  |
|
 |
Federal game regulation introduced... |
 |
|
| Author |
Message |
PO Info |
 |
Shino
Fade into this fantasy, caught in the web of time
Age: 49
Gender: 
Joined: 15 Sep 2002 |
 Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2005 9:46 am Post subject: Federal game regulation introduced... |
And it begins...
Clinton brought this up.
Personally... I don't think it's THAT bad. She wants to do what I think should already be happening. FORCE retailers to make sure the buyer is of age.
However, I do think the filing complaints to the FTC by private citizens is a little extreme. That's all you need is parents buying the game for their kids and then turning it around and filing a complaint. I see that happening more often then it should in the future.
She does say that she does not think it is right to censor the content of videogames. Distancing her further from Jack Thompson. See bolded section...
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6140535.html
| Gamespot wrote: | Clinton introducing federal game regulation
Family Entertainment Protection Act would levy fines for M-rated game sales to minors, create annual ESRB review, authorize FTC retailer audits.
When the "Hot Coffee" scandal boiled over this past summer, one of the highest-profile people to weigh in on the controversy was Hilary Rodham Clinton. The Democratic junior US senator from New York, former first lady, and likely 2008 presidential candidate jumped on the media uproar over the hidden sex content in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. In July, she called for a Federal Trade Commission investigation into the game's publisher, Rockstar Games, and for federal oversight of game retailers. However, since Rockstar pulled the game from store shelves after it was re-rated Adults Only, Clinton has remained largely silent on game regulation.
Until today, that is.
This afternoon, Clinton's office announced she has written a bill that would institute federal regulation of game sales. Coauthored by longtime game critic Senator Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.), the Family Entertainment Protection Act will be jointly submitted by the two legislators when Congress reconvenes in two weeks.
If made law, the Family Entertainment Protection Act would be a "a prohibition against any business for selling or renting a Mature, Adults-Only, or Ratings Pending game to a person who is younger than seventeen." It would punish violators with unspecified fines, though it did not specify if the clerk who sold the game or the retailer where said clerk worked would be punished. "This provision is not aimed at punishing retailers who act in good faith to enforce the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) system," read a statement from Clinton's office.
While the retail part of the bill is similar to laws recently passed in Michigan, Illinois, and California, the Family Entertainment Protection Act goes much farther. It would authorize "the FTC to conduct an annual, random audit of retailers to determine how easy it is for young people to purchase Mature and Adults Only video games and report the findings to Congress." These findings would be part of a larger annual analysis of ESRB game ratings. "This analysis will help ensure that the ESRB ratings system accurately reflects the content in each game and that the ratings system does not change significantly over time," read Clinton's statement.
The bill would also allow private citizens to file complaints with the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection (BCP) "if they find content to be misleading or deceptive." The BCP would issue an annual report on said complaints to Congress as part of the aforementioned annual review.
As justification for the act, Clinton's office claims that "video game content is getting more and more violent and sexually explicit." It cites the recent 10th Annual MediaWise Video and Computer Game Report Card, issued by the National Institute on Media and the Family, which gave the industry a "D+" and said the ESRB was "beyond repair." Also, the study's secret shopper program found that 42 percent of the time boys under 17 were able to buy M-rated games from retailers, with underage girls succeeding 46 percent of the time.
"A majority of parents are feeling increasingly victimized by a culture of violence that makes it difficult to protect their children against influences they find to be inappropriate," read Clinton's statement. "This bill would help empower parents by putting them back in the driver's seat. It would ensure that children can't buy games the video game industry itself has determined to be inappropriate for them."
Despite the strong language, Clinton underlined the fact the Family Entertainment Protection Act would not directly censor games. "Senator Clinton acknowledges that video games are fun and entertaining and does not support any limitations on the production or sale of games to adults," read the statement. "This is about protecting children," she said.
That said, one aspect of the act will undoubtedly send shivers through the industry. Not only will Section III of the bill give the FTC the authority to investigate misleading ratings, it will actually require the body "to conduct an investigation to determine whether what happened with GTA: San Andreas is a pervasive problem."
An even more ominous-sounding aspect of Section III is how it will empower the FTC to "take appropriate action if [Congress] determines that there is a pervasive problem" with the ESRB's rating system. This means new, federal game ratings that could replace the current system if sufficient fault was found by the FTC.
By Tor Thorsen -- GameSpot
Posted Nov 29, 2005 2:45 pm PT |
|
_________________
So many games... so little time
 |
|
|
 |
 |
Wins 190 - Losses 169
Level 21 |
EXP: 11590
HP: 3150
 |
STR: 1050
END: 1050
ACC: 1200
AGI: 1200
|
Bianco & Nero (Sabers)
(500 - 600) |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
GAAZ
MOD Black Sheep Commander
Gender:
Joined: 14 Oct 2002 |
| Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2005 1:12 pm Post subject: |
So now that Jack Thompson has been called out on his BS crusade Hillary is distancing herself. Maybe she'll get some oral sex in the Oval office and bomb an asprin factory like her hubby.
If she does get in she hasta make sure to only steal the matching furniture from the White House that she stole the first time around.
Oh... And sell more nuclear secrets to China. |
_________________
I think it's gigawatt when one and gigawatt's when two.
But when there is 1.21 then it's jiggawatts.
Join me pirate crew! |
|
|
|
 |
Wins 76 - Losses 41
Level 13 |
EXP: 386
HP: 2685
|
STR: 895
END: 895
ACC: 895
AGI: 1015
|
Fillibuster the Third (Sword)
(420 - 440) |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Nogrick
Everybody DANCE!
Gender:
Joined: 30 Sep 2002 |
| Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2005 1:19 pm Post subject: |
Like I've said before, We've had this in Illinois for a while (although the ESRB is fighting it) and I don't really see it as a bad idea. It's not about censoring games, it's about people knowing what a game is about. Just like rated R movies. |
_________________
Zanzibusted! |
|
|
|
 |
Wins 66 - Losses 50
Level 13 |
EXP: 7338
HP: 2550
|
STR: 850
END: 850
ACC: 1000
AGI: 1000
|
Steel Chair (Mace)
(350 - 510) |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ScrumYummy
bunnyhunches of scrums
Gender: 
Joined: 29 Jun 2005 |
| Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2005 2:01 pm Post subject: |
| GAAZ wrote: | | Maybe she'll get some oral sex in the Oval office and bomb an asprin factory like her hubby. |
*squeaks and rofls*
| Nogrick wrote: |
Like I've said before, We've had this in Illinois for a while (although the ESRB is fighting it) and I don't really see it as a bad idea. It's not about censoring games, it's about people knowing what a game is about. Just like rated R movies. |
Exactimundo. Still doesn't fix the situations where parents buy the games and then turn around and whine about the content.
I BY NO MEANS am suggesting that they should actually censor games. I'm just saying that this is a vicious cycle that's been going on since the 90's (remember when everybody got upset about Mortal Kombat 3?) and I don't think it's ever really going to stop, not until people are used to the whole idea of adults playing video games. And as gamers are getting older, that's not going to be so hard. So I think that while the parents are going to keep whining (they still whine about movies), society as a whole is just going to get used to it. |
_________________
-Scrum-
..it borked. :D |
|
|
|
 |
Wins 23 - Losses 22
Level 7 |
EXP: 2313
HP: 2241
|
STR: 779
END: 731
ACC: 795
AGI: 795
|
Totem Doll (Sword)
(320 - 360) |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Silver Adept
Otaku Lord
Age: 42
Gender:
Joined: 20 May 2003 |
| Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2005 2:14 pm Post subject: |
Some of the difficulties I see with governmental regulation is that it takes no account into whether or not a person can handle what they see or play. Some eighteen-year-olds can handle the imagery of an M-rated game, some can't. Some sixteen-year-olds can handle the imagery of an M-rated game, some can't.
The government then places the arbitrary restricion, like they have for movies, on things. (The effectiveness of those restrictions is debatable.) This is why the phrase has always been informed decisions. Making informed decisions prevents a lot of the things that critics decry.
And it still won't stop anyone who goes to a friend's house to play a game because the friend's parents decided to buy the game (whether it was an informed decision or not.).
I guess I'm just frustrated with the way that everyone's pointing fingers and nobody's actually paying attention to what's already been said. |
_________________
Sir Silver Adept, KCI. Check out the Knights of Jubal if you want to revive chivalrous behavior.
 |
|
|
|
 |
Wins 293 - Losses 240
Level 23 |
EXP: 2163
HP: 3375
|
STR: 1125
END: 1125
ACC: 1225
AGI: 1225
|
Sander's Asylum (Partisan)
(505 - 655) |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
RivaOni
Full English!
Age: 41
Gender:
Joined: 24 Sep 2002 |
| Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2005 2:29 pm Post subject: |
So its basically bringing in what us brits already have *sigh* when will you americans ever learn, your safest copying us brits!  |
_________________
 |
|
|
|
 |
Wins 27 - Losses 14
Level 8 |
EXP: 6250
HP: 2275
|
STR: 895
END: 690
ACC: 810
AGI: 805
|
Blue Beam Saber (Sabers)
(325 - 385) |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ScrumYummy
bunnyhunches of scrums
Gender:
Joined: 29 Jun 2005 |
| Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2005 2:41 pm Post subject: |
| RivaOni wrote: | | So its basically bringing in what us brits already have *sigh* when will you americans ever learn, your safest copying us brits! |
lol. I doubt they'll ever ban Mountain Dew, though, like you guys did.  |
_________________
-Scrum-
..it borked. :D |
|
|
|
|
Wins 23 - Losses 22
Level 7 |
EXP: 2313
HP: 2241
|
STR: 779
END: 731
ACC: 795
AGI: 795
|
Totem Doll (Sword)
(320 - 360) |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Kugyou
Katori Shintaro!
Age: 44
Gender:
Joined: 26 Sep 2005 |
| Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2005 4:09 pm Post subject: |
| Silver Adept wrote: | | Some of the difficulties I see with governmental regulation is that it takes no account into whether or not a person can handle what they see or play. Some eighteen-year-olds can handle the imagery of an M-rated game, some can't. Some sixteen-year-olds can handle the imagery of an M-rated game, some can't. |
I have to agree with you on this one, but as you said yourself, it's really just like the restrictions on movies. Many countries have 'em, and some are even more restrictive than the US (just look at any horror film on the IMDB and you'll tend to find that European versions were heavily cut for the same rating, or even banned until regulations changed). While I don't necessarily agree with all the arbitrary-number restrictions, I think they may be saner than trying to come up with a system that reflects the psychological profile of ~250 million citizens of a country individually.
| Shino wrote: | | However, I do think the filing complaints to the FTC by private citizens is a little extreme. That's all you need is parents buying the game for their kids and then turning it around and filing a complaint. I see that happening more often then it should in the future. |
The BCP's already a catch-all for deceptive marketing or sales practices. The bill just now gives weight to complaints regarding ESRB ratings on videogames. In other words, if the label on the back of a game says "Teen - Mild Violence, Mild Language", you could resonably file a complaint if the game involved Sergeant Jack Motherf***** beating zombies to a bloody pulp with their own severed limbs.
I might have to make that game. Call it "Happy Pony Adventure", package it in pink. |
_________________
CI, Eqvites Ivbalis, Order of the Knights of Jubal
"It is the end of days, and I am the reaper." --Alessa
 |
|
|
|
 |
Wins 26 - Losses 24
Level 8 |
EXP: 2375
HP: 2300
|
STR: 700
END: 800
ACC: 800
AGI: 800
|
Hidden Hell (spikes) (Saw)
(240 - 440) |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Gekko
I lurk therefore, I am.
Gender:
Joined: 02 Apr 2003 |
| Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2005 8:51 pm Post subject: |
Whatever happened to personal responsibility? If I buy a game, and it's packaged as say, Katamari Damacy, but say it contains, "Hot Coffee" then I'd be pissed and call whoever needed to be called. If I buy GTAblahblahblah, and it contains "Hot Coffee" and I'm pissed, I should be shot, seems pretty simple. |
_________________
Quote of the Century
'My friends, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world.
I hope you'll join with me as we try to change it.'
- Barack Obama
Ummm HUH?!?!?!?!?
Consider yourself an IDIOT, now consider yourself a Member of Congress...but I repeat myself... (ty Mark Twain)
 |
|
|
|
 |
Wins 2 - Losses 4
Level 2 |
EXP: 1266
HP: 1925
|
STR: 675
END: 625
ACC: 675
AGI: 625
|
Boomstick of Doom (Mace)
(200 - 330) |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Godwyn
Senior Otaku
Gender:
Joined: 25 Oct 2004 |
| Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2005 12:03 am Post subject: |
Really, in some ways I find the bill a good idea. If there is going to be legislation about videogames, I am glad it is not going to be about the content, merely the selling of that content to certain persons on age. While I don't always agree with a lot of the age restrictions on things, there is eventually going to have to be some solution for all the fuss about videogames, and enforceable age restrictions are probably going to be the best solution.
As far as parents buying the game, and then complaining about it, as it reads as long as the game was clearly labeled, the retailer and publisher will not be able to be held responsible however much the parents complain. Which I see as a good solution as well. Enforcing honesty is usually preferable to alternatives. |
_________________
Monkey of Teh slack!
Hokey religions are no match for a good blaster at yer side, kid!-Liska, http://mynarskiforest.purrsia.com/
Togateiru Fohku Kohgeki!!!-Elliot http://www.elgoonishshive.com/
I'm voting for WotC. They have the rhetorical advantage, obviously.-Shandriz |
|
|
|
 |
Wins 12 - Losses 9
Level 6 |
EXP: 1188
HP: 2090
|
STR: 680
END: 705
ACC: 730
AGI: 885
|
Tae'elwyn (Sword)
(252 - 398) |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
