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Videogame Decency Act in Congress
GamePolitics reports on yet another attempt by lawmakers to make the world safe from the dangers of electronic entertainment. Entered by Representative Fred Upton, the bill spells out penalties for game companies that try to 'sneak' something past ESRB raters. Says Upton, "I guess I thought the FTC would have had some more teeth than they apparently have... I'm not at all happy... In essence there are no consequences. None... I would like to have thought that (Take-Two and Rockstar) would have been able to be fined for millions of dollars for the trash they put out across this country. I am going to be looking to write legislation giving the FTC the authority to impose civil penalties."
Seriously, it's about time Congress did something that affected me, and what could be better than making sure we get some decent games? I'm sick of all the shite games on the shelves these days, which based solely on their packaging are indistinguishable from the good games sitting right next to them. They cost just as much, but are complete crap, blatant shovelware designed to sucker people into buying them. The makers of garbage like Turok: Evolution should be held accountable. Good for you Congress for supporting decent games.
Uh, wait, I think I missed something...
The enemies of Democracy are
While there may be some difficulties in the law, with harsh penalties predicated on ambiguous undefined concepts in the current phrasing, I feel you're losing sight of the big picture. We have to think of the children, and how we can best protect them in a world with so many dangers, many of which have been caused by violent music and video games (but not movies). So, while there may be some shortcomings in the current law, it is well worth the price. As Benjamin Franklin said, sometimes you have to give up some freedom temporarily in order to gain security. Also, several senators have gone on record promising that they would not abuse this additional power, so I think your fears of abuse are unfounded.
What a coincidence. I was just drafting legislation that would fine Fred Upton for being a douchebag.