FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 2008
Video Games Protected by Free Speech
A federal appeals court ruled this week that the state of Minnesota cannot restrict the sale or rental of "adults only" or "mature" video games from minors. The court ruled that video games are covered under "free speech."
The Chicago Tribune reports:
Most retailers voluntarily enforce the ratings determined by the
Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), a private organization.
Clerks at a Game Stop store said they could be fired for providing
adults-only or mature games to anyone younger than 17. One clerk said
such titles prompt a computer message to check the customer's ID.
Dan Nordlund, president of the Minnesota chapter of the Entertainment
Consumers Association, supports voluntary ratings but says they might
need to be tweaked to make them more understandable.
The parents are the problem, not the kids, Nordlund said. He said
parents will rent inappropriate games without knowing what's in them
because "they want to please their kids; they want to shut them up."
That's no reason for government to regulate the games, Nordlund said.
"Video games fall under the First Amendment," he said. "They're a form
of art."
Nordlund refers anyone concerned with the issue to
gamepolitics.com.
I wonder if rental and retail stores restrict sales at all these days.
Posted at 11:00:07 AM
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