Slashdot is powered by your submissions, so send in your scoop

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×
Politics Government Entertainment Games

Illinois Senate OKs Violent Games Bill 139

Posted by Zonk from the yipee dept.
The Illinois senate has approved the violent games bill proposed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The bill was also passed by the House, but the Senate stripped the possibility of jail time out of the wording before approving it. The House must now reconsider the bill before it can be passed into law. From the article: "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.' Apparently I have been misinformed as to what exactly I've been doing for the last twenty-odd years. Thank you, Illinois Senate, for correcting my error.
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Illinois Senate OKs Violent Games Bill More

Illinois Senate OKs Violent Games Bill

Comments Filter:

  • Sigh... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by anderm7 ( 68050 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @11:03AM (#12589439) Homepage
    That's funny. My sister has classes in art school to make 3D Art for Video Games.

    I'm sure she would be surprised to learn that she is getting a "simulation" degree and not an Art degree.

    Why can't our legislators deal with real problems, you know like our economy and the environment. Oh yeah, because this makes for an easy deamon.

    • Re:Sigh... (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Kaamoss ( 872616 )
      Serriously dude, don't even worry about it. Nothing like this will ever pass. It's just a diversion tactic like immigration. Something that politicians keep in their back pocket to pull out when other things are going poorly. There's no sense in even paying any attention at all to 85% of the bills which are attempted to be passed in this country. You'll probably be more sane if you just ignore untill it becomes a law and then let all hell break loose.

    • Re:Sigh... (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Darth_Burrito ( 227272 )
      Why can't our legislators deal with real problems, you know like our economy and the environment. Oh yeah, because this makes for an easy deamon.

      If this is how they deal with Video games, do you really want them going anywhere near the economy and environment?

  • That explains it! (Score:4, Funny)

    by macrom ( 537566 ) <macrom75@hotmail.com> on Friday May 20, 2005 @11:03AM (#12589446) Homepage
    They are simulations, not all that different from the simulations used by the U.S. military in preparation for war.

    We couldn't find the weapons of mass destruction because of bad war simulations. The Marines have been training by playing Lemmings!
    • In A.D. 2003
      War was beginning.
      Bush: What happen ?
      cheney: Somebody said iraq set up us the bomb.
      Condolizza: We get signal.
      Bush: What !
      cheney: Main screen turn on.
      Bush: It's You !!
      Saddam: How are you gentlemen !!
      Saddam: All our base are belong to you.
      Saddam: You are on the way to no WOMD.
      Bush: What you say !!
      Saddam: we have no chance to survive make your time.
      Saddams: HA HA HA HA ....
      Bush: Take off every 'zig' !!
      Bush: You know what you doing.
      Bush: Move 'zig'.
      Bush: For great justice.

  • Not art? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Datamonstar ( 845886 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @11:03AM (#12589454)
    How can they say that it's not art? What about pen and paper, then? It has it's roots in war simulations from way back when video wasn't feasable. Are books about war simulations, since they recreate the war as a visual image in our heads? The question I want answered now is what should and shouldn't be considered art, if practically everything can be considered a simulation by someone's standards?

    • Re:Not art? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by j-turkey ( 187775 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @12:13PM (#12590430) Homepage
      How can they say that it's not art?

      They can say whatever they want. If anything like this ever passes, whether or not it's art (or speech) is a matter that the courts will have to decide on.

      • Re:Not art? (Score:3, Informative)

        by Pluvius ( 734915 )
        If anything like this ever passes, whether or not it's art (or speech) is a matter that the courts will have to decide on.

        Which has already happened. Interesting factoid: In Missouri, some district judge named Limbaugh (ha!) said that video games are not protected speech, but the appellate court responded basically by pointing out that believing that opinion would be really stupid and/or ignorant. This all led to a St. Louis ordinance against violent video games being declared unconstitutional. Which,

    • Re:Not art? (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Napalm Boy ( 17015 )
      Towards that end, I want the Congress to play Ico and Rez, and then come back and tell us with straight faces that "games" aren't "art."

      You know, if they weren't so overbearing with their stereotyping, they might actually have some semblance of a point. There are games that are simulation! There are games that are glorified board games, too. Calling a genre of works any one thing is gloriously short-sighted.

  • Done. (Score:4, Informative)

    by astro_ripper ( 884636 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @11:04AM (#12589457) Homepage Journal
    "The measure approved Thursday would require store owners to determine which games are too violent or sexually explicit for anyone under 18."

    The ESRB already has a rating system [esrb.org]. Games too sexually explicit are rated 'A' and many retailers don't carry them.

    I guess that doesn't cover violence though.

    • ADULTS ONLY
      Titles rated AO (Adults Only) have content that should only be played by persons 18 years and older. Titles in this category may include prolonged scenes of intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and nudity.

      After reading this, the average /.er has only one question...."Which titles?"
    • Manhunt got rated M. If that's not a reason not to trust the ESRB on that issue I don't know what is.

  • Blind-sighted (Score:5, Insightful)

    by FidelCatsro ( 861135 ) <(moc.liamg) (ta) (orstacledif)> on Friday May 20, 2005 @11:05AM (#12589471) Journal
    "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."

    They are art and media , Some games atleast are comparable to works of literature other are stylistic master works.
    Yet i doubt the lady would have any problem with kid reading great works of literature, religious books or historical documents , Alot of which have explicit violance which is far in excess of that of games.
    These games do not turn people into violent sociopaths anymore than reading the bible/torah/tao te ching/quoran etc does ,Compare the number of violent crimes related to computer games with those related to people taking bits from the bible a bit too literaly .
    The numbers would fall heavily in favour of banning the book if we did .

    • I hope this bill passes (Score:4, Funny)

      by Snowmit ( 704081 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @11:40AM (#12589926) Homepage
      "Simulations"? Awesome! I was worried that I was a slowly weakening pasty-faced desk jockey wasting my life in the cold blue glow of a computer monitor but maybe that's not true.

      If this bill passes it will be LEGAL PROOF that I am actually a expertly-trained bad-ass motherfucker.
    • Yet i doubt the lady would have any problem with kid reading great works of literature, religious books or historical documents , Alot of which have explicit violance which is far in excess of that of games.
      No, she is most likely exactly the kind of lady that's all for banning certain books as well.

      Usually those types can be delt with by pointing out how bloody and violent certain parts of the bible are.
  • Aren't violent / sexual games already restricted from being sold to minors? That's why we have the ESRB...

    • Re:I don't get it... (Score:4, Interesting)

      by over_exposed ( 623791 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @11:16AM (#12589592) Homepage
      ESRB is there to provide the OPTION to restrict the sale to ANYONE the store wants to. Many retail stores don't carry games "beyond" a certain rating. All this bill does, if I read it correctly, is create penalties for any store that sells games beyond a certain threshold (sexualy or violently, or both if you like it like that) to minors.

      I understand some of the hooplah about this, but why is everyone so pissed that minors now have to get their parents to buy a Doom 3 or the next Leisure Suit Larry? Granted, I'm in my early 20's so take all this crap about parenting with a grain of salt, but I'm all for parents getting more involved with their children and what they do with their free time. I would MUCH rather force a parent (or, some might argue, older sibling or older friend but it's the same story with alcohol/tobacco) to buy this game for the child. They'll (hypothetically) be more interested in the game to see what their $50 just bought. If it's outside of their comfort zone as a parent, they can stop the child from playing it.

      On a very high level, how is this different than restricting the sale of smoe of the more risque tatoo magazines, pornography, tobacco and alcohol to minors?

      • Re:I don't get it... (Score:5, Insightful)

        by ElleyKitten ( 715519 ) <kittensunrise&gmail,com> on Friday May 20, 2005 @11:43AM (#12589975) Journal
        All this bill does, if I read it correctly, is create penalties for any store that sells games beyond a certain threshold (sexualy or violently, or both if you like it like that) to minors.

        However, as I understand, the bill does not explain how violent or sexual is too much.

        Frome the article:
        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.

        So who's making the decisions about what's too violent/sexual? Does the store owner determine what's inappropriate, but if (s)he sells it anyways, (s)he gets fined? No, that doesn't make any sense. Does the store owner decide what to sell, but then a parent disagrees with his decision and then he gets fined? Well, that would suck.

        The reason I hate these restrictions is because they are invariably too vague and invariably done by people who have no clue (video games aren't media, they're stimulations, what?). If they just legally enforced the ESRB, I'ld be ok with that, though I'm sure if they can, since ESRB is a private organization. But people who don't play video games making up random restrictions? I'll pass.
        • Why is this so difficult? Don't sell M or A rated games to minors. If they care so much about it, they'll make their own ratings board which will re-rate games according to their backwards-ass standards.
          • Why is this so difficult? Don't sell M or A rated games to minors.

            If that's what the law said, I'ld be ok with that. But it's not.

            If they care so much about it, they'll make their own ratings board which will re-rate games according to their backwards-ass standards.

            Who's "they"? Are you talking about the politicians? We have a good ratings system in place, why on earth would anyone want to replace it with people who can't even understand that games are media?
            • I admit, I didn't RTFA. Why is everyone in such an uproar when such a simple and reasonable solution exists? The only thing I could think of is if games rated below M were considered violent by the politicians.

              • Re:I don't get it... (Score:4, Interesting)

                by ElleyKitten ( 715519 ) <kittensunrise&gmail,com> on Friday May 20, 2005 @12:18PM (#12590490) Journal
                Why is everyone in such an uproar when such a simple and reasonable solution exists?

                Because they're not taking the simple and reasonable solution. They seem to be ignoring the fact that there is a competent ratings board that has been rating games for about 15 years now and almost every single game out there has a rating on it. Instead, they have to make up their own rules. Washington had one (that fortunetely was struck down) that restricted games with violence against police officers, which would cover even some E-rated games (while excluding M-rated games with rape, amoung other things)making it a nightmare to work at a game store and figure out what you can and cannot sell, and not preventing kids from getting bad games anyways. Not to mention the cost to taxpayers to get it overtuned, which it probably will be. So that's why I'm not real fond of these kinds of laws.

            • Re:I don't get it... (Score:2, Insightful)

              by snwcrash ( 520762 )
              Not to mention that once the government starts reviewing and approving certain titles for sale/restricted sales it looks an awful lot like text-book case of censorship.

              The standard in Illinois will probably be found to vague to be constitutional. I imagine it will end up in court almost immediatly after being signed into law.

              The only reason they are doing it is so that all the politicians can run under the family-friendly label in the next election.

  • So what does that make my Nintendo? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Mr.Dippy ( 613292 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @11:07AM (#12589484)
    Does this mean that I was simulating goomba smashing and princess rescuing all this time?

  • Hmmm... (Score:1, Redundant)

    by faloi ( 738831 )
    The article states that most Senators in the state don't believe it'll really be enforced. And that some of the Senators are going to vote for it just to prevent them voting against being used against them later on. So basically it's no-lose for the Senators. They don't care about the bill, because they doubt it'll really be enforced. And they get to say "I protected the childrens!" next time campaign roll around. Useless feelgood legislature at it's...finest.
    • And Of couse if Jacobs was my Sen. I would vote against him for being a spineless lawmaker and wasting my money. I suspect that (outside the slashdot group) very few think this way.

  • Illinois Senate OKs Violent Games Bill (Score:3, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 20, 2005 @11:08AM (#12589503)
    Ah, good ol' Violent Games Bill. He was the best GTA player I ever saw.

    How could anybody in the great state of Illinois not like that guy?

    Keep on truckin' Bill!

  • Not Art or Media? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by blighter ( 577804 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @11:10AM (#12589520)
    That ranks right up there on my personal list of "dumbest things I've ever heard".

    Let's float some other equally meaningful statements, for comparison's sake:

    Books aren't art or media, they are written possible scenarios not all that different from the contingency plans that the military develops about for possible war scenarios.

    Movies aren't art or media, they're a visual communications mechanism not all that different from training videos that the military develops to hone soldiers' skills.

    Photographs aren't art or media, they're a visual representation of reality not all that different from the arial targetting shots the military uses in bombing campaigns.

    This is actually kind of fun, maybe someday I'll get elected to something and can use this kind of bizarre hyperbole to compare things I don't appreciate or understand to the military.
    • Sounds like a new Slashdot meme in the making to me!
    • Yeah this is fun now. Just wait until they get all of this stuff under one legal umbrella that seemingly doesn't make any sense, and then they start regulating the umbrella. :P

      No one will notice while the legislation is passing through congress because it's labeled "The Family and Decency Protection Act" and the bill only refers to "Visicom" systems, which in another bill (which was attached to a military spending bill) defined Visicom systems as pretty much anything dealing with art.

      I don't think it wou

  • YAY! (Score:2, Funny)

    by AvitarX ( 172628 )
    Go senate.

    I approve violent games too.
  • As someone who plays video games and has written war simulation software, let me say that the two are VERY different.

    One is very obviously created for entertainment purposes. The other is very obviously NOT for entertainment purposes. In fact, it's pretty d@mn boring.

    Of course, they do have one thing in common: I doubt either has ever been proven to make anyone more likely to commit a violent act. And I doubt either makes someone more effective at it.
    • "I doubt either has ever been proven to make anyone more likely to commit a violent act. And I doubt either makes someone more effective at it."

      Well, if you are training on military simulation software you are likely on a career path which involves the possibility of being required to perform violent acts or by your actions order others to perform violent acts.
      As for whether war simulations make someone more effective at committing a violent act, you'd think that the military would probably be hoping that

  • Government decides what is art now? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 20, 2005 @11:14AM (#12589574)
    Since when has it been the government's job to decide what constitutes art? If this is the case, then I know of a few museums that are going to start needing to issue bans for the younger patrons.

    No less amount of artistic talent is used on painting on 3D geometry than painting a traditional canvas. In fact, I know of a few game artists to paint their UVW maps on real canvas and scan them in as game readable texture files latter on.
  • '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.'

    I guess you can only assume they are talking about games that simulate battles and war. Isn't calling all video games war simulations like saying because there is porn, all movies are smut?

    What about the video games that teach kids how to read? Is the military using those also? I know that the average military requirements are dropping,

  • Ridiculous (Score:2, Informative)

    by tourvil ( 103765 )
    From the article:

    "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."

    So what exactly does the Mario games simulate? Or Tetris? I know she is specifically thinking of violent shooter-type games when she says this, but come on.

    Also:

    "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, i

    • So what exactly does the Mario games simulate? Well Mario Sunshine perpetuates male chauvinism by allowing children to "hose down" the people in the game thus paralling a wet t-shirt contest.
    • They aren't seeking to ban violent video games, just make it illegal to sell them to minors.
    • "That said, the decision to ban violent video games should be a local one. "
      What is local? Your home? Block? Town? County? State? Region? Country? Planet? Saying it should be a local decision is sort of like saying too violent. How do you define it? Frankly most places have a rating system for movies, books, and magazines. Why not for video games? If twelve year old bobby can be restricted from seeing the Matrix in the theater then why shouldn't he be restricted from buying GTA in the store?
      Frankly this up
      • Frankly most places have a rating system for movies, books, and magazines. Why not for video games?

        They do have a ratings system for video games!
        • "They do have a ratings system for video games!"
          Yes but it not enforced.
          If a store wants to sell GTA to a 10 year old they can.
          This is just requiring an enforcement of the ratings.
          • This is just requiring an enforcement of the ratings.

            TFA and all the other FAs I googled about this say nothing about enforcing the ratings that are already there. So, I'm assuming that this bill, like every other state that has passed (and overturned) bills restricting video games is just making up its own criteria, completely ignoring the fact that there is a ratings board that has been rating games for almost 15 years and might know something about which games are appropriate for kids and which game
      • What is local? Your home? Block? Town? County? State? Region? Country? Planet? Saying it should be a local decision is sort of like saying too violent. How do you define it?

        Good question. I would define "local" as meaning the extent of the effects. A town or city would probably be considered local in this case since most children and teens tend not to stray far from their city or town.

        • When I was a teen I went all over my county and the two closest ones as well. A hodge podge of rules would make running a chain of stores a nightmare. Not to mention things like Internet sales.
    • That said, the decision to ban violent video games should be a local one.

      I agree 100%.

      By "local," you do mean "within one's own home," right?

      Rob
      • And for the people comparing this to movie ratings -- there is a subtle difference: kids watching movie in the theater are NOT "at home" where parents can efficiently control what they see/do. Games ARE played at home.

        Of course by the same argument we do not need ratings on DVDs too... But I guess it is taking it too far.

        Paul B.
  • 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."

    This is why I hate the political spinmachine so much. I can just see it now- "This man ignores the blatant debasing of morals that violent games display to today's youth. Do you want this

  • I bet Valve, Blizzard, EA, etc., will have... (Score:4, Informative)

    by Bonewalker ( 631203 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @11:27AM (#12589727)
    something to say about this.

    I hope they send a very clear message to Illinios politicos that video games are very much an art form and worthy of comparison to movies, literature, and photography. Hell, video games are outselling every other medium out there these days.

    So, I really hope that all gaming company execs will take a few minutes today to send an email to these boneheads in Illinois.

  • Political accountability (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Jack Taylor ( 829836 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @11:27AM (#12589741)
    "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."

    This really concerns me. I'd like to think that politicians would have enough faith in the populace that they could vote against bills they didn't agree with. If someone mentions this as a "doesn't care about the kids" swipe in a campaign brochure, they should respond with a "protecting free speech" piece in theirs. If they made their position clear on this issue before they were elected no-one should be surprised enough about it to vote the other way the next time just because of that. Then the politicians might actually enforce the principles in the manifestos they were voted in on to some extent - imagine that!
    • See if he was a democrat his fellow democrats running in primaries against him would be sending out fliers saying he supports destroying the first amendment. But as is none of the republicans he is running against would send out such a flier. And in the final election, surprisingly few republicans get democratic fliers in the mail.. I don't know why.

      • Re:Political accountability (Score:1, Interesting)

        by Anonymous Coward

        See if he was a democrat his fellow democrats running in primaries against him would be sending out fliers saying he supports destroying the first amendment. But as is none of the republicans he is running against would send out such a flier. And in the final election, surprisingly few republicans get democratic fliers in the mail.. I don't know why.

        Mike Jacobs is a Democrat from my hometown. His father, Denny, was the one who was actually elected to the state senate (and has been for as long as I ca

    • Its sad because he's absolutely right. The opposition will spin the bill into an "attack on the family" and he'll have a hell of a time defending it. At least it seems that way. We don't have competitive elections in most offices where I live.

      You can thank the sheeple, who lack the critical thinking skills to not be swayed by this political propaganda.

  • Don't like it? (Score:5, Informative)

    by A Name Similar to Di ( 875837 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @11:30AM (#12589786)
    Let her know how you feel demuzio@senatedem.state.il.us I know I am.

    -Diomedes

  • Of course they're just simulations (Score:4, Funny)

    by Given M. Sur ( 870067 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @11:41AM (#12589943)
    Of course they're just simulations.

    How else does one expect to get a job as a tetris engineer without first practicing in the simulator?

    • Agreed.

      One of the funniest Simpsons moments ever (and in a recent episode, for all the "Simpsons hasn't been good since 199x" crowd) was Homer trying to pack all of his stuff, and family, into the car. Complete with Tetris music in the background.

      What's funnier is I do the same thing when going on a road trip, having a small car.

  • The Last Straw...Write Her! (Score:5, Informative)

    by blueZhift ( 652272 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @11:43AM (#12589968) Homepage Journal
    Video games are not art or media? WTF! That's the last straw, I'm going to writing some real mail to express my displeasure with the idiocy coming out of the state house here. If you live in Illinois, I would encourage you to write as well. Here is a link to contact info for Sen. Deanna Demuzio.

    http://energyaction.ase.org/legdirectory/Index.asp ?s=y&step=8&id=++++52845 [ase.org]

    Capitol Address
    Senator Deanna Demuzio
    M106 Capitol Building
    Springfield, IL 62706
    Phone: (217) 782-8206
    Fax: (217) 854-5311

    District Address
    Senator Deanna Demuzio
    140 Carlinville Plaza
    Carlinville, 62626
    Phone: (217) 854-4441
    Fax: (217) 854-5311

    demuzio@senatedem.state.il.us
  • but I sent her an e-mail. demuzio@senatedem.state.il.us '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.' It really discourages me to see Democrats taking the wrong side on the issue of video games. While Republican work hard to restrict the rights of gays and force moral codes based on religious beliefs into laws, we need Democrats to stand up for what is right. Video games are not just fo
    • While Republican work hard to restrict the rights of gays and force moral codes based on religious beliefs into laws

      Take a look at where she voted on gay rights... You'll be even unhappier.
      • *sigh* I think the Democrats have really lost their way after this last election. Instead of standing up for liberal values (protecting individuals rights despite their unpopularity to religious morals) they are now pandering to the people who want to restrict rights of minorities. I am not sure if it was just 9/11 that pushed people over the moral edge, but it is really scaring the hell out of me. America is based on the idea that people can believe what they choose without government interference. Ye
    • Remember to CC Lieberman in on this one too. He's been attached to other similiar efforts regarding movies and vids.
      • Yeah, I have been disappointed with Sen. Clinton's view on this issue as well. I am tired of the "but think of the children" mentality. Children are important, but don't take away my rights as well.
  • "require store owners to determine which games are too violent or sexually explicit for anyone under 18."

    so as a store owner i can determine that no game is too viloent or sexually explicit and just sell it to anyone?

    • Haha, abuse of subjectivity galore! Even if it was brought up in court, the store owner could say that he felt it wasn't violent, and technically a judge couldn't overturn the opinion, right? Everyone wants to make a buck. Why would they turn away their target audience?
  • Is training on simulators that teach them to nuke the crap out of anything that moves, then send in civvies to clean up the fallout (Civ 1 & 2)?
    Is training on simulators to pimp, have sex with prostitutes, become the mafia, kill indescrimatly and have no respect for the law (GTA 3)?
    Is training on simulators to kill the scientists best able to contain a dimension breach purely because it's bad for their image not to (Half-Life)?
    I'm disturbed... Alternatively, maybe computer games are an art form - albeit
    • "I vote that anyone who believes video games are not at least as good as novels as art forms be made to read the entire Harry Potter series and *then* play the entire Final Fantasy series for comparison."

      Me too. By the time they're close to finishing trudging their miserable way through 11 Final Fantasy games, they'll either kill themselves to end it all, or it'll be time to elect someone else anyway...
  • All this does is merely employ lots of homeless people. The kids will pay them 5 bucks so they will buy them a game. Some store policies prohibited the sale of violent games to minors before the law was passed anyway. This really doesn't change much here in Chicago.

  • I don't usually bother emailing senators, but denying that video games are art (and even that they are not media), and implying that they should not be protected by free speech infuriates me...

    Here's the note I sent to the senator. Feel free to use it as inspiration, but don't copy it verbatim.

    ---snip---
    To: demuzio@senatedem.state.il.us
    Subject: proposed restrictions on the sale of videogames

    Senator:

    I am disappointed and insulted to learn of your uninformed opinion concerning the video game

  • Porn is a simulation too, but it is considered both art and free speech. These are not exclusive categories.
  • If I were a major game retailer in the state of Illinois, this is what I would do.

    1. Change my store, if I sold things other than games, so that the games were in one section seperated from the rest of the store.

    2. Institute an enforced "no kids" policy for that part of the store.

    3. When parents complain, and they will, explain that the Illinois legislature had tied my hands, and this was the only way I could be sure I was complying with the new law.

    4. Sit back and wait for the law to change.

  • I never knew video games were not unlike war simulations the military has. In that case my mom should be the greatest general we have, she must beat tetris atleast once a day.

    Kinda persuades you to join the army though doesn't it? I mean how bad can it be if you've got over-shield, cloak, an asault rifle and an energy sword. Tell south korea to watch out of i'll go "running wild" on 'em
  • Hm, penny-arcade.com is downish at the moment so I can't pull up their classic comic on the issue, but the punchline goes something like 'If video games aren't a form of speech, then why are you concerned with a message they may be sending?'
  • Somebody's seen The Last Starfighter one too many times.
  • I say force these fools to play ICO and then see what they say.
  • This sort of bullshit would never happen if teen agers could vote.
  • The problem with the "not art" statement is that a senator made it. It is up to the judicial branch to interpret the law. Especially when that law is one of our most fundamental civil liberties. I'm pretty sure that the Supreme Court has already said that speech does not have to be "art or media" to be protected. Flag-burning, street-corner sermons, protest slogans; any of these could be called "not art or media," but all of them are protected speech/expression.

    On a different note, if a judge somewhere

  • um. (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Vanigard_Man ( 884763 )
    As an inhabitant of Illinois, I would liketo apologize for the dim-witted actions of our political leaders as they not only condemn video games as a form of mind melting evil, but also strip away the title of art from them. I am from a family of computer programmers, and my father, brothers, and I have all made games and they are definitely art. To have our hard work insulted by our own officials is embarrassing. Again, I'm sorry for their numbskullery. And although I realise that the law itself is for
  • Out of curiosity... why is it our schools cannot teach children some fundamental facts of life, forced to leave such decisions with the parents, when video game salesmen are permitted to do such a thing? Strange, I would think that parents would feel the need to take such resposibility on themselves and the legislature support them; instead the government seems to believe parents incapable of overseeing their children. In that case may I also posit that the whole school-family separation is equally flawed?
  • If the first amendment is versatile enough to "shield [the] painting of Jackson Pollock, music of Arnold Schoenberg, or Jabberwocky verse of Lewis Carroll," Hurley, 515 U.S. at 569, we see no reason why the pictures, graphic design, concept art, sounds, music, stories, and narrative present in video games are not entitled to a similar protection. The mere fact that they appear in a novel medium is of no legal consequence. Our review of the record convinces us that these "violent" video games contain stories

Slashdot Top Deals

You are in a maze of little twisting passages, all alike.

Close