A video game bill originally crafted by controversial Miami attorney Jack Thompson was pulled from committee consideration yesterday by its sponsor.
Rep. Scott Wyatt (R) told the Logan Herald Journal that he won't proceed with the bill until constitutional concerns about the measure, HB50, are put to rest:
It will either make it into law or be immediately struck down. If it doesn’t see the light of day, it will be my choice.
The Utah bill is similar to Louisiana's Thompson-authored legislation which was ruled unconstitutional by a federal court in November. A Boston city official also told GamePolitics recently that pending Massachusetts legislation is modeled after the Utah bill.
A Tuesday reading of the bill before the Utah House Public Technology and Utilities Committee was canceled after Wyatt voluntarily removed HB50 from the agenda. He plans to meet with the office of Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff in coming days to discuss the legal merits of the bill. Shurtleff is already on record as believing that the bill is likely to fail a constitutional challenge.
Speaking of the effort to limit minors' access to violent game content, Wyatt said:
It is an issue I agree with, and I think it’s an important discussion. Whether that becomes law, I don’t know.
However, the newspaper also reports that "HB50 is low on (Wyatt's) priority list." Wyatt also made some interesting observations about game content, seemingly giving military games a pass:
The bang ‘em up World War II action video games that are really, really violent are probably fine. This hits a very, very small percent.
Additional comments cited by the Herald Journal indicate that Wyatt does not believe the Grand Theft Auto or Resident Evil series would fall under Utah's obscenity clause, although it's unclear whether he is referring to the current obscenity statute or the amendments sought by HB50. Despite the concerns, Wyatt believes the proposed legislation has value:
Any bill that somebody brings forward with the support of their constituents is not a waste of time, because they raise issues and create awareness.
Asked for his comment about Wyatt's decision to take the bill off the table, Jack Thompson said, "always a good idea (to check on constitutionality)." Thompson also made a cryptic reference that he would be in Utah on Friday...
Comments
Anyways, does he say that WW2 games are okay, or that there are very few of them, or both?
Maybe this whole thing is actually starting to lose steam a bit.
"Violent video games are God’s gift to man. They are beautiful and should never be attacked but given praised and awards."
To a somewhat lesser degree, I always thought this about women. But hey, maybe I'm just weird.
And there really are relatively few WW2 games from what I've seen, as compared to games involving aliens, zombies, and/or guys with large swords.
Personally, I'm surprised the game, PO'd hasn't come up yet. I mean, you're fighting flying asses in that one.
@Snakestream
You mean they plan to grow something there, maybe something wrinkled and that has a lovely shade of gray? Some politicians have full-grown ones, but some don't even have the seeds planted yet, it seems.
Of course Jack has a place in this analogy of politicians growing a brain. He's the swarm of locusts.
The bill contains the standard millar test. And natually, the WWII bang 'em up game known as Wolfenstein most likely won't be fine under the law (but permitted anyway to avoid standard outcry.)
Also, the "small percentage" is zero percent. Movies were given a go-ahead to produce similarly violent content without resorting to WWII, but the attempt to apply a double standard to games would have no effect even if the law is constitutional and doesn't inhibit free speech.
Grahamr
Only the hentai version ^_~
I don't think those games, with the exception of Lula, could be really considered pornographic under the generally-accepted concept.
Tentacle raep!!!!!! 0.0
it seems as if Wyatt just admitted that passage would not perform the job advertised
That's their problem. ;)
Be so specific that it's clearly judging context rather than action, at which point it's clearly infringing on expression, or be so vague as to not really affect what it was designed to control...
Honey, step into a game store once in a while, there are plenty military games out there. Another politician without a leg to stand on when standing up for an issue.
@GoodRobotUs
Jack is too busy milking a worried family for media coverage to defend his bill.
Mr. Wyatt, I salute you for realizing that this bill is another waste of taxpayer money... even though I don't pay your taxes
See? Like I said earlier, legislators will mislead people into thinking horror games like Call of Cthulu, Resident Evil series (mentioned) and House of the Dead series equivalent to porn, let me say it again, It is NOT! I am annoyed to see people using these games to equate porn, shameless thing. *sigh*
Games that equivalent to porn are the following, "Lula 3D", "Leisure Suit Larry" and a unreleased game about strippers fighting zombies.
"The Utah bill is similar to Louisiana’s Thompson-authored legislation which was ruled unconstitutional by a federal court in November."
Haha, Thompson calls himself a "Man Of God"? More like a "Man Of Hatred" to me.
"The bang ‘em up World War II action video games that are really, really violent are probably fine. This hits a very, very small percent."
At World War II renacts the history of the past, prime examples would be "Operation Flashpoint", "Call Of Duty Series", "Commandos series" and "Red Orchestra".
"Any bill that somebody brings forward with the support of their constituents is not a waste of time, because they raise issues and create awareness."
I beg your pardon? Not only this bill is a waste of time, but also a waste of tax money, because all the tax money you governators collected are from ours. So, may our poor precious little money never go down the drain!
@GoodRobotus:
Nope, that was the Mass. bill. Here's hoping they notice and pull their bill, too. Two watermelon-sized enemas in one week for JT would make me a happy camper!
The internet will be slower over the next few days due to large volumes of press releases and shotgun emails going to and from UT and FL.
This'll be fun. :)
Now, where's that popcorn? Don't forget the ranch dressing.
Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
If so, that's double-funny.