"It's not about games, there's a perception issue. We can be a part of that solution, and we're ready to do that."
- Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello responds to an analyst questioning whether recent backlash against video game violence following last month's Sandy Hook massacre might have an effect on game sales. Riccitiello's statement echoes the warning that Vice President Joe Biden gave video game researchers and representatives at a meeting earlier this month (that's Riccitiello sitting next to Biden at the meeting in the photo above). According to Biden, research will only go so far -- in order to stop being vilified for gun violence, the video game industry has to have public opinion on its side, and that requires cleaning up our image. It looks like Biden's message got through to him. For more on the game industry's perception problem, don't miss our extensive op-ed from game researcher and Grand Theft Childhood author Cheryl Olson.
