A new bipartisan bill recently introduced would require retailers to check identification for all customers buying video games.
Last week, Congressman Jim Matheson (D-Utah) and Lee Terry (R-Nebraska) announced the “Video Game Ratings Enforcement Act.” The bill, as to be expected, has received strong responses from supporters and detractors alike.
Dan Isett of the Parents Television Council says, “What’s at issue here is whether a child’s going to have complete unfettered access to this type of game [M- or AO-rated] — and clearly that’s not something that’s in parents’ best interests to have,” he states. “And there’s nothing that a parent can do, really, to ensure that a child can’t go into any given store and come out with a game like this.”
The ECA also issued a statement via their web site, “HR 5990, the Video Games Rating Enforcement Act, is another Congressional attempt to unconstitutionally regulate the sale of video games. If it’s passed, the federal courts will find it unconstitutional – and at great expense to taxpayers.
By raising our voices now, we can let Congress know that we, as taxpayers and constituents, would rather they use their time and our money to discuss more pressing issues such as the war in Iraq, universal healthcare and the national economy.”
Both members and non-members can go here to voice their opinions on the bill.
Video game ratings enforcement under scrutiny - [OneNewsNow]
Tags: bill, congress, Industry, m-rated games, ratings, video games
