Topic: Violent Videogame Bills Introduced in California

[WindyMan]

A state assemblyman is hoping that two new bills will keep violent games out of the hands of the kiddies.

The fight to blame videogames as the sole reason for violence among young children has no end in sight. In the state of California, State Assemblyman Leland Yee from San Francisco is introducing two new bills that he hopes will help to get M-rated games out of the hands of those who shouldn't be playing them.

The first bill would have all games containing graphic violence to be sold as "harmful matter," which would put them in the same category as alcohol, tobacco and firearms. The second bill would require retailers to display M-rated titles at a height of five feet from the ground or higher, so that children won't see the naughty games at their eye level. It also requires stores to better inform parents about the ESRB rating system.

Entertainment Software Association president Douglas Lowenstein says these bills are unconstitutional. He has the precedent that similar laws passed in Indiana, Missouri and Washington were deemed so by the US federal courts. Yee cites the many studies that link videogames to violent behavior as the reason why these bills are necessary.

The two bills are currently being reviewed in the California State Assembly.  

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