California Video Game Ban

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Farbourne

Farbourne

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A little off topic, but possibly relevant to Wing Commander, depending on how crazy people get.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/04/26/scotus.violent.video.games/index.html?hpt=Sbin

In short, California recently passed a law making it illegal to sell or rent video games to minors (under 18) that depict "killing, maiming, dismembering or sexually assaulting an image of a human being" in an offensive way (not sure how the above could be done in an "inoffensive" way...)

Said law was challenged by the video game companies, and was overturned in federal court. The Supreme Court is now hearing it.

Obviously, this is targeted at games like Grand Theft Auto, but an overzealous parent-controlled rating board could potentially extend it to a variety of other games. Things like Halo, Warcraft WoD, Starcraft II, and yes, even Wing Commander (after all, you are shooting at other ships that periocially talk to you with images of human beings...not sure if the law would extend to killing Kilrathi or Nephilim... or, for that matter, Zerg or Protoss...).

I assume folks here are all gamers, but I know many members of this forum also have kids. So I'm wondering where people come down on this issue? And also what you think the current Supreme Court will do.

My personal feelings...rating system, good. Outright law, maybe going too far.
 
Farbourne said:
Obviously, this is targeted at games like Grand Theft Auto, but an overzealous parent-controlled rating board could potentially extend it to a variety of other games.
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What.

And honestly, anything that prevents 10 year olds from ruining my Left 4 Dead games because they scream and talk crap is something I'm all for.
 
Honestly, the only thing this will do is that the states around California might notice an increase in mail order sales... Germany bans enough games as of today or only allows horribly modified versions which even falls back to us Austrians as noone will make 2 different German language versions. So most who care buy the English versions... At least in your case it may still be sold to adults, be glad about that.
And yes, I tendentially see it as positive that there is an age rating system. Just apply some brain to it.
 
I've tried the first one long after it being cool. Stupid game IMO, with horrible graphics. Reminded me a bit of Syndicate, only a lot worse. If not for the moral controversy noone would be talking about that one. Never tried the second one, but from what I saw and red it is a reasonable 3D shooter with losts of tastless black humor.
 
cff said:
Reminded me a bit of Syndicate, only a lot worse.
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How does Postal at all remind you of the best tactical shooter of the 1990s?

(I take that back. I was thinking of Postal 2.)
 
Well it kinda is the same sort of game, isn't it? Just that you play one instead of 4 guys and there is less tactic and story. Which menaged to hold my interest in the game for about 15 minutes.
 
cff said:
Well it kinda is the same sort of game, isn't it?
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Postal is a top-down-askewed shooter. I can see why someone would compare it to Syndicate - though the quality of the two games are night and day.

Postal 2 was a FPS, which doesn't really gel when you compare it to a tactical shooter like Syndicate.
 
California (Ya-ya land as my professor called it) Has some of the most ass laws in the country. The only state that I think is in competition is my own home state of Massachusetts. It's they're seriously so bad that a lot of buisnesses you see say things like "Will not ship to California" for various reasons....
 
Depends on what you mean on tolerant.

Its not tolerant to businesses. But to illegal immigrants, they are overboard.
 
Sounds like Cali is going the way of Australia, where there is no R-18 rating at all, meaning any games that might fit that category are banned for sale, period.
 
This doesn't sound quite like an outright ban, ala Australia\Germany\etc.

It sounds like they are trying to push out a more restrictive or punishing law concerning rental or selling directly to minors. A lot of states have laws against selling M rated games to minors. For the most part they are similar to laws prohibiting the sale of tobacco and alcohol to more minors, only not as severe a punishment. Utah has laws against selling M games to minors, but instead of a clerk getting a misdemeanor I think there's a stiff fine leveled against the store and the clerk is likely to lose their job, however it's not very strictly enforced or the kids are just really good at circumventing it.

Germany's situation is a direct ban where they don't even allow questionable material into stores without acceptable modifications. It sounds like California just wants to slap offenders with harsher consequences, like a misdemeanor or god forbid a felony.

Personally, I think there are a lot of parents, activist, politicians, and watchdog groups that need to pull their heads out of their butts and start paying closer attention to the ESRB rating. Afterall, the ESRB rating descriptors are ten time better than anything the MPAA has come up with and the system is far more comprehnesive.
 
Germany's situation is a direct ban where they don't even allow questionable material into stores without acceptable modifications.
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Yes, they do, but only under the counter. You can't display them openly on the shelves or anywhere else, you are not allowed to advertise them (and depending on interpretation mentioning the title may count as "advertising") etc. but you are allowed to carry them, if you only get them out if asked for by a customer that is at least 18 years old and can prove this with his ID or equivalent legal document.

The reality however is, that most stores don't even bother carrying games that are indexed, because sales most likely are minimal this way, so not worth the effort. So people who want to get such games usually have to import them or stick with localized (self-censored) versions, if they exist.


Australia has a very similar law, although I don't know the details.
 
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