Activision Blizzard vice president and chief public policy officer, George Rose pens an editorial in the San Francisco Chronicle explaining why the "California ban of violent video games must go." One would expect that the opinion of a pro-industry lawyer would be that the law penned by State Senator Leland Yee and signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2005 would be that it is wrong-headed over regulation and overreach on the part of the state.

The bulk of his ire is pointed at supporters of the law, who grasp at straws like "Postal" and cite studies that back up their positions on violent games:

In a not-so-shocking press release today from Running With Scissors and its founder Vince Desi, the company behind the Postal series has a lot to say about tomorrow's battle in the U.S. Supreme Court. The cliff notes version of Desi's comments are simple enough - he believes his company and his games are getting lambasted on all sides. Desi, who has a flair for the dramatic, opens with the following:

The author of Grand Theft Childhood offers an intelligent, thoughtful rebuttal to the arguments (and the research data) being used by the State of California in the U.S. Supreme Court's review of Schwarzenegger v. EMA.

Cheryl K. Olson (Sc.D., Asst. Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School) offers an update that takes on the evidence that California is using in the case, and the conclusions drawn by politicians in their arguments. She also says that the law may very well backfire should the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling be overturned.

Below is a taste:

Channeling Howard Dean might not be the best way to advance a political career.

The Huffington Post has video of Councilman Phil Davison delivering an impassioned speech in his attempt to secure the Republican nomination for Treasurer of Stark County Ohio.

The performance was for naught however, as Davison did not get the nomination.

Running with Scissors has released an election-themed poster featuring the Postal Dude, anti-hero of the ultra-violent Postal game series.

Also depicted is the Postal Dude's dog, Champ, a pit bull wearing Sarah Palin glasses.

RWS boss man Vince Desi explains, sort of:

Posters are a powerful medium. From politics to movies to your favorite musical group, young and old people around the world have been infected by this unique art form...

Postal, the film based on the controversial video game series, has received the "Best of Festival" award at the Hoboken Film Festival, according to a press release from Running with Scissors.

Much-maligned filmmaker Uwe Boll was also named Best Director for his work on the Postal movie. Vince Desi (left), RWS boss and executive producer of the film, said:

When the fans speak, we win. We know this from our experience in the game industry and now the film business just confirms it. The continued success of the POSTAL franchise in all its forms is proof that democracy works; you cannot stop what’s in the hearts of the people. Freedom will always triumph over tyranny.

GP heard from Desi last week, and he offered some additional comments:

My goal was to have a theatrical release, that accomplished, the DVD comes out August 26th... [The Postal movie] ran three weeks in Georgia and South Carolina and two weeks in Chicago. Overall, we made it to around 18 cities.

 

My main focus now is Postal III for Xbox 360 and PS3 for next year...