New game bill may turn retailers into felons
According to a report by GamePolitics, a new bill has been proposed by the Democratic side of New York‘s legislature. This report comes after the fact that another bill was passed earlier by the legislature of the same state, spearheaded by the Republicans of the Senate, specifically Senator Andrew Lanza.
But probably the most significant issue that this news has raised is that if a retailer happens to sell or rent any game to inappropriately aged minors, that same retailer would be committing a felony – a class E felony. An excerpt of the proposal goes:
1.) selling or renting to a minor a game which includes “depraved violence and indecent images” would be a class E felony under the state penal code
The bill refers to “depraved” as depictions of “rape, dismemberment, physical torture, mutilation or evisceration of a human being.” The proposed bill, called A08696, goes further to iterate that each new game console should integrate a parental control mechanism. It defines this mechanism as:
Â…a mechanism, device or control system that allows an owner, through the use of a personal identification number, password or similar technology, to prevent the display of video games, or portions thereof containing certain contentÂ…
And that’s not all. According to a section of the proposal, the state attorney general will be granted the authority to petition the court for an injunction blocking further sales of any console not meeting this requirement. And yes, it’s specifically targeted at consoles, not PCs or handhelds.
The proposal also suggests the formation of a council, dubbed “Advisory Council on Interactive Media and Youth Violence,” to monitor and evaluate research on interactive media, “violent behavior among children,” and review the ESRB system. Furthermore, it says:
4.) The measure contains a severability clause, which states that if any portion of the proposed law is found to be unconstitutional, such a ruling would not invalidate the other sections.
This new bill was proposed by Assemblyman Joseph Lentol and co-sponsored by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, and Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer. There are even talks that the new proposal is currently favored by Governor Eliot Spitzer, a Democrat. And if he does pass and sign the law in the state, it will go into effect in 120 days.
Via Game Politics
According to a report by GamePolitics, a new bill has been proposed by the Democratic side of New York‘s legislature. This report comes after the fact that another bill was passed earlier by the legislature of the same state, spearheaded by the Republicans of the Senate, specifically Senator Andrew Lanza.
But probably the most significant issue that this news has raised is that if a retailer happens to sell or rent any game to inappropriately aged minors, that same retailer would be committing a felony – a class E felony. An excerpt of the proposal goes:
1.) selling or renting to a minor a game which includes “depraved violence and indecent images” would be a class E felony under the state penal code
The bill refers to “depraved” as depictions of “rape, dismemberment, physical torture, mutilation or evisceration of a human being.” The proposed bill, called A08696, goes further to iterate that each new game console should integrate a parental control mechanism. It defines this mechanism as:
Â…a mechanism, device or control system that allows an owner, through the use of a personal identification number, password or similar technology, to prevent the display of video games, or portions thereof containing certain contentÂ…
And that’s not all. According to a section of the proposal, the state attorney general will be granted the authority to petition the court for an injunction blocking further sales of any console not meeting this requirement. And yes, it’s specifically targeted at consoles, not PCs or handhelds.
The proposal also suggests the formation of a council, dubbed “Advisory Council on Interactive Media and Youth Violence,” to monitor and evaluate research on interactive media, “violent behavior among children,” and review the ESRB system. Furthermore, it says:
4.) The measure contains a severability clause, which states that if any portion of the proposed law is found to be unconstitutional, such a ruling would not invalidate the other sections.
This new bill was proposed by Assemblyman Joseph Lentol and co-sponsored by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, and Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer. There are even talks that the new proposal is currently favored by Governor Eliot Spitzer, a Democrat. And if he does pass and sign the law in the state, it will go into effect in 120 days.
Via Game Politics
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