We’ve spent years rescuing princesses and saving millions of lives in videogames, but now the games themselves need our saving. A bill, crafted by Senator Leland Yee and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, in California is about to be reviewed by the California Supreme Court on November 2nd that will create an entity not unlike the FCC that will have the allowance to censor and moderate our video games. They want to do away with the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) rating labels and implement a government controlled ratings system.
Why do you care? It does the same thing that the ESRB does, right? Wrong, and double wrong.
If the bill passes, at that point, the Government gets to tell you what is considered “too violent” in your own home, and has the authority to tell you what you can or cannot play. Currently, the ESRB is in place as a tool for parents.
If you are a parent, currently, you have not only the responsibility to say whether your son or daughter can or cannot play these games, but you also have the RIGHT. You have the right to know if your children are not mature enough to play Grand theft Auto, or also the right to say “Hey. My kid knows the difference between fantasy and reality. Sure, I’ll buy him this violent game!” At that point, it’s on the parents what their kids are playing or not. They know better than anyone that their children are capable of making their own decisions
I grew up as a prime example for this argument. At 14 years old, my father took me to Gamestop and bought me Grand Theft Auto Vice City. We took it home, and what did we do? We played it AND beat it together. He understood I was mature enough to know this game is fantasy, not reality. That I shouldn’t go out and kill people, do drugs, or cause widespread mayhem. He also explained to me that “Yes, you can do bad things in the game, but by doing these things, you will be caught by the police eventually (cheat codes aside).” He was able to discern that I knew what I was doing in life to not do the things in these games. My dad knew this. The government does not. At 22 years old right this moment, I am a pacifist, I do not do any type of drugs, and I didn’t turn into a raving lunatic by playing these games.
If the bill passes, on the other hand, parents don’t have the responsibility or right anymore to have that freedom. It is a criminal offense to buy a minor a violent game, or for a store to SELL said game knowingly in regards to a minor, just like alcohol, firearms, and tobacco. The bill makes it a criminal offense for a minor to buy a “violent” game. Unfortunately, that also means the government gets to decide what is “too violent”, meaning they can deem “Super Mario Bros” too violent, if they so wanted to (especially since it fits within their definitions of a violent game!).
Now, why should you care if this is being passed in Cali? You live in Florida, or some other state. This won’t affect me, right? Again, wrong.
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This bill, if passed, will set an official precedent among bills and court hearings. Every state that has attempted to pass similar bills and failed will now have a second wind to actually pass the bill this time. Several states will automatically follow suit to this bill. As a slippery slope effect, other mediums of entertainment may begin to be assaulted as well, such as books, music, and movies. Do we want our games censored? Do we want games that are currently considered “Rated M” to stop being sold at Wal-Mart, Gamestop, and Best Buy?
If this bill passes, this affects the publishers and developers the worst. Since the ESRB is in place, it’s automatically known that minors cannot buy a Rated M game. With the bill in place, most games considered “Rated M” right now would be considered “too violent” to be sold in your common chains. This means the publishers lose money, and developers have to keep things “safe”, making only kiddie games. Imagine Halo, if it were Rated T. Imagine a world where Bioshock, Uncharted, and Call of Duty isn’t sold in stores.
Do we want this? How can you, the mild-mannered consumer, gamer, and advocate, help?
Be Informed. Then, take action.
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Associations and organizations like The Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA) and the Video Game Voters Network are there for you, the gamers, the parents, and anyone else who wants to be in the know. Use these as your tools to fight this unethical and corrupt bill. If you live in California, the ECA is staging a rally at the Supreme Court doorstep on November 2nd 2010, to protest this bill and show support.
I will, also, disclose here right now, that I live in Florida, and I am not only a proud member of the Entertainment Consumers Association, but I am a proud Chapter President for all of Central Florida, from the Gulf coast, to the Atlantic coast.
As an American, you have the first amendment right to protest, and you also have the first amendment right to express yourself through this outstanding medium. The publishers and developers have the first amendment right to create their art. Know your First Amendment of The Bill of Rights.
In the 1950s, we fought for our right to read comic books. In the 1980s, we had to “Fight For Our Right To Party”. Now, in 2010, we must band together and fight for our right to Pwn, Frag, and of course Game.
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Keep Fighting the good fight, everyone.
Jesse “BeGuile” Collins
Owner/Founder; We The Gamers
Chapter President for Tampa Bay and Central Florida; ECA
Member; Video Game Voters Network
Article also posted on WeTheGamers.Net