14 DAY TRIAL // Don't you just love it when politicians elected by people who barely know how to use the Internet and people who believe Fox News when it talks about Mass Effect decide to create laws that target videogames? The Governor of the state of New York, David Paterson, has decided to sign a bill that might see violent games regulated far more strictly than they are at the moment.
The law is part of a package designed to increase the protection offered to children against possible harmful influences. And, of course, videogames are mentioned as one of the things that can turn a good, innocent child into a sociopath and delinquent. Bill A.11717 / S.6401-A says that the state of New York will set up a committee that will research the link between simulated violence, as that portrayed in videogames, and real life violence. It also says that all consoles should implement efficient parental lockout systems by 2010 and that all games sold in retail shops should clearly disclose the rating that they have received from ESRB.
I think everybody can agree on the need of clearly displayed information regarding the rating of a game. After all, some details are necessary so that the buyer can make an informed choice when purchasing a game. But the parental lockout systems, which aim to limit the access that children have to certain content, have proved to be more of a challenge for kids to overcome than an efficient measure limiting access to violence. It's far easier for a parent to not buy a game than to set up parental locks, for sure.
The investigation into the link between videogames and violence is discriminatory and misguided. Discriminatory because it does not target other mediums, like television, movies and music (we all know rock music has been linked to anti-social behavior), while analyzing an issue to which numerous studies have already offered an answer. Most researchers agree that no direct link exists between playing videogames and violent behavior in children.
If you think the new videogame bill is unnecessary you can perhaps join the Video Game Voters Network and see if you can bring about political change.