New York mulling anti-violent game legislation

[infornography42]

Young-looking New Yorkers will have to show ID to buy violent video games if New York State Representative Keith Wright has his way. Wright has authored State Assembly Bill A00547 which would require anyone appearing to be under 30 years old to show identification to buy a violent or sexually-explicit game. It would also mandate adult only sections in video game stores.

from TG daily.

Basically this bill states that anyone who looks younger than 30 gets carded to make sure they are at least 18 if they want to buy "video games that glamorize commission of violent crimes, suicide, sodomy and other violent or sexual acts."

When I saw the title of the article I expected to get offended, but honestly, this doesn't sound so bad except for the whole discriminating against Video games in legislation. There are currently no similar LAWS covering movies, music, books, or any other form of entertainment media.

So chalk me up as irritated but not yet angry. Where do you stand on this issue?

 

[VBDude]

Are you by any chance familiar with http://www.videogamevoters.org? I personally don't agree with making it a law when every other form of media is protected, but I always voluntarily carded people when I wasn't sure of their age. It was store policy not to sell M-rated titles to minors, further solidifying the uselessness of unfair legislation.

 

[guruofchem]

Two separate issues for me here:

1) Don't we already have a system (in the US anyway) that keeps underage kids from buying Mature rated games? Of course, an adult could always buy one and give it to an underage child, but I fail to see how it would be possible to stop that practice short of banning the games altogether...oh crap, maybe that's where this is going.

2) The continuing vitriol directed at the video game industry defies belief, and under these circumstances we are obligated to oppose any restrictive legislation, simply because the passage of even an innocuous-seeming bill gives credence to the misapprehension that video games are inherently more dangerous or damaging than other types of media. This is a very slippery slope we are on, and every effort must be made to counter the misguided blitz of disinformation that continues to be pushed by the press. I fully expect to wake up some morning in the next few months to have Katie Couric telling me that excessive video gaming is actually to blame for global warming...

 

[infornography42]

I have seen their website. I even considered donating, but so far I have yet to feel the effects of their efforts at all, which makes me worry.

If I see them in action doing things and saying things in the public eye that I agree with then I will put my hope (and some money) into them.

Reactive petitions are not effective however, and neither is preaching to the choir. They need to have a proactive nationwide message that informs parents and legislators alike BEFORE the crap hits the fan.

Until I see them doing things like that they will remain mostly a nonentity to me.

 

[GyRo567]

Germany's disasters just go to show what the real agenda is, and it's quite crazy & ridiculous.

Movies & books (& music - though I can't say I really listen to any) aren't subjected to it, and games don't need to be either.