Won't Somebody Please Think About The Children?

[quick update] Sorry about the lack of entries last week.  I was on vacation in sunny Montana. Now let’s get back up to speed on gaming news shall we?

California may become the second state to pass a law restricting the sale of violent video games to minors. The next stop for the bill is the desk of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger who must either sign it or give it the veto.

The bill calls for a $1000 fine for any retailer who sells a violent game to a minor and the placement of a large “18” sticker on games containing graphic violence.

Despite finally getting the OK, the controversial bill passed through the golden state’s house and senate like a low fiber meal in an old man with an underactive thyroid gland (which if I were to spare you the poop joke would read “after much struggle deliberation.”

The Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association president Hal Halpin released the following statement regarding the bill:

"The IEMA (Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association) remains opposed to AB 1179 for many reasons," Halpin wrote, "not the least of which is that it is impractical - in essence creating a California-only class of products requiring retailers to buy, warehouse and distribute California video games separately from other inventory - it is unnecessary, in that our member companies have already voluntarily committed to carding policies to inhibit the sale of Mature-rated games to minors, and it is clearly unconstitutional."

Note the humorous half-mention of the unconstitutionality of the bill only after the complaints about the extra work involved.

Although the bill is a step backwards in accepting video games as a medium of speech and expression I can't help having mixed opinions on it. After all, if extra precautions were taken to make sure the stores aren’t selling the games to little Billy maybe then we can place the blame where it deserves to be; the dumb-ass parent who bought Turbo Blood and Guts: T&A Edition for their kid and act like they were fooled into buying it by some conspiracy of the gaming industry.