View source for 1993–94 United States Senate hearings on video games

{{EventBob
| logo=
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| startdate=1993-12-09
| enddate=1994-03-04
| location=[[wikipedia:Dirksen Senate Office Building|Dirksen Senate Office Building, 50 Constitution Avenue Northeast, Washington, D.C. 20002, United States]]
| attendance=
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{{sub-stub}}The '''{{PAGENAME}}''' was a [[wikipedia:United States congressional hearing|congressional hearing]] concerning the sale of violent video games to children. Spearheaded by senators [[wikipedia:Joe Lieberman|Joe Lieberman]] and [[wikipedia:Herb Kohl|Herb Kohl]], two hearings were held in December 1993 and March 1993 respectively, and directly resulted in the formation of the [[ESRB]].

==History==
===Background===
[[File:ESRB logo.svg|thumb|right||200px|The formation of the [[ESRB]] allowed the video game industry to privately regulate themselves.]]
While violence in video games has been a public concern practically from the medium's invention, the 1990s saw the widespread introduction of more realistic video games, and with it the potential for more visceral content. In particular, [[CD-ROM]] technology allowed games to display [[FMV|live-action video]], and developers were beginning to include filmed video footage in their [[Sega CD]] releases. [[Sega of America]] was also pushing for more adult-inclusive CD games with brands like ''[[Virtual VCR]]'', and advertising the system as a method to play "interactive movies."

One of these interactive movies, a campy horror B-movie named ''[[Night Trap]]'', was heavily advertised as one of the premiere titles for the Sega CD. Despite its horror trappings, the game features virtually no graphic violence whatsoever, and was even produced specifically to mitigate any controversy: where a normal horror B-movie might have copious amounts of on-screen blood and gore, ''Night Trap'' instead features antagonists which slay their victims with a comically-large and abstractly-designed "screw machine".

Despite [[Digital Pictures]] purposefully neutering the game's controversial elements before release, widespread ignorance over the seemingly-taboo nature of ''Night Trap'' fueled an increasing American [[wikipedia:moral panic|moral panic]] over violence in games played by children. As a result, it became one of the primary scapegoats for the moral panic's outrage - alongside the [[Genesis]] port of ''[[Mortal Kombat]]''. As a result, the United States Congress (chiefly senators [[wikipedia:Joe Lieberman|Joe Lieberman]] and [[wikipedia:Herb Kohl|Herb Kohl]]) scheduled a series of congressional hearings beginning in late 1993.

Well-aware of the possibility that the federal government would step in and regulate future video games releases, representatives from [[Nintendo]], [[Sega]], and other American game companies met to discuss creating their own self-regulatory body. These discussions lasted a considerable amount of time, only concluding a mere three hours before the hearing date. Thankfully, an agreement was settled upon to form the [[ESRB]], allowing the video game industry to privately regulate their own works.    

===First hearing===
The first congressional hearing took place on December 9, 1993 in Washington, D.C., held by the United States Senate Committees on Governmental Affairs and the Judiciary. In attendance were various representatives from the video game industry, chief among them [[Nintendo of America]] (represented by company chairman and lawyer [[wikipedia:Howard Lincoln|Howard Lincoln]]) and [[Sega of America]] (represented by the company's vice president of marketing [[Bill White]].)

[[File:1993congressionalhearings NightTrap Lincoln.jpg|thumb|left|320px|[[Nintendo]]'s [[wikipedia:Howard Lincoln|Howard Lincoln]] uses the [[Sega CD]] game ''[[Night Trap]]'' as an example of a violent game.]]
The hearing committees singled out two purportedly-violent games in particular: the [[Sega CD]] game ''[[Night Trap]]'' and the [[Genesis]] port of ''[[Mortal Kombat]]''. While complaints over the latter title were largely restricted to its inclusion of cartoonish blood, concerns over more visceral content in ''Night Trap'' were far more pressing. While in reality, the game features almost no graphic violence, hearing officials instead claimed it featured a shockingly-taboo amount of obscene video - illustrating a staggering disconnect between what Congress believed the game contained, and what it actually contained. They went on to claim the game allowed children to kill and murder in-game characters in graphic detail. Further, in an apparent attempt to use the hearings as a means to fear-monger the game industry in general, officials also claimed ''Night Trap'' was full of sexual content: a single scene in which a character happens to be wearing a nightgown was cited as proof of the game's sexual debauchery. In reality, ''Night Trap'' contains no sexual content, with Congress confidently describing the game with the same language and derision one would describe a snuff film.

While the hearings have been seen from a modern perspective as largely baseless (with the notable majority of attending congresspeople being significantly misinformed or willfully ignorant of the the game itself), there was one objective point on which both congresspeople and game industry representatives largely agreed: ''Night Trap'' was originally sold without an age rating, something congress would use to threaten the games industry with federal regulation.

In response, both [[Nintendo]] and [[Sega]] representatives proudly touted their agreement to form the [[ESRB]], and continued to reiterate the point throughout the hearings. However, the two companies were largely uncooperative during the hearing. In particular, Nintendo's [[wikipedia:Howard Lincoln|Howard Lincoln]] (an experienced lawyer) took the opportunity to charismatically drag Sega's name through the mud, all while propping up Nintendo as a company with stronger moral values. Oppositely, Sega's [[Bill White]] appeared far less confident on the stand, struggling with his words and even misidentifying a Nintendo [[wikipedia:Super Scope|Super Scope]] as a Sega product.  

===Second hearing===

===Result===
The video game industry's quick establishment of the [[ESRB]], alongside [[wikipedia:Howard Lincoln|Howard Lincoln]]'s arguments, eventually resulted in Congress backing off the industry and leaving them to self-regulate.

===Legacy===
In humorous contrast to the firestorm of moral controversy generated in the United States, England's [[British Board of Film Classification]] simply described it as "more like an old episode of ''[[wikipedia:Doctor Who|Doctor Who]]''"{{magref|megaaction|2|6}} and rated it a standard 15.{{magref|segapower|46|74}}

==Magazine articles==
{{MainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Magazine articles}}

==External links==
*''[https://www.edweek.org/education/coalition-to-develop-rating-system-for-video-games/1993/12 Coalition To Develop Rating System for Video Games]'' article by Mark Walsh at ''[https://www.edweek.org Education Week]''

==References==
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