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Could CA Violent Game Law Lead To an Industry Exodus?
donniebaseball23 writes "Oral arguments for the California games law are set to begin on November 2. It's a hugely important court case for the industry, and if the Supreme Court sides with the legislators it could lead to an exodus of talent from the games business, says one attorney. 'Certainly less games would be produced and there would be a corresponding job loss,' said Patrick Sweeney, who leads the Video Game practice at Reed Smith LLP. 'But I expect the impact will likely be significantly deeper. I believe the independent development community would be severely impacted. Innovation, both from a creative and technological aspect, would also be stifled. The companies, brands and individuals that we should be embracing as the visionaries of this creative and collaborative industry will migrate their talents to a more expressive medium.' Meanwhile, Dr. Cheryl K. Olson, author of Grand Theft Childhood, notes that even if California gets its way, it could backfire."
"You must be over 18 to buy an M rated game."
"You must be over 18 to buy a violent game
FTFY. This law doesn't recognize ESRB ratings. The standards for this law are much lower.
actually, kids have a lot more control over the purse strings then people used to think. This is why so many toys for ads are geared at children.
I know a lot of 10-15 year olds that have 50 or more dollar lying around.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
That's a requirement which does not exist. Theaters card voluntarily, much like every major game retailer cards voluntarily.
Strawman argument. No one besides those who support the law has said that.
Many states have tried to pass laws that restrict the sale of games to minors. So if the California law is upheld, all the other states will follow suit and craft laws based on the California one.
In reference to why people would leave the industry... It's not because they wouldn't want to make games, it's because the ability to express creativity would become limited. Any depiction of violence could potentially cause your game to be restricted by the law and not get carried by any of the large retailers (not being in Walmart destroys any sales potential of your game). Thus publishers will always "play it safe" to protect their investment.
In regards to stifling creativity. Here's a comparison - When was the last time you saw any porn that had real artistic merit? That really told a great story or carried political, cultural themes? Stanley Kubrick, one of the greatest directors to ever live, had his last movie Eyes Wide Shut significantly censored so as not to be labeled porn so that it could be released in theaters in the US. If this law were passed, you'd only have one type of violent game... brutally graphic and heinous. Just as we pretty much only have one type of movie/magazine/etc that contains sex... porn.