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Oklahoma Game Law Permanently Enjoined
The poorly-written game law passed in Oklahoma - and subsequently found unconstitutional by the courts - has now been permanently enjoined from existing. This has been a pet project of Governor Brad Henry, and this enjoinment will stop the law from rearing its head again. "The law sought to ban the dissemination to minors of any computer or video game that contains any depiction of "inappropriate violence," which was defined by depictions that fall into any one of nine broad categories. Violators would also have been subject to fines of up to $1,000 ...It also seems in some way that the law singled out the game industry, since according to the court decision, the law was found to be underinclusive - meaning that a minor might be prevented from buying a video game with 'inappropriate violence' but may still legally buy or rent the book or movie on which the game was based." GamePolitics has reaction to this decision.
That is one of the most poorly assembled group of words I have ever seen put together.
Gamers: 32 Stuck Up Lawmakers: 0
"Now you know, and knowing is half the battle!"
This law was gone before I knew it existed. I think very few people must have been following it.
As an okie (person who lives in oklahoma), i'm always happy to see shit like this.
No state is perfect, and there are always morons and imbeciles, especially here in the bible belt, but oklahoma has always been a relatively common sense area of the union in this fucked up little world.
I'd almost say part of it is because we're on the edge of the bible belt. People around here are smart enough to know not to be morons with their religions, but also old fashioned enough to realize that PARENTING is done by the PARENT. And people who bitch otherwise are usually just lazy.
Good job OK!
You never realize how much manually made unmanaged "linked" lists suck, till you have src.link.link.link.link...
Small potatoes make the steak look bigger.
There are too many bad parents buying their young kids ridiculously violent games, and kids doing the same with their parents' money. This law is for the idiots who think that because something goes in a Playstation, it's fine for a kid to play. Unfortunately, the government would not have to be involved if these hillbillies would educate themselves (or even sit down and watch a kid play GTA for a few minutes).
I found the the use of the word "permanent" more troubling. Nothing in law is permanent, everything can be changed. That's why it takes eternal vigilance to make sure the laws aren't rewritten to hurt you.
Digital Citizen
"No state is perfect"
I think Buddhists may disagree.
Every time these stories about videogame laws come up someone asks what is wrong with having laws like this.
Here are the problems:
The first amendment guarantees freedom of expression. That freedom applies to all media. To override the First Amendment would take a lot of evidence.
In the USA no other medium has its ratings enforced by the government. Not the music industry, not the comic book industry, not the internet, not tv, and not the film industry. The MPAA ratings are self-enforced. If someone under 17 isn't allowed into an R-rated movie without an adult it is because the movie industry is inforcing those rules, not the government.
Therefore, if the videogame industry were to be singled out as the only medium to have its ratings enforced by the government there would have to be a mountain of evidence suggesting that violent videogames were harmful to minors. No such mountain exists. As such, these laws are misguided at best and hollow attempts on the part of politicians to appear "pro-family" at worst.
http://www.popularculturegaming.com -- my blog about the culture of videogame players
Opinions have no place in law, subjective terms have no place in law. Or didn't they learn from the Larry flint "obscenity" trials.
I am just glad that the morality police aren't very intellegent. I fear the day when they are able to put 3 words together.
Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
What amazes me is that 47 lawmakers can unanimously pass a blatantly unconstitutional bill. When the courts have to fix what that many politicians unanimously messed up, it's obvious and undeniable proof that the current method of government just does not work.
Courts: 32, Stuck Up Lawmakers: 0. Don't forget, many of these laws more or less never saw the light of day since many were struck down before ever going into effect.
chicken noodle soup is delicious. and very healthy. so eat more of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup.
"I do have a cause though. It is: obscenity. I'm for it. Unfortunately the civil liberties types who are fighting this issue have to fight it, owing to the nature of the laws, as a matter of freedom of speech and stifling of free expression and so on. But we know what's really involved: Dirty books are fun! That's all there is to it. But you can't get up in the court and say that, I suppose. It's simply a matter of freedom of pleasure. A right which is not guaranteed by the Constitution, unfortunately." -Tom Leher
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?