California State Senator Leland Yee yesterday issued a release that "urged parents and grandparents to avoid violent video game purchases for their children this holiday season." He commented that the majority of gamers between the ages of 8 and 17 liked games that are rated "M" for Mature. Because of this, he encouraged parents to regulate their children's gaming content; as he says, "the rating system alone cannot be trusted."

"It is vitally important that parents and grandparents consider the content in video games before making holiday purchases," said Yee.

Yee went on to criticize the ESRB for its decision to not re-rate Manhunt 2 when a mod to the game altered the appearance of some of the violent content. He then, without citing any particular titles, made some spurious assertions, saying that in "many top selling games" players are "rewarded" for activities such as "killing police officers, maiming elderly persons, running over pedestrians, and torturing women and racial minorities."