Last week Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker (R) introduced a bill proposing video game legislation for non age rated and adult games. At the time of the announcement the exact wording of the bill wasn’t known although news that the watchdog group the Parents Television Council fully supports it is alarming on its own.
With the text of bill S.3315 now available, it’s been officially confirmed that it’s a version of HB 5990, the Video Games Rating Enforcement Act, which is a bipartisan bill introduced by Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE) and Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT) in May.
Gamers can read for themselves what bill S.3315 would entail if it were to become a law. In short, the bill aims to:
…prohibit the distribution or sale of video games that do not have age-based content rating labels [and] prohibit the sale or rental of video games with adult content ratings to minors…
GamePolitics has kindly reminded gamers that both representatives Terry and Matheson are up for re-election. If you have a problem with the legislation in question, be sure to get to polls to let them know exactly where you stand.
8 Comments to Details on Proposed US Video Game Legislation Revealed
by: Handisnacks
On July 29, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Why don’t these assholes start crying about “unrated” versions of DVD movies. Those technically can be sold to anyone specifically because they have “no rating.” Why can’t parents just “parent” their children appropriately. Fucking idiots.
by: Bounce
On July 29, 2008 at 5:58 pm
I wish they’d stop with this bs and focus on something more important like watching grass grow.
by: Ghost
On July 29, 2008 at 6:49 pm
And once again, heres big brother keeping an eye out for you….
by: racer6r
On July 29, 2008 at 7:24 pm
why? Why dont they focus on terrist
by: The Twin
On July 29, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Why do they target games, and not, oh, say, pornography, which is to an alarming extent targeted toward minors?
by: Ted
On July 29, 2008 at 10:47 pm
“Why do they target games, and not, oh, say, pornography, which is to an alarming extent targeted toward minors?”
The porno industry has lobbyists and donates generously. Plus the vast majority of the stuff is now online.
by: Crowhurst
On July 30, 2008 at 6:40 am
Why don’t they just go the whole bill and give websites age ratings. I can see that happening in the future.
:S
(Please don’t)
by: Tamriilin
On July 30, 2008 at 9:03 am
Uh…Since when is this a bad thing?
This just means that the ESRB will -have- to put the -correct- rating on every game that comes out (For instance, Supreme Commander should NOT have been rated E, because it had lots of swearing and violence, at least the expansion did).
It also means that children under 17 will NOT be able to buy m-rated games unless their parents buy it for them, something which has been done before but never enforced.