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This week’s decision by the United States Supreme Court to hear arguments both for and against the State of California’s attempt to make the sale of very violent games to kids illegal raises a question: Which games would be affected?
The Supreme Court’s decision today to hear a case about the potential criminalising of the sale of violent video games to children sparked divided reactions from the parties in the case and a call to gamers to get informed.
Wednesday sees the return of our old friend Leland Yee as he and California Governor T-101 attempt once again to get their violent video game law passed, this time in the Federal Court of Appeals. The law, which was shot down last year in federal court for being unconstitutional, sought to prevent children from purchasing games that contained “especially heinous, cruel or depraved” violence, putting in place $US1,000 fines for retailers who sold such titles to minors. In preparation for this Wednesday’s appeal, Senator Yee practiced his spiel. “This is the same technology the armed forces use to help soldiers kill the enemy,” said state Sen. Leland Yee, the San Francisco Democrat who wrote the legislation. “All we’re saying is, ‘Don’t sell it to kids.’ “
You may know California Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo) as one of the most ardent critics in politics of violence in video games. A bill he authored intended to legislate the sale of violent video games in his state was recently ruled unconstitutional in federal court, and Yee, along with Gov. Schwarzenegger, are currently appealing the decision. He also urged the FTC to investigate the ESRB in the wake of the Manhunt 2 ratings controversy, and regularly speaks out against video games he believes are “ultra-violent.”
Consumer site GameCyte recently interviewed Sen. Yee and asked him to explain why he thinks games are more dangerous than other forms of violent media, such as films and television:
California senator Leland Yee—an outspoken critic of violent video games and the ESRB and author of a bill that targeted ultra-violent games—has a reminder for parents—don’t buy Grand Theft Auto IV for your kids. Yee, doing his best by-proxy parenting, says that Rockstar Games and Take-Two “have a history of deceiving the ratings board and the public on the true content of their games” and that the game “glorifies violence, is extremely realistic and designed for adults only.” Duh!
Yee’s press release then reminds parents with some questionable wording that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was “found” to have “graphic scenes of oral sex, nudity, and simulated intercourse” and paints a dire picture of ratings enforcement.
In related news, I issued my own warning to parents, urging them to, you know, look at the four guns on the cover and the girl fellating a lollipop and think for a second if their kids should be playing that. And that the answer was no, moron. Only Senator Yee’s press release is after the jump, though.
Violent video games have topped the charts on and off since gaming began, and California State Senator Leland Yee couldn’t help but notice that many parents suck at keeping them from children. Instead of using traditional methods of dealing with inattentive parents, Yee has decided to bring your mothers into this and simply release a list of helpful tips for purchasing games this Holiday season. For example: Pick games that require the player to come up with strategies and make decisions in a game environment that is more complex than punch, steal, and kill.
I would go as far as adding that smaller children are excellent at fooling parents, and they should not be discounted. Sure, the bigger kids are more impressive and tougher, but those little guys know your firing rate and can swim circles around you.
Is it the elephant in the room? The ESRB has changed the Manhunt 2 rating from AO to M. That’s old news. But it’s a decision that’s uniting journalists and zealots, pro-gamers and anti-gamers alike in one respect: we want to know what was changed to get the M rating.
At this point in time, the ESRB has still not responded to anyone’s request for clarification on the matter. And it’s an important point because these changes dictate:
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has followed through with his intent to appeal the California law that would target “ultra-violent” video games struck down by federal judge Ronald Whyte last month. Senator Leland Yee backed up Ahnuld, writing that it represented “common-sense law that empowers parents by giving them the ultimate authority over whether or not their children can play in a world of violence and murder.”
California State Senator Leland Yee hates ultra-violent videogames. He doesn’t hate you, necessarily, just some of the games you play. Games like Manhunt 2, which became the pin-up boy for his sponsorship of the abortive California Video Game Law. With the game now back on the menu, he’s going after the ESRB, calling for greater transparency in how they determine their ratings:
