The Louisiana House, unburdened by issues like Katrina recovery, levee board reform, our deplorable roads, court systems, an estimated influx of 20-30,000 illegal immigrants to the New Orleans area and how they will affect/are affecting our already weak hospital and school systems, the fact that so many of their constituents are stuck out of state, are waiting for FEMA trailers (or waiting to have them removed), thousands of blighted properties that are havens for rats and snakes, and any other important issues… has in their collective wisdom turned their attention to the serious problem of video games.
A bill passed 102-0 by Lousiana’s House of Representatives would punish sellers of violent video games to minors with fines of up to $1000 and up to 1 year of prison.
A few days ago, a bill introduced by Representative Roy Burrell that wants to stop the sale of video games to minors deemed violent was passed 102-0 in Louisiana’s House of Representatives. If the bill passes on the Senate floor and is signed by the state’s governor, Kathleen Blanco, people who sell violent video games to minors would face fines between $100-$200 as well as up to a year of jail time.
Here’s a summary of the bill. Interestingly, rather than reference the established rating system for video games (ESRB), here’s how they figure out whether a crime was committed:
Proposed law provides that an interactive video or computer game may not be sold, leased, or rented to a minor if the trier of fact determines all of the following:
(1) The average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find that the
video or computer game, taken as a whole, appeals to the minor’s morbid interest in
violence.
(2) The game depicts violence in a manner patently offensive to prevailing standards in the
adult community with respect to what is suitable for minors.
(3) The game, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for
minors.
Personally I don’t like video games, but I’d prefer it if they’d spent their time *playing* them rather than writing nonsense legislation like this. The bill is now pending Senate final passage. Let’s hope the Louisiana State Senators have more sense than the House.
