North Carolina considers game bill

[wraggster]

via gamespot

Last year, North Carolina legislators pondered giving companies that make games in the state--like Gears of War developer Epic Games--a 15 percent tax credit for equipment and labor costs. This year the state's lawmakers are considering game-centric legislation of a different sort.

As reported by Game Politics, North Carolina State Senator Julia Boseman introduced Senate Bill 87, which would add violent video games--possibly including the sort made by Gears of War developer Epic Games--to the list of material considered harmful to minors. If it became law, the bill would make it illegal for anyone except a parent or legal guardian to sell, rent, or otherwise expose a minor to a game deemed harmful to minors.

Retailers and arcade operators would not be able to advertise that the games are available or display them except in a separate section of their stores labeled "adults only." Also, all retailers and arcade operators, regardless of whether they carried games that qualified as harmful to minors, would be required to post signs explaining the industry's gaming rating systems.

As for what games would be covered, the law would classify as harmful to minors any game featuring "the realistic visual depiction of serious injury to human beings…" if it was found to fail a modified version of the three-pronged obscenity test. The graphic violence in the game would need "a predominant tendency to appeal to a morbid interest of minors in violence," the violence would have to be "patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community concerning what is suitable for minors," and the game would have to lack "serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors."

If it comes to a vote, the bill appears to have a good chance of passing the North Carolina Senate; 29 of the state's 50 senators have signed on as co-authors of the bill. If passed by the Senate, the bill would then need to be passed by the House of Representatives and approved by the governor to become law. If it passes all that, it would go into effect December 1.

[danonano420]

good idea...no

[Mr_Biggs]

great, here i am feeling sorry for all those other states with these bills, but now one hits my state. abso-frickin-lutely great. if it passes in december, i will be outta luck for 5 months on m rated games, assuming i can buy them at 17.

[John Vattic]

In America people must be "too free".

Like George W. Bush said, "There ought to be limits to freedom."

Keeping kids away from violent games, whilst having an illegal and murderous war, seems somewhat hypocritical to me.

Lady Liberty is being $#@!d by the American government.

oh, and DURRTY SOUFTH!!!!!

[chrono75]

Wow, I live in North Carolina so this is sort of heading in my territory. However, since I'm a legal adult, I couldn't care less if they did this or not. I say go for it N.C. and it's going to be fun shopping in the "Adults Only" section, hehe. Oh yeah, and you have to be 18+ to buy Mature games, even though the box says 17+...

[MaxSMoke]

There's no way this will stand up in the Supreme Court. Just because a bunch of old men and women don't like something, doesn't mean it get's to be law. If it was, they'd have banned Rock-N-Roll and Hip-Hop about 20 years ago.

[dhraad]

Maybe we should ask ourselves this question: should media in the entertainment industry be held to the same set of standards?

I love violent games and movies as much as anyone could, but minors buying a 'M' video game should be restricted for the same reason an unsupervised child does not get admitted to an 'R' rated movie - the level of exposure in the media isn't meant for everyone.

Now let me explain further before the flaming starts.

I know that there are a lot of people who are minors but mature enough mentally to handle something like GTA, God of War, and such other games without leading a violent lifestyle, and that's fine and I applaud your maturity.

Then there are people like Jerk Thompson who take a radical view because a few people out of a very large demographic did something that was wrong and linked that to games.

Remember this though, laws and restrictions on puchacing media - and alcohol, for that matter - are in place because there are people out there who refuse to accept responsibility for themselves, their actions and the consequences attendant thereunto.

The bottom line is that the general populace gets boned because there is a percentage of people who screw it up for the rest of us.

It's not about trying to deny you your games, its about trying to keep the unresponsible imbeciles under control so they can make it out of their parents' houses before they ruin their lives completely.

[Mr_Biggs]

ok, i am gonna do whatever i can to stop this bill from passing. idk what, but ill work my ass of as much as it takes to stop it.