cultures.
We note in passing that the people of the world also view pictures, read books and seek to introduce themselves to the Thessadorian ambassador, and yet the issue of the age-appropriate ness of those behaviours is somehow never subject to rating. We also note that "innappropiate" is spelt "inappropriate".
More seriously, we take considerable issue with the term "most cultures". There is an implicit assertion here that most cultures share similar values with regard to age-appropriateness, an assertion that we observe is not remotely accurate. Worse, this step is often used to justify the wholly false assertion that all cultures do (or should) share the same values, something we would decry as rampant imperialism. Were the honoured ambassador to amend this phrase to "
many cultures" we feel that this invalid line of argument would find it much harder to take root.
DEFINES
(A)"movie" a motion picture film for viewing a past event
This is a curiously restrictive definition, excluding as it does a vast majority of motion picture films made purely for entertainment which do not involve actual past or future events.
(B)"video game" any game playable on computer or gaming console.
HEREBY
1)ESTABLISHES the MGRA (Movie and Gaming Rating Assc.) to rate all movies and video games.
Here the assertion we spoke of above bears its full fruit. A single organisation is appropriate to determine the singular rating of every film and game created in every member nation? We think not.
A far better and more common approach would be to create the MGRA to oversee and coordinate national ratings organisations, offering some ease in the translation of ratings between nations and (more importantly) cultures without riding rough-shod over the values of everyone to the satisfaction of no one. One might wisely mandate that national ratings organisations exist and do the obvious job, but that is as far as one should interfere directly in our opinion.
2)DECLARES that to release a video game or movie to the public without a proper MGRA rating is punishable by law on a later date in conjunction with a regional court based on the rating the movie or game should have received.
We don't believe the Zhaucauozian Friendship has a suitable regional court, and we are certain that the WA has no mandate to create one. We also flatly do not think that failure to rate a video game or movie should be punished by anything more than a ticking off, but that is in large part because we note that the monolithic nature of MGRA ratings as so far indicated is wholly inappropriate to most cultures. And yes, we do use the term deliberately.
3)REQUIRES that member countries abide to the same rating levels as hereby mentioned.
Absolutely not.
(A)3+ years of age
(B)6+ years of age
(C)9+ years of age
(D)12+ years of age
(F)16+ years of age
(G)21+ years of age
We are reasonable certain that we could find examples of movies that we would rate entirely appropriate for those of 9 years or older that the honoured ambassador would be nervous of showing to sixteen year olds, and probably vice versa. We have noted before that we appear to have attitudes to violence that differ from the norm; the more 'cartoony' and unrealistic violence is portrayed as, the less willing we are to have our young watch it and draw false conclusions.
We are at least grateful that the honoured ambassador has not given any guidance to the MGRA as to how they should determine age-appropriateness. Many prior attempts to introduce ratings have sought to dictate even that, with laughably specific directions that pleased only the proposer.
4)EMPHASIZES that all WA nations have a right to request the MGRA to add or delete a nation-specific age restriction. Member nations can only request one restriction and one deletion.
This makes an obvious mockery of the standardization that the honoured ambassador is attempting to impose, so much so that we are surprised he has not noticed that it undermines his argument. Perhaps it might have helped to articulate that argument a little more clearly.
We would, however, be assuring the MGRA that a request to "delete all" is only one request for deletion.
5)AFFIRMS the right of the MGRA to ban a video game or movie completely if it exceeds the amount of explicitness that any one person should view or take part in a game.
Again, we do not think that this determination can be made for all member nations. We urge the honoured ambassador to leave this to national ratings organisations.
6)PROTECTS movie and game developers from plagariasm that is punishable by law which will be determined with a regional court on a scale of lesser or greater
This is wholly irrelevant to the subject of ratings, and we think renders the proposal illegal. It is clearly a Free Trade element, and cannot reasonably be argued to be a matter of Moral Decency. We are sure that this will not stop people from trying, but in any case it has no business in this proposal.
Prince Rhodri of Segontium, Master of the Red Hounds, etc, etc.
Ambassador to the World Assembly of the Principalities of Gobbannium
