Mothers Against Videogame Addiction and Violence

MAVAV awareness banner, modelled on the MADD logo.

Mothers Against Videogame Addiction and Violence (MAVAV) is a parody and satire hoax organization created by sophomore Parsons The New School for Design student David Yoo as a final project in December 2002.

The website claims that it is "dedicated to educating parents of the world's fastest growing addiction and the most reckless endangerment of children today" against video games. MAVAV suggests that video games are addictive and influence violent behavior, as proclaimed by the video game critic, Jack Thompson.

MAVAV (2002 - 2006)

MAVAV was officially launched on December 23, 2002 with the intention of becoming an Internet viral and meme targeted at gamers in a time when violent video games were buried in controversy by the media. MAVAV was a success in its first week with over 30,000 unique visitors and 60,000 more on December 30, 2002 when Penny Arcade and Slashdot reported of the hoax.

The MAVAV hoax is a prime example of how easily information can be propagated on the Internet, as well as how easily consumers will take in that which they read, without first questioning it.

MAVAV has garnered some note from the video game industry, including mentions at Penny Arcade, PvP, Slashdot, and other gaming-related websites sparking numerous commentaries, discussions, and debates on video game related addiction and violence.

MAVAV (2006 - Present)

MAVAV was re-launched in December 2006 as a social satire blog to raise awareness of the misconceptions and stereotypes about video games through its readers comments.

MAVAV was listed as a resource in an online video created by New York state Gov. Eliot Spitzer and the New York Department of Justice to offer advice to parents about buying video games for their children. MAVAV was later removed by the New York Department of Justice in response to a follow up story by the newspaper The Staten Island Advance.^[1]

See also

• Memes
• Parody
• Satire
• Video game controversy
• Video game addiction
• Video game violence

References

1. ^ Staten Island Advance story

External links

• MAVAV website
• MAVAV website (2002, archived)
• David Yoo's project write up
• Defaced MAVAV awareness banners
• CNN, "What's Real on the Internet Not Always Clear"
• Penny Arcade commentary
• Penny Arcade comic mentioning MAVAV
• PvP rant, "Everything in Moderation"
• Slashdot, “The Joystick Is The Root of All Evil"
• New York Guv's Game Scare Presentation Cites Hoax Site as "Resource"
• Following GP Story, NY Officials Remove Hoax Info from Presentation
• Government: NY Dept. Of Criminal Justice Vid Says Prostitutes Are Super-Hard To Kill