Suddenly, video game legislation is a very hot topic in New York state.
As reported earlier this week by GamePolitics, first-year New York Governor Eliot Spitzer (D) will fulfill a 2006 campaign promise by pressing ahead with efforts to legislate violent and sexually-explicit video games. Spitzer hopes to pass a law restricting sales of such games to underage buyers.
According to the New York Daily News, Spitzer will detail his video game proposal today in a breakfast speech before Rev. Al Sharpton's organization, the National Action Network.
Meanwhile, State Sen. Andrew Lanza has been appointed to head a legislative task force on the video game issue. The Staten Island Advance reports that Lanza made reference to Monday's Virginia Tech rampage in discussing the issue of video game legislation. Lanza's senate web page contains the following quote:
The Virginia Tech massacre is a painful reminder of the culture of violence which has severe and tragic consequences on our youth and for our society... It is imperative that we find a way to prevent these virtual realities from continuing to fuel and to teach the violent behavior which is corrupting or youth.
With bi-partisan support for the issue and the end of the assembly session drawing near, expect New York's video game legislation situation to heat up quickly.
Comments
Not a bad idea. Form group and call it something like Gamers Against Violence (somewhere along those lines) to prove that not all gamers, in fact most don't, approve of actual violence. I know we're just BSing, but someone should do something like that.
GAMERS AGAINST BAD GAMERS
who is with me?
Gamers are forming a peaceful protest in Bryant Park Manhattan sometime in May. We intend to display how responsible gamers play, and that we all are not crazy potential shooters.