wraggster
April 16th, 2013, 23:46
A report from New Jersey has called for tighter regulations on the sale of 'violent' and Mature rated games.<figure style="font: 14px/21px sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 20px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px currentColor; width: 300px; text-align: left; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; clear: both; word-spacing: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; float: right; display: block; white-space: normal; position: relative; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" class="article-image article-image-alt article-image-300">http://cdn.medialib.computerandvideogames.com/screens/dir_3002/image_300230_thumb_wide300.jpg (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/viewer.php?mode=article&id=300230)</figure>
The report comes from the New Jersey SAFE Task Force on Gun Protection, Addiction, Mental Health and Families, and Education Safety (NJ SAFE Task Force), formed on the order of Governor Chris Christie on January 17, 2013, in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre in December 2012, which sparked a widespread and heated debate on gun control and violence in media (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/386917/obama-violent-video-games-should-be-researched-carefully/)
.The organization was charged with "reviewing the root causes of mass violence and developing recommendations aimed at ameliorating those root causes". It includes talks on gun control, urban violence, mental health including substance abuse, school security and violence in the media.The report takes aim at the "interactive nature" of video games, requesting "particular regulation" versus other non-interactive forms of media."The interactive nature of video games, as opposed to other forms of media, may dictate particular regulation of such games," says the report, before going on to make the following recommendations:
Require Minors to be Accompanied by an Adult When Purchasing Video Games with an M (Mature) or AO (Adults Only) Rating
Require a Request for Identification for the Sale or Rental of a Video Game with an M or AO Rating
Require Retailers Selling Video Games to Conspicuously Display ESRB Ratings at the Point of Sale
Require Retailers Selling Video Games to Develop, Maintain and Conspicuously Display Their Policy on Selling Video Games with an M or AO Rating
The report also calls of public display regulations. "The appropriate authority with jurisdiction over certain State property where video games have been made available to the general public, such as highway rest areas, should consider the practicality and feasibility of regulating those video games to ensure that violent games are not made available to children."You can read the full 83-page report here (http://www.nj.gov/oag/newsreleases13/NJSAFE-REPORT-04.10.13-WEB.pdf).
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/401430/new-jersey-task-force-demands-tighter-regulations-on-violent-video-games/
The report comes from the New Jersey SAFE Task Force on Gun Protection, Addiction, Mental Health and Families, and Education Safety (NJ SAFE Task Force), formed on the order of Governor Chris Christie on January 17, 2013, in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre in December 2012, which sparked a widespread and heated debate on gun control and violence in media (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/386917/obama-violent-video-games-should-be-researched-carefully/)
.The organization was charged with "reviewing the root causes of mass violence and developing recommendations aimed at ameliorating those root causes". It includes talks on gun control, urban violence, mental health including substance abuse, school security and violence in the media.The report takes aim at the "interactive nature" of video games, requesting "particular regulation" versus other non-interactive forms of media."The interactive nature of video games, as opposed to other forms of media, may dictate particular regulation of such games," says the report, before going on to make the following recommendations:
Require Minors to be Accompanied by an Adult When Purchasing Video Games with an M (Mature) or AO (Adults Only) Rating
Require a Request for Identification for the Sale or Rental of a Video Game with an M or AO Rating
Require Retailers Selling Video Games to Conspicuously Display ESRB Ratings at the Point of Sale
Require Retailers Selling Video Games to Develop, Maintain and Conspicuously Display Their Policy on Selling Video Games with an M or AO Rating
The report also calls of public display regulations. "The appropriate authority with jurisdiction over certain State property where video games have been made available to the general public, such as highway rest areas, should consider the practicality and feasibility of regulating those video games to ensure that violent games are not made available to children."You can read the full 83-page report here (http://www.nj.gov/oag/newsreleases13/NJSAFE-REPORT-04.10.13-WEB.pdf).
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/401430/new-jersey-task-force-demands-tighter-regulations-on-violent-video-games/