House of Representatives Introduces Video Games Ratings Enforcement Act

[Garcian Smith]

Viper1 said:

thekitchensink said:
I believe that the very foundation of the ESRB is flawed. Of course, they theoretically provide a necessary service, as games should be rated just like movies and tv. But the difference is, if I'm not mistaken, that these other mediums are rated by government standards, and not private ones. Right now it's just a bunch of parents watching a video and saying "I don't want my kid playing that, so no others should."

I like this bill in theory but feel the ESRB itself is flawed to the point that mandating anything they say as law is more frightening than anything I've ever played in a video game.

Well, "anything they say" is a gross exaggeration; this bill just states that people under 18 can't buy anything that the ESRB designates as "M" or "AO." But it's frightening nonetheless, because it's basically a carte-blanche license for the ESRB to restrict any material in video games that they don't wish children or teens to see, without Congressional or Constitutional oversight.

Consider this scenario: A game comes out that, say, stars a homosexual main character and makes references to same-sex relationships. It would otherwise be rated "E" or "T" by the ESRB. However, the ESRB decides to rate it "M." Suddenly, nobody under 18 can buy it. That would constitute discriminatory government censorship in any other situation, but in this one, it's all right.

Now replace homosexuality with abortion, religion, statements of opinion against certain public figures, or whatever you like. Protected by the First Amendment, right? Nope.

But then, it seems like legislators can get away with anything these days, regardless of its constitutionality or sensibility, so long as some hypothetical child might otherwise be harmed...