In response to a new report from the UN, titled “Cyber Violence Against Women and Girls,” the ESA, Entertainment Software Association, has put out a response calling the report “uninformed, misguided and unfortunate.” The ESA, the group that puts on E3 every year, is responsible for representing the video game industry in federal matters.
“If the overall issue was not so serious, [the report] would be laughable,” stated Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of ESA. “It is willful ignorance to utilize such incredibly outlandish and outdated data.”
The data he is referring to is a 15-year old opinion article, entitled “Programmed to Kill,” cited by the UN report. In this article, written in the wake of Colombine, the author labels so-called “Nintendo-killers” as “‘Samurai’-style programmed killers,” saying, especially in the case of children that are on psychiatric medication, they are “walking human time bombs.”
The ESA response goes on to say, “The U.N. does this important issue a great disservice and undercuts its credibility by spreading ridiculous stereotypes and false opinions… Numerous medical professionals, researchers, and courts all debunk the fundamental thesis of their argument.”