http://news.com.com/Game+industry+to+fight+California+video+game+law/2100-1040_3-5892665.html

Ok so what do you think? ESRB not doing a good enough job? Or do we need the government to make choices for us regarding what video games we can play or rent at different ages?

what do you think?

If only president Bush where allowed more time to replace those pesky "activist" judges that thinking the right of free speech actually involves a "right" and "free speech" at the same time, these law's that soley serve to protect us from intellectual "terrorists" and those that seek to "harm"the "children" of the "Homeland" and seek to destroy our "way of life" we could rid ourselves of these damn satantic game companies who exisist to further thier "communist" ideals and lead our children away from the shepard of God.

P.S. Really this has all the earmarks of feel good legislation that panders to a segement of the population and in reality has little hope of withstanding an actuall court challenge. but if it moves Arnies standing in the polls up only a slight bit. politically it's a good move(god knows he needs it) and in 2 years hardly anyone will remember this. well anyone but us gamers.

Will this go the way of the pornography laws? Individual communities deciding what they deem to be violent or too graphic?

Is the image of Link being killed too traumatic?
Is Mario being cast down from the clouds a heinous act?
Are carniverous fruit chasing Ms. Pac-man considered atrocious?
Do we want our children emulating the behavior of Sonic, the hedgehog?

Personally, I agree that some of the stuff (the GTA series, for example) should not be in the hands of a kid in elementary school, but that is from the parent side of me.

It will be interesting watching how this plays out.

Personally, I agree that some of the stuff (the GTA series, for example) should not be in the hands of a kid in elementary school, but that is from the parent side of me.(emphasis mine)
So it's parents' responsability to decide what is good or bad for their children.
(nothing directed at you Byli, your sentence just fits my point :))

Do you think Mario's deaths may impact your kids? No, buy the game for them.
Do you think GTA:SA has too much violent/sexual contents? Yes, don't buy the game.

This kind of laws just gives more water to "loose"-responsability of parents. Why should I care what my kids play, gov is checking for me!!

Correct me if I am wrong but this law is to prevent minors from buying the game(s) that are rated?

If that is correct then I am actually kind of for it..... kind of meaning it should be the parent's responsibility not the government. I wouldn't want my 13yr old exposed GTA:SA and if I'm not buying then I don't want her to be able to. Game manufacturers should post their warnings and parents should monitor what they buy for their children.

They need to clear up the confusing rating system.

Perhaps make the rating system the same as we use for movies. So at the very least we're all working from common ground.

As much as I dislike any form of censorship, I do think that there needs to be some teeth to the rating system.

There is noway I'd want my kid playing GTA whatever it was called, with the doggy style graphic sex scenes.

Fandros

I don't have much of a problem stopping kids from playing games like GTA without their folks' consent, but I think it'll take more work to enforce this than it's worth. It's not like movies where you can just sit down for a couple hours and see all of the content you're rating. I'd also imagine there are a hell of a lot more video games made than there are movies released in theaters.

far as I know, the ESRB works like this. They are supposed to recieve videos of the video games in action, highlighting the worst aspects of the game (I.e sex, violence, gore, drugs) and the videos are then sent to volunteer parents who give it a rating.


Its somewhat similar to the movies rating system in that aspect, but it has flaws like anything else. Apparently Take-Two Interactive sent the video for GTA San Andreas and never put the doggy style sex scenes in it. Thats why they had to recall the game, and re-release it sans doggy style.

I do believe it is the parents responsibilty to monitor their childrens activities and interests. However most major video game retailers do have store policys consisting of "don't sell GTA to minors" or something similar to that affect.

If the law was in effect, how much of an impact on the videogame industry would it really have? Parents could still be parents and do their thing, and kids can't buy GTA type games.

Their not banning violent video games all-together, just putting some restrictions on the sale of them.

Although it could be seen as a small step and possibly set a precendence for increased Libermann type "ban all video games, they are from the devil" activity. I think thats why the videogame industry is fighting it.

While I was being somewhat tongue in cheek about different communities setting standards ala the obscenity laws, there could be some fallout in this area if the legislators do act on this.

While many of the chain stores do have some guidelines regarding sales to minors, rentals have become a primary source for kids to check out new games; and, most video stores that also rent games are paying their help low-end wages and that help often consists of high school students who are not going to be the most reliable when it comes to vid game ratings enforcement.

I have raised a couple kids, plus I was once one myself (believe it or not) and so I doubt that there is any realistic way to keep these games away from the kids if they want to see them without putting them in the same category as tobacco and alcohol and doing spot checks for compliance much as they do now at convenience stores and bars. And, even then that would only dry up some sources, but not all.

Unless you are willing to give up your television viewing to put the video games in the living room with you, and go along with your child when they visit a friends home, and go with them whenever they go to the malls or shopping, you cannot prevent them from accessing these games, no matter how much good parental intentions you have.

When you can view profanity, sex and violence on television during prime time each evening, these video game laws will continue to be scoffed at by most as being little more than a politician pandering to a select few.

Sorry for getting long-winded.

Unless you are willing to give up your television viewing to put the video games in the living room with you, and go along with your child when they visit a friends home, and go with them whenever they go to the malls or shopping, you cannot prevent them from accessing these games, no matter how much good parental intentions you have. Sorry but beside your second statement (and I guess you could trust your kids' friends' parents to do the same "job" as you do), *if* you don't do those, what are you doing to control what your kids play?
I have problem to see how much of "good" parental intentions one can have if there is no will to give up television viewing (talk about doomsday!) to control content and time spent.

Note that I don't have any kid (yet), so maybe I'm a bit utopian on how I will check what my future ones will bring at home.
But still, I believe parents should imply themselves in their kids' activities, even if it's just "watching over" them.

And I'm sure most of people here are/will be playing with their kids as we are all gamers. :) (and get pwned miserably wondering how this 7 years old boy managed this 15 hits combo!!)

Sorry but beside your second statement (and I guess you could trust your kids' friends' parents to do the same "job" as you do), *if* you don't do those, what are you doing to control what your kids play?
I have problem to see how much of "good" parental intentions one can have if there is no will to give up television viewing (talk about doomsday!) to control content and time spent.


Actually, you might be surprised at how many parents buy game systems for their kids as a way to keep them out of sight in the bedrooms (Nintendo and Playstation were always in the main room in my household, fyi). I have often been to peoples' homes and overheard the statement "Why don't you go to your room and play your games for a while?".

My point is that to truly keep questionable games/items away from your kids you will have to pretty much be with them all the time, and I have not met many kids that would be too accepting of that kind of smothering attention from mom and dad.

It would be interesting to learn how many retail outlets with game systems for customers to try out have GTA loaded as one of the options. I have rarely been in a Target store and not seen several kids playing on the demo systems, unattended.

I am a mean mom.
No first person shooters or gory bloody ones in the house.
When they are older you can't do anything to stop it to much but while young I do my best. Maybe the way I think is a bit off to some, but it makes me feel good to not have them playing those. My son takes it pretty well. He has billions of other games to play. But I have to say he still gets to play those when he goes to his cousins house. :mad: What gets me is his aunt does not let her kids get on the internet even when she is there to do research for schoool and such. She says the internet is evil. Go figure. :confused:

This law will be struck down the first time its challenged, its the governor soapboxing for his career and nothing more, the law itself isn't enforceable.

Its a law that enforces sales restrictions based on a VOLUNTARY rating system, there were similar movie laws like this in the past, it boiled down to "These ratings are not required by law, and are thus not enforceable by law".