Californians seek ban on violent video games
Found on The Inquirer on Friday, 06 May 2005
Officials in California have notionally approved a bill to ban the sale of violent video games to kids.
Retailers selling or renting games deemed violent to under seventeens could be fined $1000 under the proposed legislation.
Proponent of the bill, Leland Yee a child psychologist, said youngsters shouldn’t be allowed to "go to stores and buy video games that teach them to do the very things we put people in jail for."
The bill didn’t get past a committee stage earlier this week, but was rubber stamped by the arts committee at a second attempt. It will now be considered by the full Assembly before ending up with the State Senate.
"Teach them to do the very things"? Like what? Using a gaming console or PC? Honestly, I haven't met anybody who turned into a second Al Capone by playing games. You might as well ban Monopoly, since it teaches capitalism (oh wait, capitalism is good; the bad thing was cannibalism). Anyway, the effects would reach from zero to nothing. If I'd be a 14 year old kid who wants to play some shooter, I'd ask my older brother/friend to get it. Or, if everything fails, one could always download it.