Say Goodbye to Homebrew Games?

DS HomebrewThose crazy politicians are at it again! This time, the problem is centred in the state of Utah. Something called the “Video Games Ratings Enforcement Act” is currently being voted upon and it spells nothing but bad news for homebrew developers.

“(a) Conduct Prohibited- It shall be unlawful for any person to ship or otherwise distribute in interstate commerce, or to sell or rent, a video game that does not contain a rating label, in a clear and conspicuous location on the outside packaging of the video game, containing an age-based content rating determined by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board.”

What does that mean? Anything that can be considered a video game cannot be shared unless it carries an ESRB rating. The thing is, an ESRB rating costs a minimum of $5,000. Those who create games for the DS, PSP, PCs, and other platforms do not have this kind of money to spend on a mere hobby. Hopefully this law will be shot down just like every other law that tried to do similar things so far.

Via Tales of the Rampant Coyote

DS HomebrewThose crazy politicians are at it again! This time, the problem is centred in the state of Utah. Something called the “Video Games Ratings Enforcement Act” is currently being voted upon and it spells nothing but bad news for homebrew developers.

“(a) Conduct Prohibited- It shall be unlawful for any person to ship or otherwise distribute in interstate commerce, or to sell or rent, a video game that does not contain a rating label, in a clear and conspicuous location on the outside packaging of the video game, containing an age-based content rating determined by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board.”

What does that mean? Anything that can be considered a video game cannot be shared unless it carries an ESRB rating. The thing is, an ESRB rating costs a minimum of $5,000. Those who create games for the DS, PSP, PCs, and other platforms do not have this kind of money to spend on a mere hobby. Hopefully this law will be shot down just like every other law that tried to do similar things so far.

Via Tales of the Rampant Coyote

Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *