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Oklahoma 'Games As Porn' Bill Now Law
simoniker writes "Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry has signed into law the State-specific Bill HB30004. The bill redefines a list of items, such as hardcore pornography, deemed harmful to minors to include videogames which use 'inappropriate violence'. The new Oklahoma law is due to come into effect from November 1st. The story notes: 'Despite being one of the more draconian anti-games bills put before a State senate, HB30004 has faced limited opposition, with apparently little concern being given to the consistent problems other similar bills have faced from legal challenges.'"
I wonder if this is just another impress-the-voters measure passed to make the old white men in suits look good, which will get quietly struck down as unconstitutional when it ever actually comes into play in court.
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Interesting that by wording the bill that way, that means that they're recognizing a class of "appropriate violence". I wonder how that's defined...
The limited opposition stems largely from the fact that there are no "hot spots" of game development anywhere in Oklahoma, and the fact that videogames aren't the point of a law like this. It's all about pandering to voters, and there are plenty of older voters who aren't exactly well-informed about videogame violence up for grabs in Oklahoma. This isn't about surviving a court challenge, which it probably won't. It's about "Protecting the Children" to seem more connected to the interests of average voters against the Evil Media Industry of the decadent east and west coasts than to the corporations which fund the legislators' campaigns, which clearly aren't the videogame companies.
I would say that a lot of R rated movies contain "inappropriate violence", yet I don't see them categoriezed with pornography.
While I disagree with that kind of censorship of both news and videogames, I find the phrasing "we'd better keep them as far away from reality as possible" ironic, since escapism is kinda the point of video games.
Show a naked breast -- instant 16. Chop the head of people -- 12, unless lots of blood gushes, in which case 16.
Blowjob ? 18 for sure ! Beating random people up with a baseball-bat and getting points for style ? 16.
Unless you're a religious nutcase completely locked up about sex, the rating-system is no substitute for making up your own damn opinion. But I guess that's too much work for some parents.
And the thousands upon thousands of other things that can make them antisocial? What about them? Where are books, TV, radio, movies, the net, comics and /. in all this? Hell, what about the public school system - nothing makes a child antisocial better than throwing them into an environment with a free for all pecking order and forced conformity.
And what about the other things that can impress upon a young mind, like, say, religion? Shall we begin letting the state supervise everything that *might* be a detrimental infulence upon children? I'd say the preachers of the world do far more damage to young minds than the entertainers - shall we start keeping them away from children also?
This bill is crap. There are no ifs, ands or buts about it. This was not a poorly worded, but well intentioned attempt at regulating things sensibly for children; this was a vote grabbing measure by sleazy politicians that panders to the puritanical elements.
Trying to make the world superficially safe and clean for kids does them no favours. Trying to pretend we live in a kinder world, one that doesn't have as much violence, is about as sensible as telling them babies come from storks as a way to shield them from the truth about sex. They'll find out just fine for themselves, and better it be from a parent a than either the state or the schoolyard. Parents who support crap like this are trying to shirk their responsibilities - because they'd rather have a nanny state shield their children from reality than equip their children to deal with the real world.
Erotic is when you use a feather. Exotic is when you use the whole chicken.
when acquiring material that could be damaging to young minds.
like religion, for example?
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
Unless your child has managed to get themselves emancipated and has moved out of the house, they are not going to be able to play any videogame if you don't want them to. You merely have to stop being self-centered for a minute and actually pay attention. You managed to survive the "completely helpless" and "toddler" stages and s/he did didn't starve or kill him/herself so obviously you've got the time.
If the kid is subject to active adult supervision, this law is meaningless.
It's really simple: watch what they watch, read what they read, play what they play, meet their friends and meet their friend's parents.
All of that is considered SOP by many entire clans (nevermind atomic families).
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.