With Supreme Court arguments over the California game law beginning next month, the Video Game Voters Network has devised a way of showing the law’s author Senator Leland Yee your support for the First Amendment: mail him your used controllers.
Senator Leland Yee is the author of the California video game law that seeks to outlaw the sale of violent video games to minors. Deemed unconstitutional at the federal and appellate levels, it’s about to be argued in front of the Supreme Court, with arguments commencing on November 2.
While we wait, the Video Game Voters Network asks gamers to rally in support of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, specifically the freedom of speech portion, which is the reason why the other courts determined the law unconstitutional in the first place.
The process the Video Game Voters Network has come up with is quite simple.
First, take your old video game controllers. Second, write “I believe in the First Amendment” on them. Third, pack them in a box. Then, mail them to the following address:
The Honorable Leland Yee
455 Golden Gate Avenue
Suite 14200
San Francisco, CA 94102
Be sure to snap a few pics of the package before shipping it off. The VGVN has a page set up so gamers can share their support with the community.
This is exactly how I like my protests: non-violent yet extremely annoying.
Will it make a difference to Yee? Probably not. Is it entertaining? Most definitely, and we’re all here to have fun.
Sal Lyn
Friday, October 8, 2010 at 12:37 PMSupport children being able to purchase violent games? Umm… I’ll keep my controllers to myself and my children from inappropriate games.
Ben
Friday, October 8, 2010 at 12:49 PMUh yeah I’m with Sal here. Isn’t preventing violent video games being sold to minors a good thing?
Googootz
Friday, October 8, 2010 at 1:16 PMyer this really confuses me why would anyone waste time doing this?
Chingle
Friday, October 8, 2010 at 1:23 PMI’m not sure what’s wrong with stopping children from playing violent video games.
Kael
Friday, October 8, 2010 at 1:51 PMIsn’t this the opposite of what we’ve been wanting in Australia. An R rating so that, first and foremost, we can get the violent games as intended (I’m not going to lie about my priorities just so it sounds better), but secondly so we can help keep inappropriate games out of younger hands.
luis
Friday, October 8, 2010 at 1:54 PMWhats wrong with this law? I think the only thing wrong with this is that it makes it illegal for people to buy game because a non-government institution deemed the game too violent. The US government should probably be taking care of this, not the ESRB
Mic
Friday, October 8, 2010 at 3:24 PMPretty sure this is exactly what we’ve already got: Stores are not allowed to sell High rated videogames to underage kids without their parent.
Richard Hunt
Friday, October 8, 2010 at 7:52 PMSuch a non-issue when compared to things like our lack of an R18+ or, you know, gay rights…
Ty
Saturday, October 9, 2010 at 3:00 AMAllowing the law to stand may have a chilling effect on the sale of games outside of that market. Maybe you guys could learn a bit about the broader effects of censorship?
Also, IMO, the problem does not lie at all with violence in media being introduced to minors. Minors need to be taught responsibility, so they can function as adults when they are introduced to adult culture. Minors need to be affirmed of the differences between art and life.
Hiding them away from the art simply because you are unwilling to accept the implications of children already existing in a complex world will do nothing to better us as a society.
Children are buying games without guidance? This needs to be addressed on a parental level.
And I believe all of us have yet to see the negative affects of exposure to this sort of game.