14 DAY TRIAL // US senator Fred Upton has been notoriously vocal about punishing developer Rockstar and publisher Take-Two over the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas "Hot Coffee" mod controversy. He recently went to a higher level by proposing in Congress the "Video Game Decency Act," a new legislation project bound to bring decency in the gaming industry at a large scale. Thus, the US government is adding even more munitions to the war on the terror of video games, since Senator Sam Brownback is already attempting to move the "Truth in Video Game Rating" Act through the US Senate. This older effort is forcing third-party agencies like the ESRB to fully complete a game before a rating score can be awarded.
While it's arguably good to have more accurate ratings, the gamer's eye has no trouble spotting red flags from miles down the road. It's still not regulated how user created content fits into the big plan. Memories of Oblivion's re-rating are still fresh, once a moder patched nude breasts on all female character models. There is also the issue of incredibly long games, along with never-ending games like MMOs, raising the legitimate question: If you can't finish a game, does it stay in ratings limbo forever?
Fred Upton's bill is designed within the "guidelines of the Constitution, [and] is a simple, surgical approach to provide new regulatory authority for the Federal Trade Commission to punish bad players in the video game industry." One might actually understand the senator is going after unskilled players, but despite the awkward phrasing, the bill seeks to give the FTC the power to "pursue financial sanctions" against publishers who "try to deceive the ratings system." There is a fine line between good will and censorship, but when words like "decency" start getting thrown around, people - be they senators - start crossing it.