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Minnesota to appeal court decision

State's attorney general says he will continue to fight for game restriction law declared unconstitutional last month.

Last month, a federal judge struck down a Minnesota law that would fine minors attempting to buy games rated M for Mature or AO for Adults Only. The judge found the law to be an unconstitutional violation of free-speech rights, adding that the state failed to provide evidence that exposure to violent games causes harm to minors.

This morning, Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch said that he is appealing the judge's decision to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

"What the Act really does is make sure that parents are involved in the decision of whether their children should play a violent or sexually-explicit video game," Hatch said in a statement. "The law simply prohibits children 16 years old and younger from buying those types of video games. If the parents aren't troubled by their kids playing these games, they can buy them for their children."

As for the court's finding that the state failed to show sufficient evidence supporting the law, Hatch said mental and public health organizations "have identified more than 1,000 studies showing a connection between media violence and aggression in children."

"The connection isn't surprising, since children play the role of a criminal in a number of these games and are rewarded for robbing a bank, killing a cop, or participating in a drive-by shooting," Hatch said.

Hatch paired his statement on the appeal with a call for federal lawmakers to allow the states to regulate Internet service providers (ISPs). Hatch wants to require ISPs "to periodically disclose to subscribers the options available to block offensive material," specifically violent or pornographic Web sites.

72 Comments

  • DuaneDog

    Posted Apr 11, 2008 11:07 pm GMT

    America, a country wrapped in a sea of rethoric about "FREEDOM", has ironically managed to lock up more of it's citzens than any other country in the world. In fact, not only does America have the greatest pecent of it's citizens incarcerated, we also hold the distinction have having more people behind bars in raw numbers. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2008/02/28/DI2008022802960.html

    http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/r234.pdf

    What is totally shocking and sad is that a fraction of American's even have a clue about this fact and how that implicates our values of being a so called "free" society. One thing is for sure... you can't blame video games as a root cause for having either the most criminal society or the most oppressed society on the planet; depending on how justified our nation is in putting people behind bars.

  • DuaneDog

    Posted Apr 11, 2008 11:07 pm GMT

    America, a country wrapped in a sea of rethoric about "FREEDOM", has ironically managed to lock up more of it's citzens than any other country in the world. If fact not only is America have the greatest pecent of it's citizens incarcerated, we also hold the distinction have having more people behind bars in raw numbers. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2008/02/28/DI2008022802960.html

    http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/r234.pdf

    In fact hearly HALF of the people in the entire world that are in prison, are in prison in the United States. What is totally shocking and sad is that a fraction of American's even have a clue about this fact and how that implicates our values of being a "free" society. One thing is for sure... you can't blame video games as a root cause for having either the most criminal society or the most oppressed society on the planet depending on how justified our nation is in putting people behind bars.

  • djsaskdja

    Posted Jun 6, 2007 3:39 pm GMT

    actually autolycus I live in the sticks, Minneapolis is like a 4 hour drive from me and I have been to fargo and while some people do talk like that its seriously like 10% of the people and almost all of them are over 50 and drink caffe at the gas station all day

  • bulletsword

    Posted Nov 11, 2006 12:52 pm GMT

    because it's true, i'm just going to say....
    STRUCK DOWN!

  • Autolycus

    Posted Aug 31, 2006 6:45 am GMT

    djsaskdja "I've lived in Minnesota all my life and have never heard anybody with one of those stupid accents and that Fargo movie pisses me off cause no one here talks like that and they have EVERYONE talk like that!"
    -=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    have you ever been to fargo? because honestly, people are like that. MN is a big place an djust because you are in the twin cities doesnt mean all of the state is like that.

  • Autolycus

    Posted Aug 31, 2006 6:43 am GMT

    VASH media violence could be anything from barbie comericials to xmen cartoons, to cd covers, to movie posters, to car commericals. Ban it all for the sake of our children?! how about you just take time out of your life to look after your kids. the end. if you arent ready to give up your life 100% dont procreate

  • Vash67

    Posted Aug 30, 2006 7:15 pm GMT

    "As for the court's finding that the state failed to show sufficient evidence supporting the law, Hatch said mental and public health organizations "have identified more than 1,000 studies showing a connection between media violence and aggression in children." "

    There is media violence in the news. Go ban that.

  • SoraTheExtreme

    Posted Aug 30, 2006 4:07 pm GMT

    uhm, as a swede I'd like to ask; what is so wrong with accent?

  • rokkuman09

    Posted Aug 30, 2006 2:53 pm GMT

    But they can already do that _Sam_ and the people who really care either don't buy them or check if they approve of the game... and the people who usaully buy them by themselves parents DONT care you c?

  • _Sam_

    Posted Aug 30, 2006 12:02 pm GMT

    "If the parents aren't troubled by their kids playing these games, they can buy them for their children."

    that's why I'm for the law in some sense

  • djsaskdja

    Posted Aug 30, 2006 11:19 am GMT

    I've lived in Minnesota all my life and have never heard anybody with one of those stupid accents and that Fargo movie pisses me off cause no one here talks like that and they have EVERYONE talk like that!

  • segasaturn4ever

    Posted Aug 30, 2006 9:03 am GMT

    The goverment keeps trying to attack video games but don't say one thing about movies. freddy krueger movies are worse than many m rated games yet know one is making laws for that. m rated games and r rated movies are both purchased parent's yet video games are the only target. and kid's killing someone and blaming it on a game is just a way to point the finger towards someone else .

  • The_Weekend

    Posted Aug 30, 2006 8:35 am GMT

    I seriously doubt anything will get to the AO level ... M is pretty common sight these days. The only AO stuff I know are from Japan .... but haven't quite seen AO games from anywhere else.

  • Sundart

    Posted Aug 30, 2006 6:49 am GMT

    maybe if more accessible media like movies and music were restricted, this wouldn't be such a bad idea. Yes, a lot of kids play games, but not as many as those who watch movies and listen to music. EVERY kid watches movies and jams to tunes and I think they are more harmful than sitting down at a game once in a while.

  • Autolycus

    Posted Aug 30, 2006 6:10 am GMT

    "If the parents aren't troubled by their kids playing these games, they can buy them for their children." Woah woah woah...you mean I actually have to take time of MY life to raise my child?! no deal

  • metdevthegamer

    Posted Aug 30, 2006 5:45 am GMT

    They're just going to keep on trying, huh?

  • jakeboudville

    Posted Aug 30, 2006 4:55 am GMT

    pretty interesting...

  • Dirk13

    Posted Aug 30, 2006 12:39 am GMT

    actually no, people dont all speak like swedish migrants in minnesota, especially now moreso than the 80's when Fargo took place. i've lived there most of my life as well before i went to college, Some people have a slight accent but not a ton.

  • YukoAsho

    Posted Aug 30, 2006 12:38 am GMT

    I can't wait until they get smacked down in the Supreme Court.

  • SoraTheExtreme

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 8:58 pm GMT

    If these guys get what they want the world of gamers will look like friggin Nintendoland... no offense Nintendo-fans (I like Nintendo too) but I would'nt really like a world where all games were cutie pink-and-fluffy all the time...

    Me want me RE, SH and GTA... *shakes fist at*

  • nintendorocks

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 8:31 pm GMT

    They're just gonna keep trying huh? Ok, well, not letting minors buy M or AO games? Sure, I'm all for it. But fining them? No...you can't do that. Minors already can't go out a M or AO game by themselves, at least where I live they can't. I don't see a need for this law. Just let a parent come along and everything is solved.

    PFUNKMUSIK--That is the most ignorant thing I have ever heard. Minors are just as important has adults. If the parent is smart enough to know that their child is not some kind of moron who wants to go out and kill everyone after playing a game, then the problem is solved. Not by minors not being able to play the game.

  • pfunkmusik

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 7:32 pm GMT

    If parents would parent, this wouldn't be necessary. Besides, any parent who's dumb enough to buy 'Manhunt' or 'Shellshock '67' for their 13-year-old shouldn't be reproducing. Besides, if you're a minor, you have no rights. When you're old enough to vote, then you get rights. Until that time, sit down and can it.

    BTW, shouldn't we gamers be asking developers to increase the quality? What irritates me is that we now have consoles that can outpace the vast majority of PCs and all I see on the shelves is underdone crap. We've been hearing developers whine and carp about how great their games would be if the hardware could handle it. Well, it's here. Time to put up or shut up on the part of developers, too. Don't be letting them off scot-free.

  • MaTT2011

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 6:27 pm GMT

    God forbid we pass laws that HELP people instead of limiting freedoms.....jeesh, people need to get their prioties straight...instead of saying , "you cant do that cause I think its wrong!" how about we just leave our freedoms intact and give people this little thing we call "personal responsibility"

    but noooooooo, parents just want to breed and not take responsibility...they dont want to parent.

  • ValKilmerStyle

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 6:10 pm GMT

    I know this is completely off topic, but I've lived in Minnesota my whole life and people here actually talk like they do in the movie Fargo (which is awesome), some of them just won't admit it. Sorry, but I saw a couple of posts relating to that and felt I had to say something.

  • carcrazy426

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 6:05 pm GMT

    And as soon as this appeal gets thrown out the law in LA will get thrown out as well. The sad thing is, if any of these anti-gaming laws are passed, that if you are underage, you can't buy the video game, but can buy the movie and/or book that the game was based off. Making all of these "protect the children" laws a bit hypocritical.

  • umbrae

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 4:42 pm GMT

    Key note is "have identified more than 1,000 studies showing a connection between media violence and aggression in children." Media does not mean video games.

  • lordoverallbaby

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 4:38 pm GMT

    No everyone! this is perfect for us! if they keep appealing that makes our case even stronger because every case they lose is another piece of legal history. i hope he is dumb enough to appeal all the way to the supreme court, and when he gets laughed out of there for his silly logic then they will not be able to try and pull these shenanegans ever again.

  • Dirk13

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 3:39 pm GMT

    hmph, get that fargo picture away, that movie (as great as it is) has plagued my relations with people when i went out west for college, they all think i'm supposed to have this Swedish twang to my accent, dontcha know (i never say that).

  • Erinaceus1991

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 3:32 pm GMT

    I am a resident of Minnesota and a DFL member as well, and I learned a few new things about Mr. Hatch today. It makes me think twice about voting for him in the next election. I'll probably opt for the Independence Party candidate, seeing as I hate Governor Pawlenty for the Bush White House lackey that he is.

  • kaosprince

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 3:27 pm GMT

    First of all, I'm respectful to the US alot and though I respect them and all, I do not want to see them get involved with videogames. They have better things to do than family values and they need to focus on bigger things. I don't want to see anything bad happen to games, I don't want anything bad to happen to the US, I don't want anything bad to happen to kids. But the US really has better things to do, they need to focus on Iraq rather than games. I'm not dissing the US, I'm just saying that they need to handle this country rather than regulating videogames. As I said, I respect my country.

  • Gruug

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 3:27 pm GMT

    Frankly, as a parent, I think it is up the parents to do the "regulating" here. I don't wish the government to come in and tell me what I already know or even what I should know. I trust my judgement over that of any politican trying to write a law that, in the end, will only cripple rather then fix the issue. Parents, if you have children living at home, live up to your responsibility and make sure you know what your kids are playing and buying for their PC and consoles.

  • caesarbites

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 3:14 pm GMT

    So, the Minnesota Attorney General has a fetish for losing, obviously.

  • McDog3

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 3:08 pm GMT

    What I don't get about this is this year on Nov 17th (i'll be 16), I will not be mature enough to buy M games....but on Nov 18th (i'll turn 17) my mind will suddenly go under massive alterations. Whatever.

  • MCCHA

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 2:51 pm GMT

    hooray for me, the 16 year old, who is just not old enough to buy them (but i can look a lot older easily)

  • Da1ShrpSh0trGrl

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 2:44 pm GMT

    i do understand if they enforce that parents or adults must be present to buy this kind of games, but the situation is getting kind of scary. This people are not just against kids buying violent games, they are against the hole violent videogames sales. Soon enough they will start targeting the adults too. WE MUST REMAIN UNITED PEOPLE.!!!! WE GAMERS ARE HERE TO STAY AND WE WILL NOT BACK DOWN!!!

  • SoraTheExtreme

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 2:43 pm GMT

    USA seems to have some problems...
    kinda glad I live over here in Sweden right now... is it really so hard to follow the ratinglabel on the game? 18 means 18 and so on... sigh...

  • Jaymian

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 2:31 pm GMT

    Fargo North Dakota.

  • reece590

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 1:29 pm GMT

    Great, I am not voting for that guy...(I live in MN)

  • HoosTrax

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 1:25 pm GMT

    Sooner or later, the generation that grew up playing video games will be old to vote (it's already beginning to happen). Then we'll see how willing politicians are to try using "video game violence" as a political issue to try to garner votes with parents who don't know better.

  • KillerFPS

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 1:21 pm GMT

    Man I'm glad Missouri hasn't tried one of these bull**** laws yet. I'm still laughing from the Louisiana when which was ment to protect minors from "financial harm." WTF?!?!?

  • smbius

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 1:21 pm GMT

    Correct. Politicians never really care about the issues...only the ones that get them into office.

  • CrazySw3de

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 1:20 pm GMT

    Nice Fargo homage in the pic

  • kriptonzz

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 1:13 pm GMT

    I got it right away, Fargo I'm sure, great movie, Yah

  • shibipocanibo

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 1:07 pm GMT

    I live in Minnesota and happen to know Mr. Hatch personally. I'm very close to someone who work as Deputy Atty. General under the former Attorney General, Mr. Skip Humphrey. When Hatch came in, he was apparently on a power trip (Somebody must have told him he had been elected President of the United States, and not A.G. of Minnesota) because he fired the whole lot of STATE employees without thought or question. He is a vindictive jerk who happens to be very good at the "hardass with a heart of gold" bit. He is neither, rather just a simpleton dressed with a fancy, political name who is using video games and the Twin Cities' uprise in violence for his campaign for Governor. This is his only care in citing video games as so danerous, not because he thinks so, but because he thinks that's what the general voting populous wants. Screw you Mr. Hatch, I'm ashamed to see you representing the DFL in Minnesota and I'm embarrased to say that we elected your type of vermin to any publicly held office.

  • dEaThAwAiTs013

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 12:59 pm GMT

    I wonder how many times these anti-game politicians and activists need to be shot down by the first amendment before they realize that there's no point in fighting it. Did the movie industry go through this too when it first started hitting the mainstream?

  • meimnobody

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 12:51 pm GMT

    1000 studies? Maybe the AG could answer why they have never been submitted to the courts. Oh right because either the studies don't exist or are so bogus the Judge would hand an even worse smackdown due to their submission as evidence. I hear the 1000 or more studies garbage on every issue conservatives try to push when examined these studies are found to be bogus or say the opposite of what the conservatives say.

  • XBOX360LIVE

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 12:48 pm GMT

    Gotta love my home state!

  • duxup

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 12:44 pm GMT

    I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that he’s running for Governor.

  • ExcAREentric

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 12:41 pm GMT

    There are like what? 6 or so games that involve drive by shootings? Is Jak 3 on this list? Is Halo?

  • winnazdaluza

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 12:38 pm GMT

    why does'nt this attorney general tell the parents of these so called delicate children , not to give their children money??? won't that solve everybodies problems??? will the parents refuse to comply?? do we need a law to tell them what they should do with their children??

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