New York Consoles Must Have Parental Controls By 2009
A bill passed last week by the New York State Assembly, by a 130-10 majority, sets a precedent that could propel the video game sex/violence/corruption of innocence debate to new legislative heights.
Bill A8696 prohibits the sale of violent games to minors (okay nothing new there) but also requires that game consoles come equipped with technology that allows parents to block content that they feel inappropriate for their little darlings. The measures have to be in place by September 1st, 2009, or violators could face up to four years in prison for failing to comply. Funnily enough, parentally controlled consoles aren’t exactly new either…all three of the new next-gen machines have some form of parental controls installed as standard equipment. The ESRB didn’t escape the bill’s sweeping intents either, as the legislation aims to set up an advisory council to review the rating system and keep on top of relevent research and headlines.
Naturally, the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) is challenging the bill, largely due to its extremely vague nature. The apparent basis of the bill was that:
“More and more research from some of the nation’s leading psychological authorities shows that interactive video games can be more harmful than violent television programs and that repeated exposure to violent video games can cause players to act aggressively. This legislation is long overdue when you consider the negative impact violent video games can have on children”
Something that sounds like a podium preaching rather than a carefully thought out legal rationale. EMA president Bo Anderson pointed out that all other laws of similar nature passed at the state level have been overturned at the national level as being unconstitutional. He called A8696 “impermissibly vague” and said it was “depressing to hear members of the Assembly note the constitutional problems with the bill and then state that they were voting for it.”
Via | SPOnG.com
1 opinion for New York Consoles Must Have Parental Controls By 2009
Mike
Jun 5, 2007 at 12:43 am
Does this mean the current consoles would have a price increase because of this locking technology?
Erm, what about PC games? How would they be locked?
I have a simple suggestion that beats this locking technology: real parenting. If parents really spend quality time with their kids, then they’ll know what their kids are playing. It’s not just knowing the titles kids play, but actually playing said games with children.
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: