The National Institute on Media and the Family just published their annual "games to avoid" list. Hooray! This is an eminently useful list for both responsible parents and gamers with a penchant for violent videogames. Check it out in the full article.

The ESRB and NIMF recently banded together to deliver a statement urging parents to be mindful of their gaming purchases. This is especially pointed towards the upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto 4 (PS3, Xbox 360), which isn't meant for the kids. Learn more about this statement after the jump.

North America's ESRB has sent out a reply to the GamePolitics blog criticizing the the National Institute of Media and the Family (NIMF)'s Video game Report Card, released earlier today. Among other details, the said report card criticized the industry as a whole for its alleged inability to enforce its M-ratings. Details are available in the full article.

A two-month survey conducted by the National Institute on Media and Family (NIMF) involving 60 retailers in the U.S. show that 46% of retailers sell M-rated video games to teens. The East County Youth Coalition and other youth groups are now requesting retailers to provide employees with proper training and separate M-rated titles from other games.

More on this at the full article!

Earlier this week, controversial anti-video game attorney Jack Thompson announced that he will be filing a lawsuit against Best Buy on charges that the company sells M-rated games to minors through its website. Apparently, he's also named the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) in the lawsuit.

Here's a quote from a press release issued by Thompson, courtesy of GamePolitics:

The ESRB has been sued by Thompson because it is well known that it a) is owned and operated by the video game industry, b) does not even play the games it rates to conclusion, c) routinely mislabels games as to age appropriateness, per testimony before the U.S. Congress, and is engaged in representations to American parents that the age label are accurate and are keeping "Mature" games out of the hands of kids...

According to GamePolitics, Thompson also took a shot at the National Institute for Media and the Family (NIMF), a media watchdog group headed by psychologist Dr. David Walsh, who publicly distanced himself from Thompson's brand of anti-game advocacy two years ago. Thompson claims that the lawsuit details the relationship between the NIMF and Best Buy, which are both located in Minneapolis.