New York Senate passes game bill

[7th lutz]

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6171292.html

Last month New York state Senators Andrew Lanza and Martin Golden promised that they would be introducing legislation that would "crackdown" on violent games. That bill surfaced last week, breezing through the Senate in just four days. Now it moves on to the state Assembly, where it must again be approved before it can go before the governor to be signed into law.

As expected, the bill would establish an advisory council to appraise the effectiveness and accuracy of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rating system, as well as parent-teacher antiviolence awareness program. While Lanza and Golden originally said the parent-teacher program would be formed to work on issues related to violence in games, the text of the bill makes no mention of games in that program's duties. According to the bill, the parent-teacher program is being established "in order to recognize and appropriately respond to students at risk for developing a propensity toward violent conduct."

The bill would also make rating labels mandatory on all games sold in the state, with punishments established for anyone selling or renting a game at retail "in contravention of the rating affixed thereto." On the mandatory labeling part of the law, no exception is specifically made for digitally distributed games or used games that predate the ESRB.

If passed, the ratings restrictions would take effect January 1, 2008, while the advisory council and parent-teacher program would be created immediately.

[chicnstu]

On the mandatory labeling part of the law, no exception is specifically made for digitally distributed games or used games that predate the ESRB.

So pawn shops can't sell the older games without ratings after January 1, 2008? Is this only in New York? Do flea markets count?

[Push Upstairs]

Sounds like a total waste of taxpayer dollars with that "parent-teacher" thing added in an attempt to make sure nobody will vote against it.

[coreys429]

Well this doesn't stop the selling the games on ebay.

[heybtbm]

I'm impressed that New York has solved all their problems and finally have time for issues such as this.

[Cryomancer]

So it will be the teacher's job to inform about videogame ratings now? Brilliant plan.

By their own logic, the teachers will have to play the violent games, and therefore will become violent themselves and shoot up the school. Oh wait, none of these people play the games, they just get told what to think about them.

[diskoboy]

New York and California (politicians) are all fucked in the head.

California especially. But it makes me so happy to see how much of a police state NY has become, ever since Bloomberg got elected.

[Push Upstairs]

So it will be the teacher's job to inform about videogame ratings now? Brilliant plan.

By their own logic, the teachers will have to play the violent games, and therefore will become violent themselves and shoot up the school. Oh wait, none of these people play the games, they just get told what to think about them.

My understanding of it is that the Parent-Teacher thing is supposed to help address how little Johnny is acting at school and has little to do with the ratings nonsense....that is why I don't like it's inclusion. If anyone doesn't vote for it some politicians are going to scream "Hey, you don't want to protect kids!"

When will people realize that 99% of politicians don't care about you or your kids, they just want your vote to stay in office.

[GarrettCRW]

When will people realize that 99% of politicians don't care about you or your kids, they just want your vote to stay in office.

QFT. And since everyone in NY's State Senate and Assembly are scared shitless that they'll be accused of being "against families" in the next election, this will fly through any legislative chamber that it gets introduced into. (The same thing goes for being perceived as being "against the troops", for instance.) What most fail to realize, though, is that laws such as these cause government to shift from being there to protect the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to existing to control the lives of the people.

[8-bitNesMan]

So pawn shops can't sell the older games without ratings after January 1, 2008? Is this only in New York? Do flea markets count?

I intrepreted it to mean that said games would not fall under the provisions of the new law. In other words, an older game or a digitally distributed game would not have to have the new warning label.

[s1lence]

If passed, the ratings restrictions would take effect January 1, 2008, while the advisory council and parent-teacher program would be created immediately.


Great just what people need is more fucking councils and programs. Yay let spend taxpayers money in more retarded ways. How about they make a program for the removal of Pigeons.....oh wait they have done that to. Maybe a program to see if rectal bleeding contributes to pollution?

[mregashu]

I know this an unpopular opinion 'round these parts, but I don't see a major problem here. There is a big difference between censorship and enforcement of ratings and I think as long as the latter doesn't impede on the former it's a good thing. 12 and 13 year old kids for the most part shouldn't be playing Grand Theft Auto 3. Sure there are some mature enough to handle these themes just like there are some kids that age who are mature enough to watch Goodfellas or the Departed. But there are just as many who aren't and should stick to something lighter for a while.

Parents need to make the right choices and become involved in what their kids do. Honestly, I think most parents who do that probably have a stable, healthy relationship with their kids and those kids aren't going to be serious risks anyway. The problem is that the kid's who psychologically are at risk to do something drastic don't often have that stable parental relationship, therefore their parents don't care what they play and won't monitor their kids choices. Unfortunately, that means a strictly enforced rating system is the only way to keep games that these kids shouldn't play out of their hands. I know it sucks sometimes to have society's feeble dangling at the public teat, but if it makes for a safer, more civilized society so be it. So long as it doesn't infringe on my personal rights to beat up virtual hookers I'm OK with that.

As far as the teacher-parent council is concerned...ehh. I don't know that it could accomplish much. But I do know that when I student taught I had a 12 year old student who talked nonstop about GTA, only taking breaks to pretend he was a sniper looking out the window. I suppose having some sort of group effort to monitor that kind of behavior and discuss it with other teachers and parents may have been helpful. As it was, any concerns I raised regarding the issue were on deaf ears because I was the only person in the building with a working knowledge of the game. (It should be known as far as I know the kid turned out fine - at least in the sense that he never blew the building to hell.)

[goemon]

After a second, careful reading of the text, this doesn't sound that bad. It sounds like it won't be illegal to sell unrated games -- just illegal to sell a Mature game to someone under 17 or similar.

If it does turn out to be bad, I'll start a game smuggling business between NJ and NYC. So much for their bill reducing crime.

[mregashu]

I'm sure you're game smuggling will be a resounding success, Goemon, which will in turn lead Rockstar to make a game based on it that will be too violent, so you can in turn smuggle into the state...profit, profits, hundred dollah bills ya'all!

[RugalSizzler]

So pawn shops can't sell the older games without ratings after January 1, 2008? Is this only in New York? Do flea markets count?

The thing is nobody cares and the law will eventaully fade away. As with Prohibition, Walking between cars, child abuse, selling cigarettes and alcohol to minors, and smoking or using illeagal drugs.

Nobody is going to care about this one at all. I mean we allready had this in the mid 90's and that probably cost the carrer of a certain Actress who eventually turned to porno.

Personally the powers invested in me :deadhorse: the USA and let the darkness take them over. USA is like a dead horse it was hype and now it is a joke trying to regain it's commercialism.

USA will never fool me again nore should it fool you. Also where is :villagepeople: when you need them:bday:

[Buyatari]

What qualifies as a game? Minesweeper on a cel phone is that a game?

[goemon]

I'm sure you're game smuggling will be a resounding success, Goemon, which will in turn lead Rockstar to make a game based on it that will be too violent, so you can in turn smuggle into the state...profit, profits, hundred dollah bills ya'all!

That would be one hell of a game. First you have to tear ass across the George Washington Bridge while leaning out the window shooting randomly at other cars. Then you get to sit in a traffic jam on the Henry Hudson for half an hour. HARDCORE!

[Griking]

Most people here are too partial to think rational about any law regulating videogames. People over-react too much. I really don't see why people are so up in arms about a bill to keep violent games out of the reach of kids.

[vintagegamecrazy]

I don't have any problem with a law passed that way. I do play violent games maybe too much and I know they are pretty nasty at times. I can understand Resident Evil and Silent hill but I morally oppose GTA or any game of that genre. That game has no good qualities IMO and kids or anyone for that fact needs to play that game.

[djsquarewave]

I know this an unpopular opinion 'round these parts, but I don't see a major problem here. There is a big difference between censorship and enforcement of ratings and I think as long as the latter doesn't impede on the former it's a good thing. 12 and 13 year old kids for the most part shouldn't be playing Grand Theft Auto 3. Sure there are some mature enough to handle these themes just like there are some kids that age who are mature enough to watch Goodfellas or the Departed. But there are just as many who aren't and should stick to something lighter for a while.

Parents need to make the right choices and become involved in what their kids do. Honestly, I think most parents who do that probably have a stable, healthy relationship with their kids and those kids aren't going to be serious risks anyway. The problem is that the kid's who psychologically are at risk to do something drastic don't often have that stable parental relationship, therefore their parents don't care what they play and won't monitor their kids choices. Unfortunately, that means a strictly enforced rating system is the only way to keep games that these kids shouldn't play out of their hands. I know it sucks sometimes to have society's feeble dangling at the public teat, but if it makes for a safer, more civilized society so be it. So long as it doesn't infringe on my personal rights to beat up virtual hookers I'm OK with that.
I'm all for anything that keeps mature content away from little hands and eyes. The problem is that regulation like this really isn't going to keep these games from the kids who really shouldn't be playing them. If their parents don't care, then when the kid gets turned down at the store he's going to go scream at his mom until she buys it for him. When the clerk tells her it's not intended for kids, she'll buy it anyway just to shut the kid up.

I've seen this happen more than once already. A mild example of parental failure...


That would be one hell of a game. First you have to tear ass across the George Washington Bridge while leaning out the window shooting randomly at other cars. Then you get to sit in a traffic jam on the Henry Hudson for half an hour. HARDCORE!
Considering the next generation's ability to render large numbers of identical objects (why hello dead rising), I'd hope Rockstar cooks up some thick, creamy traffic for GTA4. :D

[RugalSizzler]

About banning violent games Hilldog and Obama is to blame for this along with all the retard consumers who brought PUZZLE NARUTO/POKEMON/MEGAMAN along with little Nemo for the continuesly bash against videogames.

America is just like that and is part of us getting back on track. I hate us as well but to remove violent activity from games is like removing the idea of games themselves and to limit the market.

Japan has done so well with Violence and Sex in there games and only USA is the ones to get screwed up with games WTF?

Also come on. Europe is super Poor like dirt and you could be walking down the street and get attacked by a group of people and there is a no fighting back rule. That is what I call violent.

I mean why not bann violent movies and books too. All I ever see on US TV is retarded sex jokes, killing over this and that, gun gun gun, and dirty fart jokes. Thinking about it we are more boring then the UK.

This is stupid along with the Killing of Saddam we are now going to start limiting our own freedoms. It is like our parents/elders ( the old people ) is trying to screw us up before they keel over and stop moving. Real funny joke.

[Gamereviewgod]

I know this an unpopular opinion 'round these parts, but I don't see a major problem here. There is a big difference between censorship and enforcement of ratings and I think as long as the latter doesn't impede on the former it's a good thing.

The difference being the government doesn't regulate movie sales to minors, music sales to minors, or book sales to minors. Know why? It's unconstitutional in every way.

Once they set a precedent in keeping M rated games out of kids hands, it's going to have wide reaching effects in other media as well, and continue to set up a slipperly slope. This isn't the place of politicians or taxpayers to pay for enforcement.

You do know this bill was passed after Andrew Lanza spoke out about the VA Tech flash game, right? He seems to believe he'll be regulating those types of games as well, which of course he's not.

Finally, how much money do you want to pay when the bill is shot down by courts? How about a million?

http://gamepolitics.com/2007/05/25/illinois-guv-blew-1-million-trying-to-legislate-video-games/

[Push Upstairs]

We know that this is going to get shot down simply because "appraise the effectiveness and accuracy of the ESRB rating system" is just a nice way of saying they want their own committee to rate games.

[pragmatic insanester]

write down the names of all the politicans involved in this bill and all the similar ones. they're usually a bunch of nobodies so its easy to forget their faces. however, when they try to run for some new type of office or renew their position... spread the word and have people vote for their opponent or a different person of their party.

[veronica_marsfan]

New York and California (politicians) are all fucked in the head.

Funny; you read my mind. I was sitting here reading the post & thinking:

"When did New York turn-into communist California?"

IMHO the problem is not the rating system, but the parents who ignore it. What good is it to have an M-rated Grand Theft Auto, if they parents go out & buy the game for their 5-yr-old??? What? Can the parents not read? Can't they see the clearly-label "Mature" on the cover???

No law will be able to stop parental stupidity.