FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 26, 2005

Contact: Darin Broton, 952-851-7286 Jason Sprenger. 952-851-1602 Tunheim Partners

(MINNEAPOLIS) - The National Institute on Media and the Family issued the following statement today in response to the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday approving H.Res. 376. This resolution, introduced by Representative Fred Upton (R-MI), expresses the sense of the House of Representatives "that the Federal Trade Commission should investigate the publication of the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas to determine if the publisher intentionally deceived the Entertainment Software Rating Board to avoid an Adults-Only rating."

"The National Institute on Media and the Family applauds the House of Representatives for its swift action to get to the bottom of whether Rockstar Games, and its parent company, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. knew about the pornographic content on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," said Dr. David Walsh, president and founder of the National Institute on Media and the Family and author of the best-selling book on teenagers, WHY Do They Act That Way? A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen. "A video game receiving an Adults-Only rating is a commercial flop. However, if Rockstar and Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. deliberately failed to disclose the pornographic content to avoid an Adults-Only rating, their actions must be uncovered and they must be held accountable."

"The fraud of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas' M-rating, and the fact that the Entertainment Software Rating Board has rated only 19 out of 10,000 video games Adults-Only, underscores how the current industry-sponsored rating system is broken and beyond repair," said Dr. Walsh. "It is time for the establishment of a rating system completely independent of the video game industry."

"We are particularly grateful to Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN)," added Dr. Walsh. "Congresswoman McCollum, a supporter of the National Institute on Media and the Family, is a leader in protecting children from harmful media. She has participated in the National Institute on Media and the Family's last three MediaWise Video Game Report Cards and, yesterday, spoke in favor of an independent rating system."

On July 14, 2005, Dr. Walsh joined with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) to alert parents about the hidden pornographic content in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and to support her request of the Federal Trade Commission to determine the source of the pornographic content and to conduct an examination of retailer enforcement policies.

The National Institute on Media and the Family is the world's leading and most respected research-based organization on the positive and harmful effects of media on children and youth. The National Institute on Media and the Family is an independent, nonpartisan, nonsectarian, and nonprofit organization that is based on research, education, and advocacy. Its MediaWise® movement is being adopted in communities throughout the country to help families make wiser media choices and encourage parents to "Watch What Your Kids Watch." For more information, please visit www.mediafamily.org and www.mediafamily.org on the Web or call 1-888-672-5437.

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