New York targets violent video games

The debate over the affects of violent video games on minors is back on now that New York State Senate recently passed a bill criminalizing selling violent video games to minors. The New York Assembly has now passed a companion bill that makes it a Class E felony, punishable by up to four years in prison, to provide violent and indecent games to minors.

Bill A08696 goes further however by mandating that all new consoles sold in New York contain parental controls. While the newer consoles, the PlayStation 3 (PS3), Xbox 360 and Wii all have parent control systems, it's not clear what would happen to PlayStation 2 or GameCube.

Once again, this attempt to block the sale of violent games to minors relies on research that attempts to bridge violence in video games to real-life violent behavior amongst the youth. However, that debate is still on-going and whether violent games do have an impact is still unclear.

The two bills (A08696 and S5888) will now go to a conference committee before the final legislation will go to Governor Eliot Spitzer to be signed into law. Given Spitzer's support for such legislation, he will more-than-likely sign it into law. Presumably, as with several other U.S. state attempts, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) will sue immediately.

Source:
Ars Technica

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Written by: James Delahunty @ 1 Jun 2007 3:03

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14 comments

Mindless5

I am all for video games having ratings. And if you want to keep little junior son-of-a-bitch from buying them, thats fine. Just like a rated-R movie. But you better not ban the games completely, and ruin my fun! And as soon as I am a parent, I want control over what my kids watch and play, not the government. If more people would actually use our entertainment services and devices for what they are, and not baby sitters, we'd probably be better off.

1.6.2007 04:36 #1

fgamer

Why am I not surprised that it's in NY, Hillary has been pushing for this stuff for a while now. It's a shame that they feel they need to legislate every single thing they can think of.This sounds like a parental problem to me.

1.6.2007 04:38 #2

Krmnnghia

Originally posted by fgamer:This sounds like a parental problem to me.DING DING DING!!!! :)

I have absolutely no desire to ever visit New York. I used to but in recent years the takeover or the city and its residents by the government there has gotten out of control. Why anyone would want to live in a place like that is beyond me.

1.6.2007 04:45 #3

krj15489

This is just dumb. 4 years for giving an m rated game to a kid. My parents would be serving consecutive life sentences. The government should in no way control what games are played by anyone.

1.6.2007 04:48 #4

spydah

Ok you gotta wonder when do the people draw the line. Our government do more dictating then helping. I understand we have a lot of bad parents or parents to busy to be parents. Also people do tend to make TV and video games and so on parent their kids. I am not against rating games but they have to punish more parents for no doing their jobs. To many people right now are busy clubbing, smoking, getting high and so forth. I live in Philly so i see this shit all the time. I wont sit here and pretend to be perfect or the perfect parent and to talk down on other parents but the truth is the truth. At some point you need take responsibility for your lack of action or own actions. Kids are screwed up just as much from watching regular TV. Especially all the sex driving and violent commercials, cartoons, talk shows, and even the news its self. Kinda crazy to target one area of problems with kids and violence. Why dont they give those other outlets these stipulations too they are responsible at some level. But the parent is the main source of the problem.

1.6.2007 06:27 #5

NexGen76

I don't have a problem with this Bill because i worked in retail & you would not believe how some parents pay little attention to the rating system.Its sad when the government got to pass bills like this to make parents accountable.But i do have a problem when the government try to blame games as the cause for violence,In that case get rid of R-RATED Movies.

1.6.2007 06:32 #6

spydah

Another i forgot to mention. Hilary is only doing this because of the election in November. They will place all kinds of topics they want to target out to get people in a frenzy and all ready to hate and ban stuff. Its really crazy they have the time to focus on smaller issues then the real big issues that keeps getting looked over in this country.

1.6.2007 06:35 #7

emugamer

I don't see anything wrong with the bill. Now stores are more accountable. So what. Junior can't buy a rated M game if he is underage. The bill won't stop parents from getting the game for their kid.

Quote:Presumably, as with several other U.S. state attempts, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) will sue immediately.

^Bothers me. Why would they sue? All the bill is doing is making the retailer more accountable. Does the ESA want minors to go into a store and have the chance of getting away with buying a rated M game? If the young kid wants the game, and hi parents are screwed up or ignorant, then they will buy it for him/her.

1.6.2007 08:26 #8

mpstash

Four years in prison?! I don't think you get in that much trouble for giving alcohol or cigarettes to minors! Surely a game isn't more harmful than those.

1.6.2007 08:46 #9

georgeluv

Man NYC is PISSED about the forthcoming GTA game! But that�s what you get when your officers act like animals with Down syndrome, they shoot people up for no reason then the populous develops a desire to SHOOT BACK, ITS FUCKING HUMAN NATURE! Violent video games like this actually DEFUSE violence against police (and violence in general) because it is a safe environment to act out these fantasies that are nothing more than a manifestation of our human desire to hurt those that wish to hurt us.

A NYPD rook gets 25 grand per year, you think anyone with half a brain is actually applying for that job? NYPD: control your overzealous, power tripping, trigger happy cops and maybe people won�t feel like shooting back.

1.6.2007 09:16 #10

spydah

Originally posted by georgeluv:Man NYC is PISSED about the forthcoming GTA game! But that�s what you get when your officers act like animals with Down syndrome, they shoot people up for no reason then the populous develops a desire to SHOOT BACK, ITS FUCKING HUMAN NATURE! Violent video games like this actually DEFUSE violence against police (and violence in general) because it is a safe environment to act out these fantasies that are nothing more than a manifestation of our human desire to hurt those that wish to hurt us.

A NYPD rook gets 25 grand per year, you think anyone with half a brain is actually applying for that job? NYPD: control your overzealous, power tripping, trigger happy cops and maybe people won�t feel like shooting back.

I agree we have the same issues here in Philly. We have a current death toll from street related deaths from people ranging from 17 - 37 at 151 deaths so far this year. I know some of the shootings are related threw other issues but half of that is cops shooting people and falsifying their report so no one questions that. People say oh thats just another drug related killing and move on. So i agree about this overzealous cops that think every Male they see is their person target.

1.6.2007 09:42 #11

rukindvt

As a behaviorist that works who works with elementary children off in a city that regards itself as the "compton" of vermont, I don't know any 3rd-4th graders in at least 3 school districts that haven't played and beaten gta san andreas...I know that i waited until the price came way down to buy it at least a year after most of these little guys had beaten the game. How many 10 yr olds do you know walking around with 50-60 bucks to spend on games. Here it seems that the parents cater and buy this stuff for thier kiddos. A few of my client's parents even get involved in thier kid's life and play it with them.....wow.....this law will be severely ineffective ...........rukindvt

1.6.2007 10:32 #12

borhan9

I am all for this legislation to be passed and approved but at the end it is up to the person that is selling the product to check the persons age if they look to young. Also if a parent buys an inappropriate product for a minor in their care they should be given the prison sentence.

1.6.2007 19:30 #13

Unfocused

They have being trying to pass this stuff since Mortal Kombat came out all those years ago. Why does nobody who can actually make the laws seem to realize that it is the parents fault for not monitoring their children? They keep trying to pass the buck off on the retailers and the developers.

11.7.2007 16:49 #14

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