California game-restriction bill floundering
Assemblyman Leland Yee all but concedes defeat in his fight to make M-rated games less accessible.
California Assemblyman Leland Yee, who has been pushing a bill that would limit some video game sales to minors, said today he thinks his bill is doomed.
The bill is scheduled to come up for a vote Tuesday in the Assembly’s 13-member Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Tourism and Internet Media, and Yee doesn’t think he’ll have enough support to get it through. The video game industry and retailers have been lobbying hard to kill the bill, Yee said. “I think there is tremendous political pressure being exerted,” Yee said. “I don’t think [the bill] is going to survive at all.”
Yee’s bill, known as AB 1792, proposes to expand the legal definition of “harmful matter,” currently used to classify pornography, to include video games. By doing so, the law would prohibit the sales of these games to minors.
Specifically, Yee is targeting first- and third-person shooter games such as Postal 2 and Grand Theft Auto III, where players perform acts of violence that would be considered a crime in real life. Additionally, the circumstances surrounding the violent act would have to show that it was committed without pity or empathy, and the victim’s injuries would have to be graphically depicted.
If all of this sounds rather vague, Yee doesn’t think so.
He said he’s not targeting all M-rated games, and he made his bill as specific as possible so as to not run afoul of the First Amendment. “I did not simply jump into this issue without a lot of care and consideration,” Yee said.
In response to Yee’s bill, Entertainment Software Association president Douglas Lowenstein yesterday released a statement that his group supports voluntary retail polices to restrict the sale of M-rated games. “This progress toward effective voluntary enforcement--combined with the fact that the federal government itself reports that parents are involved in the sale and rental of video games acquired by kids more than eight out of 10 times--makes the proposed ordinance unnecessary,” Lowenstein said.
Yee, a UC Berkeley-trained psychologist, doesn’t play video games himself but became interested in the issue after a staffer mentioned hearing her children discussing violent games. Yee points to an American Psychological Association study that draws a link between aggressive thoughts and behavior and violent games. The 2000 study included golden oldies such as Doom, Wolfenstein 3D, and Mortal Kombat. A Swedish study released last month reached a similar conclusion but went on to blame video games for obesity, as well.
Yee feels the current video game rating system isn’t working and that children will be able to get their hands on violent games as long as retailers are allowed to sell them to minors. Yee has also introduced another bill, AB 1793, also due for a vote Tuesday, that would limit the display of violent video games in stores and force retailers to post an explanation of the rating system.
If the bills do survive the committee, it will be at least a few weeks before it comes before the entire Assembly for a vote. After that, it would head to the state Senate and then to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s desk. Yee, however, doesn’t sound hopeful; he said he is surprised by the resistance his bills have faced. “I thought this was a slam dunk,” Yee said.
Hot Stories
Newsmakers
-
GameSpot's Best of 2009 - Dubious Honors Winners
Find out our Dubious Honors Winners in the Best of 2009 Awards! Full Story
- Posted Dec 22, 2009 11:56 am PT
-
GameSpot's Best of 2009 - Special Achievement Winners
Find out our special achievement winners in the Best of 2009 Awards! Full Story
- Posted Dec 21, 2009 11:59 am PT
Featured Stories
-
Xbox Avatars to 'encourage exercise'?
Microsoft patent details technology to make 360's avatars have same physical appearance as their real-world counterparts--and thereby promote physical fitness. Full Story
- Posted Dec 21, 2009 12:13 pm PT
- 720 Comments
-
'Ghost Recon Future Soldier' trademarked
Ubisoft USPTO filing reveals likely name of next installment in its tactical Tom Clancy shooter series, due out after Q1 2010. Full Story
- Posted Dec 21, 2009 1:06 pm PT
- 142 Comments
-
Take-Two sells distribution arm, cuts Q1 forecast by $120 million
Publisher cuts annual outlook to $910 million after Jack of All Games subsidiary is scooped up by IT systems distributor Synnex. Full Story
- Posted Dec 21, 2009 2:53 pm PT
- 26 Comments
-
Shippin' Out December 20-26: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
Square Enix's Crystal Bearers for the Wii leads a light release slate including the retail launch of Guitar Hero: Van Halen. Full Story
- Posted Dec 21, 2009 10:55 am PT
- 47 Comments
-
Final Fantasy XIII day-one sales hit 1 million in Japan
Square Enix's hotly anticipated JRPG busts platinum sales marker in 24 hours on PS3, franchise sales surpass 92 million. Full Story
- Posted Dec 18, 2009 10:53 am PT
- 731 Comments
Submit News
Related Game
- Rockstar Games
- DMA Design
- Modern Action Adventure
- Release: Oct 22, 2001 »
- ESRB: Mature
Related Games
Recent News
-
Game releases hold steady in 2009
EEDAR analysis finds slightly more titles fighting over fewer customer dollars, increasingly scarce shelf space; 2010 to see fewer new retail games.
2 Comments
Sign in / Sign up