Games

New Bill to Limit Games Sales

No chance of it being enforced

By Andrei Dumitrescu, Games Editor

9th of May 2008, 07:28 GMT

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Despite a host of failures when it comes to legislatures trying to ban or limit the sale of videogames, it seems that politicians never learn. The media reports about GTV IV and the various descriptions that have painted it as "murder simulator", or worse, seem to have generated a bit of an echo at the higher echelons of the United States House of

Representatives.

Two lawmakers, one Republican and one Democrat, are pushing forth what they call a "bipartisan" approach to game regulation. As part of this effort, they are aiming to introduce and lobby for a bill that would, if adopted, prevent minors from buying games intended for adults.

The goal in itself is laudable but the way in which it achieves it is not as laudable. The law calls for shop owners to check the identification cards of the people buying games to make sure that they are not selling to a minor a game that's not appropriate for their age. Also, shops have to display in plain view the ratings of the games they sell, complete with explanations. Failure to do so would result in fines of 5,000 dollars.

Representatives Lee Terry, a Republican from Nebraska, and Jim Matheson, who is a Democrat from Utah, acknowledged the fact that such laws introduced by the states themselves have been refuted by the courts on the grounds of the First Amendment. Yet they are somehow convinced that their law has got a better chance of success.

Terry stated: "The images and themes in some videogames are shocking and troublesome. In some games, high scores are often earned by players who commit 'virtual' murder, assault and rape. Many young children are walking into stores and are able to buy or rent these games without their parents even knowing about it. Many retailers have tried to develop voluntary policies to make sure mature games do not end up in the hands of young kids, but we need to do more to protect our children".

I wonder if there's anyone else, apart from the two proponents of the bill, that also supports such a measure, when self regulation is clearly the way to go here. Do you, political readers of Softpedia, support limits or even bans on mature-rated videogames?

TAGS:

House of Representatives | games regulations | bipartisanship | GTA IV | violence in games

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