Here we go again maybe.

This is ridiculous. It is totally unncecessary.

theyre looking for a hole in the industry's defenses, methinks, but only after throwing their credibility against a brick wall multiple times.  lets see what the ESA/EMA/ETC. does...

Anyone know what the  the specifics of the bill are, if it is just another circle jerk or is there actually anything of real value?

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"For a variety of reasons, the main one being that the bill has no real teeth, it's entirely possible that the industry will just live with it."

GP, that is not the point, at all.  Aside from the "slippery slope" factor, the fact of the matter is that this law is unconstitutional.  This is black and white; the ESA should be challenging this law on those grounds alone.

What happens the next time such a bill comes up?  One with just a little less bark and a little more bite?  They'll have set the precedent in this bill.  A damaging precedent.

This bill will also require new video game consoles to have parental lockout features by 2010, and mandate that games sold at retail disclose the ratings obtained from the gaming industry's voluntary rating system.

I wonder if this new "advisory council" will examine consoles in 2010 and suddenly realize "they were there all along?" I assume our emails and letters didn't get read, but then again, he only reads for a short period each day so I'm guessing his secretary put them in a pile somewhere doomed to being ignored. This is the kind of bill that if someone in state government just listened, they'd know it was pointless.

"Governor David A. Paterson signed a package of bills, many of which are focused on public safety and protecting the rights of New York residents. [One of these will] ensure the State will explore the negative effects of violent video games."

It should say "The state will explore whether or not there are any negative effects of violent video games without jumping to the conclusions reach and preached by luddites who have an agenda."

"A.11717 / S.6401-A [the video game bill] establishes an advisory council to conduct a study on the connection between interactive media and real-life violence in minors exposed to such media."

Again, what connection?

"This bill will also require new video game consoles to have parental lockout features by 2010, and mandate that games sold at retail disclose the ratings obtained from the gaming industry's voluntary rating system."

The bill will also require that it be bright during the day and dark during the night, that grass is green, birds can fly and that politicians continue to use the fear mongering spread by the PTCs of our world as a tool to make feel good bills such as this in an attempt to win over the soccer mom voters.

Business as usual really...

Aren't the only current consoles to not have parental control features not consoles at all, but handhelds?

"That games sold at retail disclose the ratings obtained from the gaming industry's voluntary rating system."

It seems to me that if you go get the rating, telling people what it is would be the next step.

Quick! USA needs a law in case of alien invasion...!!!

"it's entirely possible that the industry will just live with it."

If ESA and the game industry keep in silence, don´t be surpised next year they will pulling out another stupid and even more strong law like this. This is gonna spread like a flu in a classroom.

The cynical side of videogames (spanish only): http://thelostlevel.blogspot.com/ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com/

"[the video game bill] establishes an advisory council to conduct a study on the connection between interactive media and real-life violence in minors exposed to such media."  -- Does this sound to anyone else like they want to do their own version of the Byron report?  That could be a good thing if they come up with the same results.  A big high-profile government issue that says, "games are a-ok!" would do great things for the industry.  'Course, it'd be nice if they did the study before they issued the pointless child protection sanctions...

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The Mammon Industry

You have to love politicians trying to interfere, in capitalism. There are as reported systems in place for this already. By creating these over zealous attempts to fix non existent problems real things do not get done. The governor should rely on the makers to put a more ratings on the games or more parental knowledge. All these requirements will jack up the price of games and put off gamers.

Crazy idea here.  In the event of the eventual lawsuit.  And following that, in the eventual suit for reimbursement for legal fees, how about the ESA stipulate that the funds come directly from the pockets of anyone and everyone that helped push this legislation through into law?  Politicians are not going to care what this may cost so long as the money comes out of someone else's pocket.  If the ESA truly wanted to put an end to unconstitutional laws relating to games, then they would attempt to hit the lawmakers somewhere where they will actually listen for once.  And face it, elections are not frequent enough for a suitable public backlash to be fully mounted in retaliation for such brazen wastes of time and money.

Oh, fantastic. Common sence never seems to apply anymore. :|

wtf this is how we spend our tax money? sh!t

Even if this bill has no teeth, it's the principal of it all. Video Games have once again taken the blame in society, and the government keeps trying to extend it's control over our constitutionally defended rights!

I'm sure in the end this bill will fail, but that it passed in the first place and will no doubt waste more tax-payer money is just ridiculous. Yes, we've seen this kind of thing before, but to see it again and again is just irks the hell out of me.

Is there no end to this inane crap?

i guess being blind can be a handicap, the governor is obviously "blind" to this since he doesnt know or can see that games already have these so called "laws" already and voluntarily in place

The only thing this thing will change is there'll be a group who gets paid to say, "Video games are the devil."

I heard that the bill is basically like "All games must come in a box" in other words requires stuff the industry already does.

I hate to break a chain/stream of coments but frankly I can't be arsed to read the torrent of above comments to see if my point has been raised, but here goes.

Anyone who thinks that there aren't any negative effects in playing video games is kidding themselves, fooling themselves because there is a negative impact of everything we do, and is more likely to give the fervant anti-gamers more ammo.

Lets take an established example shall we, footbal in this case (the soccer kind not american), if we look at all the negative impacts of football, breakage of limbs, straining of muscles mob violence and even death.

So clearly following this logic, football is the biggest peril that we know to man and should be clearly banned, made ilegal and all footbal couches should be sentanced to life in prisonment for the damage that they have caused society.

Clearly, this hasn't happened.

And why is this?

Because no study in football has been conducted without also looking into the positive aspects, rather than just the positive ones.

So anyone who says that games are completely harmless fun is obviously unaware to the geeks who can't hold down a social life, but clearly, this isn't true of all gamers, its the same with booze, one of the more social accetable bad habits, nearly everyone drinks but only a small percent of those people go on to comit DUI.

Another thing here, I see "unconsitional" thrown alot around here, and I also see the violent negative reaction that it is met with almost everywhere, but in this case i feel that the reaction is unjustified, for what I can make out what many in the anti-video game are trying to do is introduce laws which say that you can't be a 12 year old and walk into a store and buy GTA, and I whole heartily support them in this measure, and if you really feel that your, or your kids rights are being violated, buy it for your kids, really its that simple, the state deems that content A is not suitable for people a below a certain age and believe that the state is wrong in this conclusion, then by all means, buiy your son GTA, if you happen to be said son, I don't beleiev that as a child that you have the power to make a informed decesion and that the power of state and parent makes that decesion for you.

I thought retailers already refused to stock unrated games?

The only useful thing i see here is the child lockout, but thats hardly necessary, im sure if they just ASKED the companies they would do it.

This law seems kind of frivolous.

Yikes,not good to be a New York gamer.

It'll fail.Politicians are like children:they have to faill several times over and over again to get the message.

If Ann Coulter cared,I wonder what she would say?

I'm going to play devil's advocate here for a second - let me just go grab my hat.

These laws have an upside - to the uneducated masses perhaps some of them will get off our backs about obscenity and offensive content because now it's law... in New York... for stuff that already exists... that was voluntary... which meant it cost them nothing... as in $0...

Have they made any mention of these measures already being in place in any press statements at all? I'll lose what nanoscopic (that's what she said) faith I have in government if they didn't even bother to turn on a console... honestly, this would be akin to saying "All asian people are now required by law to be asian people" and not even investigating if they already are...

@I_Kerotan_I
An interesting and valid point sure, but you're making the distinction of it being the parent's choice. Government involvement nullifies that - what we have in place is a voluntary structure that is far easier to maintain and is much less costly to parties not completely involved (ie the taxpayers) not to mention a much greater knowledge of the medium at hand. Do you honestly expect a politician to make an informed decision about games when half their constituents think they're evil and the reason their grandchildren don't visit. What is the advantage of having tax payer funded government enforcement of a law when a store like Best Buy has the exact same outcome already? What is the point of having costly enforcement of video game ratings when the ESRB already does it? How much do you think the cost would be for an "investigation" into whether or not consoles have parental locks on them? It's needless (not to mention rather unsettling) government interferance trying to fix something that isn't broken that we're concerned about mate....

"...are directly aimed at protecting children..."

Every f**king law these crazy nut politicians make seem to have that word "children", or "terrorist" in it.  They arent protecting anything from anyone.  I for one would never let these nut jobs take away civil liberties for some lame ass excuse like that.  I still can't beleive most people will just sit back and let these tyrants control them.  Wake up sheep.  They arent on your side. And it isnt about the "Children".  Don't let the Govt raise your kids.  Do it yourself.