ESRB Under Fire

1Up reports that the Entertainment Software Rating Board has been called out by a foursome of pretty damned prominent US senators (Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Joe Lieberman (ID-CT), Evan Bayh (D-IN) and Sam Brownback (R-KS)). Can I still say “damned”?

The available excerpts:

As you know, in June 2007, the British Board of Film Classification refused to rate Rockstar’s Manhunt 2 videogame . stating that it contains unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone. In October 2007, the BBFC again refused to rate a revised Manhunt 2 stating that ‘˜the impact of the revisions on the bleakness and callousness of tone . is clearly insufficient.
(…)
[The ESRB, however,] reduced the revised version’s rating to (Mature,) effectively opening the door to its widespread distribution and its licensing approval by game system manufacturers Sony and Nintendo.
(…)
In sum, we ask your consideration of whether it is time to review the robustness, reliability and repeatability of your ratings process, particularly for this genre of ultra-violent’ videogames and advances in game controllers.

GamePolitics points out this is quite a turn-around for Lieberman and Clinton, who as recently as 2006 praised the ESRB, so this is quite a potential setback for the ESRB as an institution and gaming in general.