Content and programming copyright (c) 1997 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. 
All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used 
in any media without attribution to American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. This 
transcript may not be reproduced in whole or in part without prior permission. 
For further information please contact ABC's Office of the General Counsel. 
Transcribed by Federal Document Clearing House, Inc. under license from American 
Broadcasting Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 
  
ABC NEWS 


 View Related Topics  


SHOW: ABC WORLD NEWS SATURDAY (6:30 pm ET) 


DECEMBER 20, 1997 


Transcript # 97122005-j05 

TYPE: PACKAGE 

SECTION: NEWS 

LENGTH: 505 words 

HEADLINE: DANGEROUS CARTOONS READILY AVAILABLE IN U.S. 

BYLINE: BILL REDEKER, AARON BROWN 

HIGHLIGHT: 
JAPANESE ANIME ON U.S. CABLE, IN VIDEO GAMES 

BODY: 
    
AARON BROWN: Cubans got a surprise in the front page of the Communist Party 
newspaper today -- a published message from Pope John Paul whose words are 
usually banned in Cuba. It's the latest in a series of concessions from Fidel 
Castro ahead of the Pope's historic visit to Cuba next month. 
  
"Time" magazine has named its man of the year. It's Andrew Grove. Andy Grove 
turned Intel into the undisputed king of the semiconductor business. Intel's 
chips power an astonishing 90 percent of the world's personal computers. Not bad 
for a Holocaust survivor who came to the United States penniless. 
  
Japanese broadcasters say they'll create new guidelines to prevent the kind of 
seizures that sent hundreds of Japanese children to hospitals this week. As you 
probably heard, the seizures were caused by a televised cartoon. What you may 
not know is that cartoons like it with the same kind of dangers are readily 
available in the United States. Here's ABC's Bill Redeker. 
  
(Clip from "Battle Arena Toshinden, Cenral Park Media) 
  
BILL REDEKER, ABC News: (voice-over) It's called "Anime," Japanese for 
"animation," a specific style of Japanese cartoon, characterized by fast-paced 
action, vibrant colors and intense flashes of light. But it's not just in Japan. 
Anime cartoons have been shown here on cable television for the last five years. 
And they have become increasingly popular in video games. 
  
JOHN O'DONNELL, Central Park Media: Right now, the best guess for our industry 
is maybe at wholesale it's a $50 million to $60 million market. It's been 
growing very quickly. 
  
BILL REDEKER: (voice-over) But when manufacturer Nintendo began getting 
complaints that some kids suffer epileptic- type seizures when playing the 
games, they issued this warning. 
  
(Graphic: Epilepsy Warning -- Read this notice before you or your child use any 
video game.) 
  
Doctors blame the flashing strobe-like light. 
  
Dr. ORRIN DEVINSKY. Dir., NYU Epilepsy Center: In about one in 5,000 to 10,000 
children, flickering lights at the right frequency or cycles-per-second can 
trigger an epileptic seizure. 
  
BILL REDEKER: (voice-over) That may be what happened in Japan earlier this week 
when 700 children were taken to hospitals after viewing this Anime cartoon. 
Doctors say alternating flashes of red and blue light at the rate of 20 flashes 
per second can trigger electrical impulses in the brain, causing nausea, 
headaches, even convulsions. 
  
(on camera) Neurologists who study epilepsy say only a small percentage of 
children are hypersensitive to this sort of intense light. They recommend 
turning down the brightness of the set, turning up the room lights and moving 
back from the screen just to be safe. 
  
Bill Redeker, ABC News, New York. 
  
AARON BROWN: More on the possible dangers of those cartoon animations tomorrow 
on Good Morning America Sunday. A doctor who studies seizures will explain how 
they happen and whether your child is at risk.