Illinois Governor proposing game regulation

[Bc9b]

From the state the brought you the democratic savior to mankind, comes this, with a side order of Gamespot giving opinions in news: Clicky

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Can you say 'redundant'?

[Twilo]

<Insert Government Office> announces new plans for <inoperable initiative> to curb Game Violence!

Honestly I think journos invent these stories on slow news days.

Thumbs Challenge: Invent a story and see how far is spreads!

Every day is a slow news day at Idle Thumbs.

[Bc9b]

Can you say 'redundant'?

Yea, yea yea.

Every day is a slow news day at Idle Thumbs.

That’s because twenty-four hour gaming news is going to be slow. I mean, they have a wide definition for news at Entertainment Weekly, so you think that it’s going to be any better with such a narrow subject as this?

[manny_c44]

I'm not sure you can quite use that as an excuse...just look at gamespot.

The news has to be funny or shocking to get on the IT's front page though...doesn't really bother me.

[General Fuzzy McBitty]

God. This guy is a moron.

They should apply this to tv. The original Tom&Jerry wouldn't stand a chance.

[MrChlorophyll]

Dammit that guy annoys me. Makes me even more glad that I'm going to college out of state, just so I don't have to deal with his unlikeableness for more than a summer at a time.

Even if that college happens to be so far up North Dakota's ass that stores accept Canadian currency without mentioning it.

[Kester]

Can someone please explain to me why we can't just apply the film rating system to video games and then all go home to drink our beverage of choice?

[Twilo]

Can someone please explain to me why we can't just apply the film rating system to video games and then all go home to drink our beverage of choice?

Generally people don't even apply the film rating system to films

[ThunderPeel2001]

Governor Rod Blagojevich seeks law to punish those who sell violent and sexually explicit games to minors.

Um, has anyone actually read this article? It doesn't sound bad at all, he's just talking about punishing those who sell GTA to 3 year olds.

They should apply this to tv. The original Tom&Jerry wouldn't stand a chance.

Huh?

Violent games would be defined as "those realistically depicting human-on-human violence in which the player kills, injures, or otherwise causes physical harm to another human, including but not limited to depictions of death, dismemberment, amputation, decapitation, maiming, disfigurement, mutilation of body parts, or rape."

Sounds fair enough to me.

[RLacey]

Can someone please explain to me why we can't just apply the film rating system to video games and then all go home to drink our beverage of choice?

Come to the UK (though they only do it with 18 and some 15 rated films, and the rest have the pointless PEGI labels all over them).

[Ryam BaCo]

i can't count how often i was grateful for not living in germany with their bpjm + index (although things improved there in the last few years)

here in austria even six-year-olds could legally buy+play doom 3. so cool.

[Jake]

here in austria even six-year-olds could legally buy+play doom 3. so cool.

Why is that cool?

[Ryam BaCo]

Why is that cool?

of course a six-year-old kid playing doom 3 isn't cool, but it's cool that the decision-makers for such "educational" stuff are the parents and not the government.

[MrChlorophyll]

Parents are still allowed to raise their kids in some places?

Amazing.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Parents are still allowed to raise their kids in some places?

Amazing.

Parents are stoopid.

[JimmyTheFish]

Um, has anyone actually read this article? It doesn't sound bad at all, he's just talking about punishing those who sell GTA to 3 year olds.

Sounds fair enough to me.

You give them an inch and they think they are a ruler. First come regulations, and then comes the banning.

[ThunderPeel2001]

So you're against all classification?

[Bc9b]

Heres the gov's site:

http://www.safegamesillinois.org/index.php

This is common sense legislation that restricts children's access to games that teach them to be killers and disrespect women.

The proposed legislation also requires retailers or manufacturers to label violent and sexually explicit video games, much like the parental advisory sticker on music CDs.

(And therefore make the game evil without letting anyone know what is in it, unlike the ESRB that actually tells you.)

The industry has its own rating system, issued by the Entertainment Software Rating Board. While helpful, ESRB ratings are inadequate to put parents on notice of each game's contents.

(Note how the back of the box has more inormation about the games than his website)

DOR employees will conduct periodic inspections to ensure that retailers abide by labeling requirements, post proper signs, and make ratings informational brochures available to parents on-site.

And the pariody site:

http://www.safegamesillinois.com/