Delaware representative announces new game legislation
Delaware Representative Helene Keeley comes into the gaming scene today, as we we pick up word of her introduction of a new bill to help curb the circulation of Mature-rated (M, age 17+) and Adult-Only (AO, age 18+) games to minors.
Going into detail, House Bill No. 77, once implemented as a law, will prohibit the sale or rental of any video game rated by the Electronic Software Rating Board (ESRB) unless the said rating is clearly displayed – games unrated by the ESRB will also be required to have a “not rated” label visible on them.
The second provision “makes it unlawful for a person to sell or rent to an underage person and requires proof of age prior to sale or rental,” which means anybody procuring their next copy of Grand Theft Auto will have to have a copy of their driver’s license (or senior citizen’s card) handy to prove their age – very much like the procedure being used for guys buying alcoholic beverages.
For those with longer memories among us, you may remember Rep. Keeley from back on November 3, 2005, when she attempted to pass House Bill No. 319, which also required games with an ESRB rating to be properly displayed, and a valid ID to be presented by buyers when purchasing M and AO-rated games.
Comparatively speaking, this appears to be one of the more level-headed laws we’ve seen under works – their stand on unrated titles is relatively tame compared to the provisions stated in a similar House Bill in New York. Once again, though, given that this only targets limiting games to minors, we’re hoping that parents can step up to the challenge of becoming more aware of the sort of video games their kids are slipping into the console’s disc tray. For the moment, we are worried about some vague points made by the bill – let’s just hope it gets sharpened up to something more practical in the long run.
Delaware Representative Helene Keeley comes into the gaming scene today, as we we pick up word of her introduction of a new bill to help curb the circulation of Mature-rated (M, age 17+) and Adult-Only (AO, age 18+) games to minors.
Going into detail, House Bill No. 77, once implemented as a law, will prohibit the sale or rental of any video game rated by the Electronic Software Rating Board (ESRB) unless the said rating is clearly displayed – games unrated by the ESRB will also be required to have a “not rated” label visible on them.
The second provision “makes it unlawful for a person to sell or rent to an underage person and requires proof of age prior to sale or rental,” which means anybody procuring their next copy of Grand Theft Auto will have to have a copy of their driver’s license (or senior citizen’s card) handy to prove their age – very much like the procedure being used for guys buying alcoholic beverages.
For those with longer memories among us, you may remember Rep. Keeley from back on November 3, 2005, when she attempted to pass House Bill No. 319, which also required games with an ESRB rating to be properly displayed, and a valid ID to be presented by buyers when purchasing M and AO-rated games.
Comparatively speaking, this appears to be one of the more level-headed laws we’ve seen under works – their stand on unrated titles is relatively tame compared to the provisions stated in a similar House Bill in New York. Once again, though, given that this only targets limiting games to minors, we’re hoping that parents can step up to the challenge of becoming more aware of the sort of video games their kids are slipping into the console’s disc tray. For the moment, we are worried about some vague points made by the bill – let’s just hope it gets sharpened up to something more practical in the long run.