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Common Sense Beats Out MN Games Law

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the whack-whack-whack dept.

superdan2k writes "A federal court judge dropped the bomb on Minnesota's pending gaming law that would have fined minors for purchasing games with the mature or adults-only ratings. The lawsuit against the legislation was brought by video game manufacturers who claimed that it infringed on free speech. The judge agreed, and the ruling said that the state had failed to prove that graphic video games were harmful to children."

7 of 302 comments (clear)

  1. Fining the Wrong Way by weasello · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't understand why the minors would get fined anyway. Like cigarettes, the fine should go to the retailer - if a fine should exist at all.

    1. Re:Fining the Wrong Way by KiloByte · · Score: 5, Insightful
      actually.. North Carolina already taxes drug dealing.
      I wonder if the legislators find it odd that most don't pay...
      The point is, tax evasion brings a much bigger penalty than dealing drugs.
      --
      The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
  2. Correct by _PimpDaddy7_ · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How can you fine somone under the age of 18? They are not a legal adult.

    "Minnesota lawmakers hoped their approach - penalizing the minors who got the games, instead of the retailers who sold or rented them - would have fared better in court than overturned state laws that went after retailers in Illinois, California, Michigan and elsewhere."

    That's real good, fine your customers. Who these lawyers talk to the RIAA?
    The retailers should definitely do a better job of not selling to minors. Can they ask for ID?

    Parents need to just step up and pay more attention to what their children are doing, until the become an adult, and do what they want.

    1. Re:Correct by TopShelf · · Score: 5, Insightful

      How can you fine somone under the age of 18? They are not a legal adult.

      I believe their parents would be on the hook for that. I'm fine with going after the minors in cases like this (not video games, but cigarettes, booze, etc.) in addition to the retailer. Back in my Ann Arbor days I used to help watch the door and check ID's for an Italian cafe/bar just off campus. Underage kids were always trying to get in, and despite honest efforts to stop them, sometimes one does get through. When that happens and the place gets busted, they lose their liquor license (and many, many thousands of dollars) but nothing happens to the kid. That's just plain wrong.

      --
      Stop by my site where I write about ERP systems & more
  3. Re:Which little boy would that be? by Tackhead · · Score: 5, Insightful
    > "One of the most popular games in America teaches a little boy how to have sex with a prostitute and then beat her to death, and then rewards that," said Rep. Jeff Johnson, who sponsored the bill in the House. "I think some small restriction on that is reasonable."

    One of the most profitable games in America teaches young politicians how fuck over their constituents while becoming prostitutes to campaign donors, and then tax their constituents to poverty, optionally imprisoning and torturing their opponents to, and then rewards that.

    Tell you what. You go first, Rep. Johnson. Then we'll clean up our naughty video games.

  4. Re:Problem With US in General by duranaki · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Did you miss where very popular liberal democrats are also behind this sort of thing? Don't mix gay marriage bans with this.. these are totally unrelated issues. The only similarity is the general practice of legislators knowingly passing or trying to pass bills that they well know are unconstitutional. Usually its just trying to make themselves look good to their voters...

  5. Re:ESRB? by 99BottlesOfBeerInMyF · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Movies have ratings and kids cannot enter the theatre to see them, but nobody complains about censorship in that regard, the kid can just wait until he is old enough.

    There is no law that says a movie must be rated (there are many unrated) and no law that says theaters cannot let minors see R or X-rated films. Certain states and localities have passed laws that say that, but they have always been overturned when challenged.

    How about fairgrounds, are they censoring the rides because they have a height chart and restrict kids from their freedom to ride on them?

    Again, this is voluntary on the part of the fairground operators, not mandated by law in most cases. There are certain restrictions on heavy equipment and safety, but that is for a clear danger to the safety of the operators and mostly covers providing machinery known to be dangerous and not informing the user.

    Its not censorship, its common sense.

    The government restricting what citizens can see and hear is censorship. If you think in this case they should do so, well great for you. That doesn't make it legal and it does not demonstrate a danger to children.