April 10, 2007
Lawmakers in Oregon are considering legislation that would make it unlawful to sell "ultra-violent" video games to those under 18.House Bill 3511 was proposed last month by Rep. Arnie Roblan, a Democrat. The measure broadly defines "ultra-violent" as:
...a video game depicting serious injury to human beings in a manner that is especially heinous, atrocious or cruel.
It is unclear what penalties would apply to store clerks who violate the proposed law. However, a specific exception is granted when parents choose to buy a violent game for their offspring.
HB 3511 is currently assigned to the Judiciary Committee of the Oregon House.
Comments
well, I could be a total noob and pretend I said something different, but you're absolutely right. I had just grown up always having to show ID even for PG-13 movies back in the day, and accepted it as law because it's so widely enforced without question.
I want to reaffirm that in no way do I support this law, just trying to find acceptable compromise. I myself have no idea where, when I was under 17, I could get my hands on an M rated game, so there's really no need for it where I live...wait a minute, that's in Oregon. *sends VGVN email*
Thanks for the information.
"Honestly, I wouldn’t have any problem with legislation that forbade kids to buy an “M” rated game, rated by ESRB. That would make games equal to movies, and yes, a kid shouldn’t be able to buy an “R” rated movie. But you cannot slap a vague descripton onto games to legislate, there needs to be specific criteria. I fully support ESRB. why cant they embrace that, they all talk abotu hot coffee, but before that, the game was still rated MATURE, crappy excuse."
Kids can buy an R rated movie legally. Those restrictions you see are not legal but company policies. There is no law which says a minor can't buy R. Music is not legally regulated and has no legal restrictions on age only a warning. The only legal restrictions of film and print is of a pornographic nature ie Porn movies and Porn mags. Please get more informed on the policies of this nature and know that if Oregon passes this crap your state will lose more money in court. When it gets contested and shot down and the state is charged with legal fees its your tax money being spent.
"unless they have some strong consistent *undisputable* evidence that the Speech in question is harmful (of which there is none)."
That is a gross misrepresentation of what is required the courts demand reasonable inferences from substantially evidenced, this is near impossible to meet at it is a far cry from undisputable. This may seem anal but we ourselves must be knowledge enough about these distinctions before we can expect our law makers to be so, which is why I point it out.
"There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim, and we sat in the Korova Milkbar trying to make up our rassoodocks what to do with the evening. The Korova milkbar sold milk-plus, milk plus vellocet or synthemesc or drencrom, which is what we were drinking. This would sharpen you up and make you ready for a bit of the old ultra-violence."
-- Alex de Large (a very, very young Malcolm McDowell)
I think bills like these are weak enough that we don't need to try to make equally shaky arguments against them like: "HEINOUS VIOLENCE? THAT COULD BE LIKE, ANYTHING! EVEN FROGGER!!!"
Honestly, I wouldn't have any problem with legislation that forbade kids to buy an "M" rated game, rated by ESRB. That would make games equal to movies, and yes, a kid shouldn't be able to buy an "R" rated movie. But you cannot slap a vague descripton onto games to legislate, there needs to be specific criteria. I fully support ESRB. why cant they embrace that, they all talk abotu hot coffee, but before that, the game was still rated MATURE, crappy excuse.
*rolls up wrists* time to push the angry email button.
stores just need to do a better job of carding..hell the eb games in the plaza here in riverside told me they have to start carding people regardless of their age now when they buy a m rated game.
Lmao of course with as much as i hang out there im the exception from that since they have seen my id
And another waste of taxpayer money.
I grew up in Oregon, and watched the public schools go from decent to crap. I watched the Art, Music, and Technology classes get canceled due to budget constraints (god forbid they take money from their precious football team). I watched people literally becoming dumber because of a lack of good teachers... I barely made it into college with my poor math education.
Why don't they take this money and put it into schools? Why don't we try and educate these effin' kids so they don't HAVE to go out and steal cars. Why can't people just get it through their goddamned heads that this isn't going to work! WHY IS THE VEIN IN MY FOREHEAD PULSING!!!
(*takes another valium*)
my point is this anti game crap is dumb and a waste of time and george carlin still said it best "you know what i say F*** the children"
I'm assuming that the latest conspiracy John Bruce is chattering on about is part of his original "strike back" filing against Take Two, or at least along those lines. Basically, it comes down to "Everybody is out to get me". Of course, as was reported, he changed his filing a few days later. But by then, the damage (to his "reputation") had already been done. I'm not sure if the judge has to disregard the original filing or not.
As to these legislations, Toll has been building evidence of reasons to require Parents to be license. I have been building evidence to require that politicians must past questionaires, of 100 or more questions, before they can participate in any way, shape, or form, in proposed legislation. We've seen time and again the incompetency on the parts of various politicians when it comes to a variety of issues, including video games. I think it's time they prove to the people whether they know what the hades they are getting involved with or not.
nightwng2000
NW2K Software
Than they should meet me and and my friends or look in the ghetto's america ha's so much off
And not look at gamers.
Jeez i agree with nightwing how much longer until this crap goes away.
This world would be a lot better if Mr Floppy was president!
Damn i wish i had the box set for unhappily ever after..
hey dennis so what "conspiercy" (i think thats wrong) is jacky boy coming up with now?
my bad
1. Only legislators can personally write and propose legislation. Aides, special interests, etc. should be barred from having write access to the text of the bills. This is a huge problem right now, as all sorts of crap gets inserted into bills without the legislators even knowing about it.
2. Before any legislator can propose or even vote on any bill, they must undergo an intensive, 200 hour training course on constitutional scholarship.
3. Any legislator that proposes or votes to approve any bill that is later found to be unconstitutional in part or in the whole will receive a demerit.
4. A legislator with three demerits will have his/her bill-writing/voting rights suspended until he/she re-takes and passes the original 200 hour training course.
5. If the legislator accumulates 6 demerits, even after the second training course, he/she is automatically removed from office and is forever barred from holding public office in the future. By this point, it should be obvious that the legislator is profoundly unqualified for his/her position.
There would also need to be a similar amendment that covers the executive branch, as evidenced by the current resident's propensity to do whatever he damn well pleases.
Oh, and maybe there should be:
6. If a bill is proposed that is so obviously unconstitutional that my astonishingly dimwitted, elderly dog can recognize by using it as toilet paper, the legislator should be stripped, drizzled in raspberry sauce and Alpo, and forced to sing "I'm a Lumberjack" in Madison Square Gardens while being chased around the stage by hungry, toothless Chihuahuas.
Vampires and zombies are human being too! So are leprechaun and elves!!
Seriously, we all know where this bill is going to end up. In the "The videogame industry bought another judge! They blackmailed the state by threatening to close their companies there! I am right for I am Jack Thompson" garbage bin.
Enough with the pot shots at Republicans, "oy." Anyone who's been visiting this site often enough can tell you these useless laws come from both sides of the isle.
"However, a specific exception is granted when parents choose to buy a violent game for their offspring."
That seems rather unnessicary, since it's the adult making the purchase.
Oh my, I feel I may be going away for some time if this bill gets through. If only I had known sooner, all the poor sims may not have died by my evil hands. Curses! why was it so enjoyable to slay them by placeing them in a house filled with rugs and a single fire place, then making them light the fire place. Causing the whole house to catch fire. /scarcasm
Any way, because this is bill is so open to interpritation it can be applied to a number of games. But some things are very unclear, like zombies for instance. If they are dead, are they still concidered human? or would they be former humans so it's ok to kill them in horable ways. Or what about mutated humans? Since they are not technicly human any more, is it ok? what about huminoid robots? They are shaped like humans but are not human. They must be more specific about things like this.
Haha, thanks for clearing that up.
For quite some time, it has baffled me how politicians have so much trouble distinguishing the difference between "reality" and "pretend".
Then it hit me. Politicians spend so much of their time telling lies, and trying to sound like they sincerely believe their own lies. The most professional politicians actually lose their ability to separate truth from fiction, so it's no surprise that they are horrified by what they see in video games. They have no ability to comprehend that they are seeing "pretend" violence against "unreal" persons.
I suppose the same could hold true for some lawyers.
What we really need, are laws to protect us from out-of-touch politicians. (and lawyers.)
I can certainly be pretty damn mean to the Sims if I put my mind to it. And I'm sure there are certain violent games where it's considerably less henious or cruel than most hollywood action movies.
A child doesn't need to be playing Dead Rising and killing a zombie or playing GTA and stealing cars. Thats left to adults!
From the great words of Yakko, "Could someone please stop them from saying 'The Dragon'?"
(Snide remark referring back to the Utah discussion about "that Columbine game".)
nightwng2000
NW2K Software
…a video game depicting serious injury to human beings in a manner that is especially heinous, atrocious or cruel."
Yeah, that clarifies things. :/
So I guess Mario being squashed by a barrel gets Donkey Kong (the original) kept out of the hands of impressionable tots too, huh?
Oh dear, and Black & White. I mean, having your creature eat a few of your followers? Can't be good for tiny eyes.
Oh, and historical war games is a no-no, even if they are RTSes(s?). After all, who really thinks killing people for whatever excuse is given in a war isn't "especially heinous, atrocious or cruel"? Some will, some won't. So I guess they are out too, huh?
Do politicians/lawmakers always use such vague nomenclature?
The game I speak of is, of course, Lego Star Wars! Ban it now! Ban it for the children!
Which is?...
*Yeah, I usually say more, but I'm only half-awake...
Sarcasm aside, wow, way to be vague while making it sound specific.
This is very stupid... What they are saying that is illegal to sell these violent games to little Timmy and any clerk or store doing so will be punished, but if little Timmy comes into the store with his Mom and she buys it, then it's all good?
I just don't understand.
Soooo.... Mario burning his ass in Mario 64 is banned then?
oy....
Another brainless politician, another unconstitutional bill.
Is there no end to this stupidity?
First, who decides what is heinous, atrocious and/or cruel ? Since that it is too broad a term we could ban any game with even the littlest cruelty in the game.
Secondly, define what a human is ? If a game has alot of gore, but the characters are all anthromorphic animals, this game would go through.
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