James Delahunty
11 Oct 2005 21:42
We reported just two days ago that Arnold Schwarzenegger had signed a bill that made it illegal to supply a minor with a "violent video game" either as a sale or a rental. Now it has emerged that the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is planning to sue the state of California in response to the law which will come into affect on January 1st 2006. The legislation, known as Assembly Bill (A.B) 1179, states that any retailer who supplies a violent game to anybody under 18 will be fined $1,000.
The Video Software Dealers Association (VSDA) has pledged that it will collaborate with the ESA to fight the law. Members of the VSDA include retailers and distributors. In the past, the ESA has overturned similar laws in different states that prohibited the sale of violent or sexually explicit games to minors with the argument that the laws violate constitutionally protected rights.
VSDA president Bo Andersen called the legislation "a clear violation of the First Amendment" and added that it "provides no meaningful standards to know which materials are covered." The bill was sponsored by Assembly member Leland Yee of San Francisco, who is also a child psychologist. He claims that violent games have a dramatic affect on the behavior of minors.
Arstechnica has a really good article about this.
Sources:
Arstechnica
Macworld