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California Legislator To Introduce Games Bill
Thanks to Reuters for their report that California state legislator Leland Yee will introduce two bills restricting sales of violent video games next week. According to the article, the bills will continue Yee's previously reported plans: "The first bill will expand the 'harmful matter' definition to include games where the player can injure another human character 'in a manner that is especially heinous, atrocious or cruel'", and "The second bill would require games with a 'Mature' rating from the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, meaning they are not intended for children under 17, to be stocked above children's eye level and separately from other games. Stores would also have to display signs explaining ESRB ratings." However, although Yee "has signed on a number of co-sponsors" for the California-specific bills, their passage into law is not assured, and the piece points out that "Federal courts have previously struck down laws in Indianapolis and St. Louis" drafted along similar lines.
Now I can stop playing video games and shoot people for real!
Slippery slope and all that, yah, yah, yah...whatever.
So all the good games are moved off to a single, special location in the store and high enough so that my 31 year old back doesn't have to bend over constantly like at Fry's. Yay!
As a fan of the goriest, most depraved, most offensive games made, I would view such a change as only a good thing. I'm already hard-pressed to pickup a box that doesn't have a "mature" label on the package much like many movie goers quickly dismiss any film w/o an R rating. I'd love it if all the Mature games were all in one spot, away from the unwashed masses of "Dear Hunter" and "Poker" games.
How could this be a bad thing?
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