The Washington Post is reporting that the mayor of Washington and several city council members want to ban the sale of violent and sexually explicit video games to minors. Apparently video games play a part some how in the crime in their area. umm OK. A measure under consideration would limit the sale of the Grand Theft Auto series, Mortal Kombat and other such games. A store that violates the ban could be fined up to $10,000 and face being put out of business. Council member Adrian M. Fenty said Grand Theft Auto "awards points for killing police officers and assaulting women, and it is done in a way that glorifies violence." Mayor Anthony A. Williams said he would support the measure, to be introduced Thursday. Douglas Lowenstein, president of the Entertainment Software Association, said the group encourages retailers to require ID checks before selling games that are rated "M" for mature but opposes government restrictions on content as unconstitutional.
Hal Halpin, President of the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association response :
IEMA retailers, last year, introduced their own self-regulatory measures which have already addressed these same issues. Working with parents, consumers, federal policy-makers and special interest groups, major retailers of computer and video games committed to ID-checking for the sale of all "Mature-rated" games, and have too instituted or re-doubled efforts regarding in-store signage, staff and customer education regarding the ratings system, and many other voluntary measures toward this same end. As has been proven time and again, the entertainment industry enjoys First Amendment protection and substantially-similar pieces of legislation have already been stricken down each and every time. Knowing that in advance, politicians who seek the spotlight would rather go through the exercise of wasting valuable taxpayer resources, the court's time, and put businesses and jobs at risk than work cooperatively and productively with the industry.
- IGN.com
