ESRB becomes law in the state of Georgia
Videogame violence rears its head once again.
Carolyn Hugley, the Democrat State representative in Georgia, is sponsoring a bill that would see the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) ratings, the American equivalent of our ELSPA ratings, become law.
The bill will make it an offence to sell or rent to anyone under the age of 18, any game that carries the ESRB ‘M’ (for mature) rating, such as State of Emergency and the Silent Hill series. According to the bill, graphic violence will be broken down into four categories. Decapitation, blood-shedding, dismemberment and grotesque cruelty.
The bill, entitled the Violent Video Game Protection Act, states, “Video games are available to children, not only at traditional places of business specialising in amusement, but also through a variety of retail outlets and magazine sales for home use and by communication on the Internet.” The bill also outlines that “…improvements to the picture, speed, and resolution of the new age of video games have made the depiction of characters, places, and events contained in the games amazingly realistic.”
It goes on to say that “…violent crime is a serious and persistent problem in our society, especially among our youth,” and “As confirmed by current scientific data, the repeated exposure to graphic violence and participation in violent interactive games may contribute to violent behaviour by our youth and desensitises them to acts of violence.”
And we thought we were just playing games.
While we welcome the restriction of availability of games that are unsuitable for children, the wording in the bill gives cause for concern. It again harks back to the notion that playing violent games will lead the player to become ethically and morally bankrupt, unable to differentiate between right and wrong.
The bill will make it an offence to sell or rent to anyone under the age of 18, any game that carries the ESRB ‘M’ (for mature) rating, such as State of Emergency and the Silent Hill series. According to the bill, graphic violence will be broken down into four categories. Decapitation, blood-shedding, dismemberment and grotesque cruelty.
The bill, entitled the Violent Video Game Protection Act, states, “Video games are available to children, not only at traditional places of business specialising in amusement, but also through a variety of retail outlets and magazine sales for home use and by communication on the Internet.” The bill also outlines that “…improvements to the picture, speed, and resolution of the new age of video games have made the depiction of characters, places, and events contained in the games amazingly realistic.”
It goes on to say that “…violent crime is a serious and persistent problem in our society, especially among our youth,” and “As confirmed by current scientific data, the repeated exposure to graphic violence and participation in violent interactive games may contribute to violent behaviour by our youth and desensitises them to acts of violence.”
And we thought we were just playing games.
While we welcome the restriction of availability of games that are unsuitable for children, the wording in the bill gives cause for concern. It again harks back to the notion that playing violent games will lead the player to become ethically and morally bankrupt, unable to differentiate between right and wrong.
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