NY Lawmakers Seek to Ban Sale of Video Games to Minors.

[Sock Full of Boiled Dimes]

http://videogames.yahoo.com/feature/playing-by-the-rules/520391

Honestly, I think that the government really needs to settle down about this who video game buisness. I think that it is a great idea that they should pass a law that prevents the sale of violent media to minors. That is not a bad idea at all. Kids shouldn't be playing Grand Theft Auto or Halo 2.

Yet there are two things here:

Console manufacturers would be required to include parental-control devices in their systems
Retailers would have to adhere to product labeling guidelines

They already do that. Which just kind of makes me wonder if they have any idea what the gaming world is really like.

What gets me about this is that this law strikes down so hard that a person could get up to two years of jail time.

That is freaking stupid. Especially when the laws of selling alcohol and cigarettes to minors is much less harsh.

I think they need to really rethink this law.

[Pierrot le Fou]

"God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion. The people cannot be all, and always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented, in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions, it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty. ... What country before ever existed a century and half without a rebellion? And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure."
Tommy J
Grab your weapons, folks, it's time to fertilize liberty with some fucking politicians.

[Saitou Hajime]

Who cares? All this means is that they'd have to check ID for potential purchasers of M-Rated games... which they're already supposed to be doing. If they do their job the proper way, they won't have to worry about going to prison. Is it a harsh sentence for selling a game to a minor? Of course it is, but the only thing required is a few seconds of, "Can I see a form of ID?"

[Jetsetlemming]

These polticians who press this also want to dissolve the private ESRB and replace it with a government organization like the FCC to police content as well.
And I fucking hate ID checks. I'm seriously pissed at being 18, 19 in a week, and I still get refused at Gamestop for M rated games because the douche bag behind the counter thinks I look 16 or under apparently. Ironically enough, I can get away with it easy at Wal-mart, though, last M game I bought there ("Fable: Lost Chapters"), the workers in the electronics section all gathered around me, stared at me uncomfortably for 30 seconds or so, then said "yeah, ok, he's old enough".


>_>

[Hatsumomo]

Who cares? All this means is that they'd have to check ID for potential purchasers of M-Rated games... which they're already supposed to be doing. If they do their job the proper way, they won't have to worry about going to prison. Is it a harsh sentence for selling a game to a minor? Of course it is, but the only thing required is a few seconds of, "Can I see a form of ID?"


Yeah, and have a bunch of piss-ass teenage shits get all indignant on you. God forbid you tell the stupid little fuckers that they can't buy more than one ticket to a R-rated movie when under 21. /work rant

[PopCulturePooka]

Yeah, and have a bunch of piss-ass teenage shits get all indignant on you. God forbid you tell the stupid little fuckers that they can't buy more than one ticket to a R-rated movie when under 21. /work rant
Thats one of the cons (perks) of working retail. The little shits wanna get nasty? Kick them out.


Maybe it's different in America, but I can't imagine any 18+ year old in Australia who goes out in public without ID.

I just don't see what the big deal is.

[Angelyne]

These polticians who press this also want to dissolve the private ESRB and replace it with a government organization like the FCC to police content as well.
And I fucking hate ID checks. I'm seriously pissed at being 18, 19 in a week, and I still get refused at Gamestop for M rated games because the douche bag behind the counter thinks I look 16 or under apparently. Ironically enough, I can get away with it easy at Wal-mart, though, last M game I bought there ("Fable: Lost Chapters"), the workers in the electronics section all gathered around me, stared at me uncomfortably for 30 seconds or so, then said "yeah, ok, he's old enough".


>_>

The last time I was ID'd was when I purchased a video game. Before that, I had bought several bottles of alcohol and a 12 pack of beer without getting ID'd once.

This is why I buy most of my games online.

I can't imagine any 18+ year old in Australia who goes out in public without ID.

Some states have ridiculous laws when it comes to obtaining an ID. I personally couldn't get one for months because the state I was born in (NY no less) decided to void all birth certificates before a certain year. So I had to pay around $100 and wait three months for a new one just to get a legal ID.

Same thing happened to a friend. Couldn't get an ID without a birth certificate, couldn't get a new birth certificate without a Social Security number, couldn't get the Social Security number without a birth certificate. Took five months to sort everything out.

[MNJetter]

Give social conservatives an inch, and they'll take that inch, and ask for a foot.

I hate laws that try to take on responsibilities that people should be taking on by themselves. I know parents can't be expected to know the contents of every video game that their kids want, but there are ways they can monitor what their kids are buying. When I was a kid, my parents just didn't give me any money. If I wanted something, I asked for it, told them what they needed to know about it, and they decided if it was reasonably within the family budget to buy.

The government can make laws that protect us from each other, but they should quit making ones that try to protect us from ourselves. That's our job.

[Knife-Fingered Sue Sanderson]

Yeah, and have a bunch of piss-ass teenage shits get all indignant on you. God forbid you tell the stupid little fuckers that they can't buy more than one ticket to a R-rated movie when under 21. /work rant


I totally understand that, but I remember once when I was 18 my sister and her friend came up to visit me at school, both of them are over 21 and visibly look so. I was treating them to a movie and I went up to buy the tickets and the ticket person said "Sorry, I can't sell you more than one ticket if you're under 21."
Me: I understand that, but these are the two people I am buying tickets for, and if they show you their ID's...
Ticket Person: No
My Sister: (sighs, takes my cash) 3 tickets please.
Ticket Person: Thank you.

So that was slightly annoying, but I understand if it's someone buying 5 tickets and they have a bunch of kids who don't look older than 15 behind them.

[manrush]

Again?!! Why isn't someone voting these fucks out of office?

[Saitou Hajime]

Again?!! Why isn't someone voting these fucks out of office?

Because people focus on more things than video games when electing government officials?

[manrush]

Then why doesn't someone in Congress actually call them out on this bullshit?

[Campion]

Then why doesn't someone in Congress actually call them out on this bullshit?

Just taking a stab in the dark here..

..possibly because more votes can be won by attacking video games than can be won by defending them?



Campion.

[manrush]

I. Hate. Politicians.

[Trump]

I know parents can't be expected to know the contents of every video game that their kids want...

Why not? 30 seconds on the internet is too much to ask?

[Hatsumomo]

^Especially if they're the ones buying the game?

[Shishio]

Maybe it's different in America, but I can't imagine any 18+ year old in Australia who goes out in public without ID.

I just don't see what the big deal is.

I can't speak for America, but it's very different in Canada. There is a good percentage of people who will freak out when you ask them for ID. And I'm not talking about anything petty like cussing, a mean look, or shit like that, I mean these people will FREAK THE FUCK OUT.

To be fair, there is also a good percentage of people who are cool about it, or whose annoyance does not make them behave in a manner that pushes my patience to its absolute limits. But there's enough of the former to instill a sense of dread in the poor bastards that would be required to ID people for anything. (I'm so glad I no longer work in retail.)

[Sock Full of Boiled Dimes]

In America its kind of the opposite.

People around the age of 18-25 kind of expect their ID to be asked for and already have it handy (I know I do).

Those who are asked for their ID who are older just consider it flattery.

[Plekto]

America: Where personal responsibility is someone else's responsibility.

[Sock Full of Boiled Dimes]

Well, look, we can't even take care of ourselves anymore. We are so reliant on the system, the government, doctors, and everything else under the sun.

Hell we've became the fattest country in the world and we blame someone else.

That's one thing that pisses me off about this country. Is that no one is willing to place the blame on themselves.

[Angelyne]

Again?!! Why isn't someone voting these fucks out of office?

From the article:

The new bill is a compromise of two different versions proposed earlier this year, one supported by Assembly Democrats, the other by Republican Senators.

Nobody votes these fucks out of office because there aren't any other viable candidates to vote for. Both major parties support this bullshit and few people are willing to vote for a third party.

[Mastiker]

America: Where personal responsibility is someone else's responsibility.

QFT

*sigh*

Wasted politics on policies that people are following anyways... or, they should be at least.

[SlickWilly440]

Politicians focus on issues like these to draw attention away from that is really important. What is really important is....well I don't know, just thing of something more important that this issue, and there you have it.

[ParryDat]

The EOA say Bullocks to this article :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvCYSHLkQWU

[Pierrot le Fou]

Politicians focus on issues like these to draw attention away from that is really important. What is really important is....well I don't know, just thing of something more important that this issue, and there you have it.
Like the economy, national debt, social security issues, inflation, and the decreasing value of the dollar?

Nah, video games.

[Shishio]

Well, it's the videogames that are causing all of these other problems. Honestly, I expect better from you, PLF.

[Druid]

Poly, meaning many, and ticks, meaning bloodsucking insects..
*is shot*

[Kleshya]

Lately, when it comes to voting for any politician, it really has seemed to come down to trying to choose the "lesser of two evils" so to speak. That there really aren't ever any outstanding choices anymore...well if there ever was. I usually try to do my homework on candidates and their views and whom I think will do the best job, but lately it seems like none of the candidates will do a good job. There is so much mudslinging and bs in the media, which is usually so biased it isn't funny. I have refused to read the local newspaper because it has a habit of backing a political candidate to the point where it shows extreme bias. When did reporting become more than a who, what, where, when, how and turn into a personal editorial by the reporter.

Sorry for the rant...

Back on topic...

The idea of yet again more government regulations to replace the responsibility of a parent/guardian over a minor is ridiculous. I am a mother of two, and although they are not quite of the age yet (5 and 7) for this to really be a concern, I believe it is MY responsibilty to know what my kids are reading, watching, playing, etc. not the governments. What happened to Laissez Faire? (I apologize completely if I spelled that wrong).

Oh and from the standpoint of a retail worker, I was a cashier in a grocery store several years ago that required us to check the id of EVERYONE who went through our line buying alcohol or cigarrettes. As it was put to us at the time by our manager, "I don't care if they have white hair, wrinkles, and a cane, you check their ID." Nothing like having a elderly woman/man cuss you out (yes...this happened to me several times) just because you asked them for an id.

[Pierrot le Fou]

Poly, meaning many, and ticks, meaning bloodsucking insects..
*is shot*
What's the opposite of progress?

Congress!

(I'm here all week)

[MNJetter]

Heh.....I didn't get the first joke till PLF quoted it and added his own. Got in my mild chuckle for the week, anyway.

[whispering]

Most european countries use the PEGI (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PEGI) rating system. But at least in here some retailers still think that games are for kids, so they would sell GTA to anyone, really. And if not the retailer, then the parents will buy it for their kids cause, you know games are for kids. Same has been with cartoons/anime, in some cases a store has placed Urotsukidoji (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urotsukidoji) next to Disney's Snow White (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney's_Snow_White_and_the_Seven_Dwarfs) cause the people there are too lazy to check the rating from the back cover :frypan:

[manrush]

At least games here aren't censored as they are in more socially authoritarian countries (Australia and China come into mind). Also, this bullshit happens in some countries. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_Law_Number_3037) And to think this started because a bunch of corrupt PASOKers (the Greek equivalent of the British Labour Party or the German SDP) wanted to cover their own asses.

[PopCulturePooka]

Australia is authoritarian? First I've heard.

[Pierrot le Fou]

Let's see, you've already locked a thread (http://outpostnine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8913), and your government is trying to ban porn and booze (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AUSTRALIA_ABORIGINES?SITE=VTBUR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT) (for darkies).

FASCISTS!

[PopCulturePooka]

Let's see, you've already locked a thread (http://outpostnine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8913), and your government is trying to ban porn and booze (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AUSTRALIA_ABORIGINES?SITE=VTBUR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT) (for darkies).

FASCISTS!
Well those darkies need porn and booze banned.

Seriously.

[Pierrot le Fou]

In math, we'd say "QED", but since I heard Australians suck at math, I'll just scream Fascist! at you until you admit i'm right (or I get bored, more likely the latter).

[Trump]

Bah, stop using big words like QED

[Jynx_lucky_j]

The way I see it this isn't going to keep "mature" games out of the hands of children at all. Parents will buy them for their kids anyways, if the parents are willing to just hand their kids money to buy what ever they want what makes you think they wouldn't buy things for the kids without checking the the rating first. I can then see parents complaining that the rating system doesn't work, just because they chose not to use it. And what's to stop the kids of parents who do use the system from borrowing the games from their friends that have "cool" parents that just don't give a damn?

[Angelyne]

Related video game BS, but didn't want to make another thread:

Jack Thompson Says FL Bar Official Demanded He Take Psych Test, Accept Suspension (http://gamepolitics.com/2007/07/03/jack-thompson-claims-bar-official-demanded-psych-test-suspension/)

Good. I hate that motherfucker.