N.Y. Wants to Stop Violent Video Game Sales to Minors
Illinois tried and failed. Louisiana was stopped by the courts. California was also stymied. Now New York wants to try and stop the sale of violent video games to minors.
This week, the New York Assembly passed a bill that would make the sale of a violent video game to a minor a felony, punishable by as much as three to four years in jail. The bill also would require all game console makers to put a parental control V-chip in every console by December 2009. Most newer consoles, like PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox already have such a chip. But it would be a problem for PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's GameCube.
The bill comes on the heels of a similar one passed in the New York Senate a week ago. The two bills will now go into conference committee to iron out the details. New York Democrats and Republicans hope to get the new bill to Gov. Eliot Spitzer for his signature by June. Spitzer has already said he would support this kind of legislation.
But the initiative faces considerable opposition from the gaming industry and a history of failed attempts by other states. A representative of New York's Entertainment Merchants Association has already labeled the bills "ill-conceived."
J. Micah Grunert, writing at Neoseeker.com, anticipates that if the bill becomes law, the Entertainment Software Association will sue New York. The Associated Press reports that the politicians in Albany are aware their effort may be ruled unconstitutional but, as one Republican put it, wanted to try and do something rather than just "walking away from the issue."
3:45 PM ET | 06- 1-2007 | permalink
