Announcements

MAVAV E-Mail Back Online
We appreciate all the responses we have been getting, and we are very open to your views on this very serious issue. Our primary e-mail address is back up and running again. Thank you for your cooperation.

Overwhelming Response
We have received an overwhelming amount of letters on the topic of video game addiction and violence.  While the majority of the responses were sent in by feral young children and pre-teenage gamers (a very surprising statistic, more proof our cause is not in vain), a great handful of parents did submit stories of their real life experience handling video game related addiction and violence in their own family.  We plan to post their stories online as well as our updated article section sometime after the New Year, so please check back soon!

Yahoo! Health
MAVAV is now listed under Video Game Addiction in the Yahoo! Health Directory.

Support MAVAV
The MAVAV.org Store provides clothing, cups, and stickers to help spread awareness in your community.

News In Brief

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation on Friday to outlaw the sale to teenagers of electronic games featuring reckless mayhem and explicit sexuality." "The bill bans the sale or rental to those under 18 of any video games that "depict serious injury to human beings in a manner that is especially heinous, atrocious or cruel."" "Violations carry a fine of up to $1,000." "The bill passed with wide bipartisan majorities and was endorsed by a broad range of family and medical associations, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the California Parent-Teacher Association."

The True American Addiction (The News & Observer)
"Are lawyers spending their billable hours diddling away at their keyboards rather than seeking truth and justice and headline-grabbing tobacco settlements? Are doctors taking time away from patients to have "consultations" with their computers?"

L.A. Official Calls for Probe of Internet Cafes (Reuters)
"A Los Angeles city councilman has called for an investigation of violence at so-called Internet cafes, a step that could prompt a crackdown on the popular and controversial sites for PC-based games. The investigation of the cybercafes, also known as "PC bangs" or "cybercafes," came after a brawl erupted between rival groups playing in a tournament involving the online combat game "Counter Strike.""

Raising Awareness (CNN)
"Thursday, the National Institute on Media and the Family showed reporters the violent nature of some of the video games in question. For the first time this year, the institute handed the game industry an "F" grade."

Most Popular Video Games in the Nation are also the Most Violent (MSNBC)
“VIDEO GAME violence is now an epidemic, and violence against women has become a black mark on the entire industry,” David Walsh, head of the National Institute on Media and the Family, said in a statement announcing the report card. “Rewarding players for having sex with, and killing, a prostitute is a frightening example to set."

Alert! New MMORPG, "The Sims Online" to Hit the Shelves (C|NET)
"The multiplayer version of "The Sims," set to debut Tuesday, has been hailed as the first major test of whether subscription-based online gaming can appeal to a mass audience. Executives at Electronic Arts, parent company of Wright's Maxis studio, have touted the game as vindication of the company's substantial investment in online gaming. And the 8 million or so people playing the offline version of "The Sims" have some pretty firm ideas about how the online version should work."