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Feb 21, 2005, 10:58 PM
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Violent Video Debate Continues
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California legislators are continuing the violent video game opposition by making sales of violent video games to minors illegal, joining a national debate about whether the industry should be left to regulate itself, like movie theaters -- and whether the bans will run afoul of free speech guarantees.
At stake is whether the fastest-growing segment of the entertainment industry, already worth $10 billion a year, can be regulated by governments in a way that the movie and music industries have managed to avoid.
The ESA's top argument that minors are not getting violent games without parental approval is that parents are present nearly 90 percent of the time games are purchased by minors. The average game buyer, it says, is 36 years old.
Nonetheless, California Assemblyman Leland Yee, with the support of groups like the Girl Scouts and the California State PTA, on Wednesday announced his second attempt in two years to restrict game sales to minors aged 16 or younger. Retailers would be fined $1,000 for each violation.
The ESA said measures are already pending in Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington state and Washington D.C.
But free-speech advocates say there is little chance a ban can get around First Amendment guarantees on free speech.
Federal courts have already blocked sales-restricting measures in
Indianapolis, Indiana; St. Louis County, Missouri; and Washington state.
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