At present, it seems as though this has not yet been considered by any of the game classification bodies. Submissions to the ESRB are voluntary, as they are for the BBFC, whereas the European PEGI system (excluding Germany, where the slightly more strict USK body controls game classification) is a self-regulated process. Developers have most often built relationships of mutual good will with classification bodies; misleading them by omitting content in submissions can have serious consequences, especially in light of gaming's current media status as the source of all societies' ills.
The ESRB, however, doesn't involve any actual play time on the part of the raters, as games are submitted for classification in the form of taped sections that contain certain kinds of content. According to the ESRB, raters are from a wide range of backgrounds, races and ages, have no ties to the gaming industry and are comprised largely of retired school principals, parents and professionals. In other words, individuals who might not necessarily know about the Wii's interface method.
Then there is the issue of how the players choose to play. For many of the games in Wii Sports, some of the wilder movements can be just as easily performed with understated wrist flicks; it is a matter of how immersed the player chooses to be. One of the reasons political figures damn and vilify violent games more so than they do violent films is because they argue the player is allowed to direct the violence themselves. With the Wii, not only can the player direct the violence, they can act it out, too.
The way in which a game is played may not always be a consideration in violent Wii titles. There are several Wii games that contain depictions of violence and yet do not require violent mimicking with the remote or Nunchuck in order to control them. The forthcoming Wii remake of Resident Evil 4 shares The Godfather's third-person shooting action, which is controlled in a similar way. There is, however, no evidence thus far that Resident Evil 4 will require the player to perform violent actions for melee moves. Similarly, Mortal Kombat Armageddon's control scheme makes full use of the Wii's motion sensing capabilities, but only a few of the control actions mimic the onscreen violence directly.
Is this a lack of imagination, or a conscious decision to omit violent mimicry? More importantly, should graphically violent games with conventional control schemes be rated more leniently than games that are less graphically violent but offer a more tangible connection to the violence via the control method?
Games are the media's favorite witch, and the game industry needs to be absolutely above reproach, if it is to have any hope of rebuffing the spurious claims of the fanatical and vocal few. The Wii has enjoyed positive press so far, owing in large part to the undeniable personality and playfulness embodied by its unique interface. But the mainstream media is a fickle animal, and it will only take one game to instigate a backlash with lasting repercussions throughout the industry. The ratings bodies will have to move quickly, otherwise pundits will soon be bleating about how teens are learning how to beat up and shoot their schoolmates with their Wii. And the last thing they need is more ammunition.
Fraser MacInnes is a freelance game journalist for pocketgamer.co.uk. He is a Scotsman but currently lives in Munich, Germany, where he loves the weather but hates the queuing etiquette. His website is frasermacinnesbitsandblogs.googlepages.com.
