"Games are neither art nor media." - Censorship push

[Del]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050520/ap_on_hi_te/video_games

Ill. Senate OKs Video Game Restrictions

Fri May 20, 9:43 AM ET

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - The Illinois Senate approved a version of Gov. Rod Blagojevich's proposed restrictions on the sales of violent and sexually explicit video games to children, even though some senators said the idea is unconstitutional. The measure approved Thursday would require store owners to determine which games are too violent or sexually explicit for anyone under 18. Anyone selling them to a minor could be fined.

Both chambers have now approved the video game restrictions, but the Senate version removed the possibility of jail time for offenders. That means the revised bill now goes back to the House.

The sponsor, Sen. Deanna Demuzio, denied the measure would interfere with free speech rights.

"Video games are not art or media," she said. "They are simulations, not all that different from the simulations used by the U.S. military in preparation for war."

But other senators said the courts have already struck down similar laws elsewhere. They predicted the Senate-approved measure would never take effect and the state would end up paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees.

Still, even some critics said they would not vote against the measure for fear it would be used against them politically.

"I'm going to vote for this bill, but I'm voting for it for one reason — because this is a political bill," said Sen. Mike Jacobs. "If I vote against it, it will show up in a campaign mail piece."

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I personally like the system we have now just fine. I also take exception to the absurd language "Games are neither art nor media." Not sure where this post should go so I put it here.

Del
www.esprawl.com

 

[zenld]

Games are both Art and Media.

Interested in seeing where this goes.

zen

 

[Alzrius]

I agree with Zenld; games are an art form and a media (though I feel that the former position is more easy to defend than the latter). Just because something is created with the intent of sale, and/or worked on by multiple individuals, doesn't mean it can't be considered artwork. The idea that the only real art is made for its own sake is narrow-minded and much too exclusive.

Likewise, it seems ridiculous to say that video games aren't media. Media is anything that is a means of mass communication to the public. I think that includes video games, which are sold in tens of thousands (if not more) and easily contain specific messages and characters, themes, etc. which become part of the public consciousness. Likewise, saying that video games aren't media ignores that they share the staples of current media, including full motion video, voice-acting, soundtracks, and more.

I hope this gets soundly defeated.

 

[Prince of Happiness]

Dudes, "Bloodrayne" is so totally a simulation. I meet (meat?) Nazi-killing vampire hotties all the time!

P.S. WTF? Has this lady even seen a video game? How is "Katamari Damacy" even remotely alike to a military simulation? Err, outside of the pseudo-tank controls.

 

[Samnell]

Disgusting. May it fail, and hard.

 

[RangerWickett]

Eh, I'm fine with the effect of the bill -- young kids can't buy guns or alcohol or pornography, and violent video games are equally mature -- but not with the spirit of it. Saying "We're keeping naughty things out of the hands of kids" is fine with me. Saying "We don't have to justify ourselves because games are not free speech" is worrisome.

Anyway, this thread is political, so it might get closed. Tread lightly.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

May the ghost of Marshall Mcluhan haunt the Illinois statehouse.

 

[Zappo]

I don't think that this is completely wrong. There are ratings and restrictions on movies, why should videogames be any different? Especially now that games are getting close to being photorealistic - check out any of the E3 Playstation 3 demos.

OTOH, if I've understood anything of how a politician's mind works, the laws they are preparing are more restrictive than those that apply to movies. Now this is wrong - I think that games should be neither more nor less restricted than movies.

And the idea that the store owner should determine which games are too violent or sexually explicit is ludicrous. They are not qualified for that and they are not supposed to be.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

OTOH, if I've understood anything of how a politician's mind works, the laws they are preparing are more restrictive than those that apply to movies.

I think that's a good guess, based on them saying that free speech doesn't apply to videogames.

I have no problem with the voluntary videogame rating system actually being enforced at the checkout stand. I worked for a videogame company that released a Mature rated game while I was there, and I absolutely agree that it wasn't appropriate for younger teens and below. But government is absolutely the worst way to regulate this.

There's no incentive for them to get it right, and no damage to them if they get it wrong. Anyone who would vote against a politician for going too far is likely going to vote against a politician who voted for this law, period, and few of the people who would vote for a politician because they voted for this law will mind if it goes too far in the minds of the "savages" who play Grand Theft Auto.

 

[Zappo]

The concept that the store owner should determine what games should or shouldn't be sold to minors is especially irking to me. The store owner has no place taking that decision at all. They aren't psychologists and they don't have time to check out all the games that are released anyway. As if that wasn't enough, they are the people who are supposed to sell the game. Depending on how it works, this could make the law completely futile. "You sold GTA4 to that kid!" "So? I'm the one who decides what can be sold in my shop. And I decided that GTA4 is ok."