As U.S. Senators Hillary Clinton and Joe Lieberman work to get their Family Entertainment Protection Act approved, a California judge has given a thumbs down to a similar law.
According to Game Daily, U.S. District Judge Ronald Whyte halted California’s violent games law saying it was unconstitutional. A similar verdict was reached three weeks ago against Illinois’ Safe Games Act.
Laws prohibiting the sales of violent games to minors have been in vogue in the United States and other locales as of late due to concern over the content of titles such as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and others. The California law, which would have gone into effect on Jan. 1, 2006, would have prohibited the sale or rental of games deemed violent to anyone under the age of 18.
We are extremely pleased by today's announcement,” said Doug Lowenstein, Entertainment Software Association president. “We deeply respect the concerns of the Governor and the Legislature that gave rise to the law. For the sixth time in five years, Federal Courts have now blocked or struck down these state and local laws seeking to regulate the sale of games to minors based on their content, and none have upheld such statutes. It is therefore time to look past legislation and litigation in favor of cooperative efforts to accomplish the common goal of ensuring that parents use the tools available to control the games their kids play.”
Game Daily
The recent rulings will make it interesting to see if the act introduced by Clinton and Lieberman will make it through Congress and if so, what will happen from there. Similar to California’s law, the act would prohibit stores from renting or selling games rated M, for mature, to minors. It would carry stiff financial penalties.
Related:
Opinion: Say 'No' To Family Entertainment Protection Act
Irish Crackdown on Violent/Explicit Games
X360 Boycott Called For After MS Agrees to Censor Blogs
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