ESA's VGVN Urges Members to Fight Toothless NY Video Game Bill

ESA's VGVN Urges Members to Fight Toothless NY Video Game Bill

July 15, 2008

The Video Game Voters Network issued an alert yesterday recommending that its members contact New York Governor David Paterson (left) to urge that he not sign pending video game legislation into law:

This bill would waste NY residents hard earned tax dollars on investigating video games when the facts are already in. We have much higher priorities for our resources and dollars than this kind of crusade.

As GamePolitics reported last month, the New York State Senate overwhelmingly passed a measure sponsored by Sen. Andrew Lanza (R). An identical bill also cleared the State Assembly.

While the VGVN, which is owned and operated by game publishers trade association the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is opposing the measure, the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA), a group which represents game retailers, apparently does not plan to take action. In a statement issued following the bill's passage, the EMA said:

The bill is unnecessary and seeks to solve a problem that does not exist. But we do not anticipate that video game software retailers will have a problem complying with its requirements.

GP: As I pointed out in my Joystiq column, the Lanza bill is largely symbolic (see: NY Video Game Bill Barks, Doesn't Bite.

Comments

Re: ESA's VGVN Urges Members to Fight Toothless NY Video Game

Regardless of how symbolic the bill may be, gamers and the industry should still oppose it for singling out video games for this treatment.  Where's the law establishing an advisory board to suggest content ratings for books?  Where's the law to force movie theaters to include parental filters?  Where's the law stipulating that CDs have to have content ratings on their packaging (note: I don't consider "Parental Advisory" a rating comparable to the ESRB or MPAA ratings)?  I'm more than a little surprised that GamePolitics isn't more vehemently opposed to this.

Re: ESA's VGVN Urges Members to Fight Toothless NY Video Game

What are they investigating? Other games besides WOW to pass time when they should be signing all those important bills and taking note of the crap condition some of the cities outside of NYC are?

Re: ESA's VGVN Urges Members to Fight Toothless NY Video Game

Waste of taxpayer money indeed, I wonder if the bill sets aside funds to "enforce" these "new" rules, at the very least the new board it creates is pointless. No wonder the state is hitting me up for more taxes, they spend money in such horrible ways.

Re: ESA's VGVN Urges Members to Fight Toothless NY Video Game

The Bill is nothing but a waste of money. It's trying to solve a non-existing problem, and waste money on enforcing a law that is completely unnecessary.

Re: ESA's VGVN Urges Members to Fight Toothless NY Video Game

Nanny state BS. Typical of New York these days.

Re: ESA's VGVN Urges Members to Fight Toothless NY Video Game
This is the same crap The US Govt did in the 1950's about comic books being a bad influence on young people. This amounts to nothing for the public, except to take their tax and money and put it in their pockets. They should make a video game on how to be a real thief...er...politician.

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Posted 08/29/08 at 10:52am
ZippyDSMlee: feeman:DS is saying goverment would exspand more if the duims get in, he's probly right.
Posted 08/29/08 at 10:51am
thefremen: LOL, yes, the government has not expanded at all in the last 8 years, especially not for the benefit of corporate entities.
Posted 08/29/08 at 10:51am
thefremen: LOL, yes, the government has not expanded at all in the last 8 years, especially not for the benefit of corporate entities.
Posted 08/29/08 at 10:43am
ZippyDSMlee: DS- http://forums.theeca.com/showthread.php?p=84679#post84679 In OT BTW
Posted 08/29/08 at 10:32am
ZippyDSMlee: Dark Sovereign: Sure ^^
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Dark Sovereign: @zip: Make the thread. I'm just not active there.
Posted 08/29/08 at 10:28am
SimonBob: Heh, I was just playing with the semantics for my own amusement, not trying to shoehorn my way into the argument.
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ZippyDSMlee: Dark Sovereign: Iwish you would join the forums so we can have a full conversation these shouts are stifling!
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ZippyDSMlee: Dark Sovereign:force them into the wilderness to die off...this is the reality of not taking into account what to do with the lower classes.
Posted 08/29/08 at 10:26am
Dark Sovereign: @zip: What are you talking about? Less government means less taxes. Less taxes means more money in average Joe's pockets.
Posted 08/29/08 at 10:26am
ZippyDSMlee: Dark Sovereign: you DO realize there were roving shanty towns and poor hosues before social secuty was started? they were hives for poverty and disease,hell with todays "cleanliness" in housing code you can not have them anymore and states will just forc
Posted 08/29/08 at 10:22am
ZippyDSMlee: Dark Sovereign: noobies and their silly definition ^_~, but I ahve to ask how do you keep millions off the streets, taking twice as much money from states without social security and health care?
Posted 08/29/08 at 10:22am
Dark Sovereign: You ASSUME that not giving tons of handouts to people will make them poor. America itself shows you are wrong.
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Dark Sovereign: Fascism involves ever-expanding government. I just argued the exact opposite.
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Dark Sovereign: Do either of you have any idea what "fascism" or totalitarianism IS? You aren't showing it.
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SimonBob: "Fascism" is such a dirty word. Call it "totalitarianism" and at least it sounds vaguely reasonable, in a Heinlein-esque way.
Posted 08/29/08 at 09:50am
thefremen: @Dark Soveriegn: You're advocating the values of fascism, you know that right? If we call it conservatism does it smell as sweet
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gamepolitics: When I'm on the West Coast I miss my three-hour head start... wah...
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ZippyDSMlee: Dark Sovereign: right? ack sorry for the long windedness ><
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ZippyDSMlee: Dark Sovereign:infrastructure, let the states deal with the millions on disability or SSI let states run shanty towns for the great unwashed masses and all the death and disease that will ensue, as long as the middle and rich pay less taxes who cares righ
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