Dove Extends Seal System to Video Games
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. The Dove Foundation is extending its "family friendly" seal of approval program to video games.
The nonprofit organization currently has reviewed almost 20 titles and hopes to put out a more comprehensive list by the second quarter, said Dick Rolfe, managing director: "We are in the early phases of a rollout," he said.
The Dove Seal is given to movies and videos that meet the foundation’s criteria. More than 600 stores use the program to call attention to family-oriented products. The video game approvals will be provided as an additional service without added cost, he said.
"We are accumulating reviews and titles, but this is a very costly transition for us to make," said Rolfe. Reviewing movies is a much shorter and simpler process since "it only takes the length of the movie," he said.
"But to review a video game takes four to six hours because of the complexities of the game. It’s the same thing with a CD-ROM. We have all the platforms here and we are beginning to build a list of reviewers," said Rolfe.
About 70% of Dove’s retailer customers are supermarkets, said Scott Rolfe, director of corporate services.
The program costs $100 per store to sign up for the first year; $75 per year for the first store to continue, and $50 per store, per year for additional stores.
Among the retailers listed on Dove’s World Wide Web site as offering the program are Meijer, Furr’s, Roundy’s, H-E-B, D&W, Glen’s markets, Bashas’, Harp’s, Scott’s, Dillon’s, one Wegman’s store in Depew, N.Y., and numerous independents. Nash Finch, Minneapolis, rolled the program out to its 44 corporate stores in May.
The first titles reviewed the Dove all have religious themes, Dick Rolfe said. In its early stages, the program will concentrate on games submitted to Dove for its approval. "Once we are staffed for it, we will eventually begin reviewing all the material that is produced," he said.
In reviewing the games, Dove will look for the same kind of content that it looks for in movies, he said.
"We look for content that promotes positive family values, and material that is devoid of extreme violence, sexual content and language," he said.
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