Louisiana Passes Violent Games Bill 157
GameDaily is reporting that the Louisiana House has passed a violent games bill, aping similar legislation from across the country. From the article: "The bill would allow a judge to determine if a video game is 'patently offensive to prevailing standards' and if it's appealing 'to the minor's morbid interest in violence.' If the title meets these "criteria" the game could be ordered to be pulled from store shelves. Furthermore, someone found guilty of selling one of these games would face fines of between $100 and $2,000, and a prison term of up to one year. According to the Associated Press, even though several members of the House questioned whether the bill would be in violation of the First Amendment, none felt they should vote against the measure."
Gratz. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Gratz. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Gratz. (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Gratz. (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Gratz. (Score:2)
C'mon, remember, this is LA we're talking about here. At least in New Orleans, they don't really make that big a deal out of carding anyone for booze or smokes....every once in awhile sure, the ABC acts tough, but, that's not normally the case. Hell, we were the last state to raise the drinking age to 21. Till the 'oil crunch' in the 80's, we figured we'd lose more revenue from liquor sale
Re:Gratz. (Score:2)
Re:Gratz. (Score:2)
Well, the wording of the summary seems to disagree, so I guess you're both correct, although you're somewhat wrong and more factually correct than the GP at the same time. The house ammended the bill to include "renting" or "leasing" the game to minors. It did not define renting or leasing, so i
Obsolutly fantastic (Score:2, Funny)
Now if only we could outlaw thinking then the next elections should be a steal for the republicans.
Re:Obsolutly fantastic (Score:4, Insightful)
Except the Louisiana state legislature is 64% Democrats in the state House and 61% Democrats in the state Senate and a Democratic governer. Whoops. Oh well. The important thing is to always blame Republicans for restricting people's personal and economic freedom, no matter whose fault it really is. Holding the guilty accountable isn't the point. The point is blasting people we find politically distasteful.
Crusade onward, my good man! Get those Republicans!
Re:Obsolutly fantastic (Score:2)
Isn't it great that so many follow a party line so hard that they are blind to their own "ideals" falling pray to the same people they'd elect into office? The stereotypes of political parties MUST fail if there is to be progress in government. As long as people keep pulling that one party lever we're going to have problems.
Too bad these people don't show their discontent with the system by voting outside of party lines and forcing the parties to compete for the vote, not just be ha
Re:Obsolutly fantastic (Score:2)
Re:Obsolutly fantastic (Score:2)
(Note: for those unfamiliar with David Duke, he is a former leader of the KKK, a long time New Orleans resident, and an all around scum-bag who actually tends to run for office on the Republican ticket these days, although he has run as a Democrat and as a third party candidates before. He's one of the guys that gives Louisiana politics a bad name... actually a lot Louisiana politicians do that.)
In all seriousness, I feel the same way as many others in this conversation seem
Agreed (Score:2)
-Rick
Don't blame me... (Score:2)
Re:Obsolutly fantastic (Score:2)
Re:Obsolutly fantastic (Score:2)
Re:Obsolutly fantastic (Score:1)
Re:Obsolutly fantastic (Score:2)
No need to outlaw thinking, it has already been voluntarily surrendered.
Simple truth (Score:2)
Re:Gratz. (Score:3, Insightful)
"to the minor's morbid interest in violence." If the title meets these "criteria" the game could be ordered to be pulled from store shelves.
So they've incriminated most of the game playing populace and pulling games completely instead of just rating games inappropriate for minors? They may as well have mass burningd of the games in the street.
This is a perfect example of generation X. Like Rap, Rock and Roll, Cinema those who were born before it, don't understand it and fear it -
Re:Gratz. (Score:5, Funny)
I don't fear rap, I just think it's pathetic. Bad poetry accented with a drum. The same drum over and over. Fucking boring.
I *BOOM* GONNA FUCK YOU UP *BOOM BOOoM.*
WITH MY *BOOM* GUN *BOOM BOoOM.*
*BOOM* *BOOM BoOOM.*
*BOOM* *BOOM BOOoM.*
*BOOM* *BOOM BOoOM.*
I *BOOM* GONNA FUCK YOU UP *BOOM BOOoM*
What if you changed the drum to a gong, or a triangle, or an AOOGAH horn? Could you imagine listening to:
(Gong)
I *BURRRUUURRRRRURRRRURRRRRRRr* GONNA FUCK YOU UP *BURRRUUURRRRRURRRRURRRRRrRR BURRRUUURRRRRURRRRURRRRrRRR.*
WITH MY *BURRRUUURRRRRURrRRRURRRRRRR* GUN *BURRRUUURRRRRURRRRURRrRRRRR BURRRUUURRRRRURRRRURRRrRRRR.*
*BURRRUUURRRRRURRRRURRRRRrRR* *BURRRUUURRRRRURRRrRURRRRRRR BURRRUUURRRRRURRRrRURRRRRRR.*
*BURRRUUURRRRRURRRRURRRRrRRR* *BURRRUUURRRRRURRRRURRRrRRRR BURRRUUURRRRRURRRRURRRRrRRR.*
*BURRRUUURRRRRURRRRURrRRRRRR* *BURRRUUURRRRRURRRRUrRRRRRRR BURRRUUURRRRRURRRRURRRRRrRR*
I *BURRRUUURRRRRURRRRUrRRRRRRR* GONNA FUCK YOU UP *BURRRUUURRRRRURRRRURRRrRRRR BURRRUUURRrRRRURRRRURRRRRRR.*
(Triangle)
I *ting* GONNA FUCK YOU UP *ting ting.*
WITH MY *ting* GUN *ting ting.*
*ting* *ting ting.*
*ting* *ting ting.*
*ting* *ting ting.*
I *ting* GONNA FUCK YOU UP *ting ting.*
(A-oogah horn)
I *AOOGAH* GONNA FUCK YOU UP *AOOGAH AOOGAH.*
WITH MY *AOOGAH* GUN *AOOGAH AOOGAH.*
*AOOGAH* *AOOGAH AOOGAH.*
*AOOGAH* *AOOGAH AOOGAH.*
*AOOGAH* *AOOGAH AOOGAH.*
I *AOOGAH* GONNA FUCK YOU UP *AOOGAH AOOGAH.*
Music for idiots with small brains.
Re:Gratz. (Score:2)
try the good kind, written by a real poet like Aesop Rock or KRS-ONE, instead of listening to the crap mtv and the rest of the popular media feed you alongside britney spears and the spice girls
I can see the legislative arguments now... (Score:2, Interesting)
So what happens.... (Score:2)
so... (Score:1, Insightful)
mod me down Im use to it.
Re:so... (Score:1)
Re:so... (Score:2)
Re:so... (Score:3, Informative)
Handgun purchases and posession are severely restricted and even outright banned in some states. Rifles are not.
As far as I know, a rifle is legal to purchase by anyone 18 and up in all states. Posession is not restricted, so if a 12 year old receives a rifle for his birthday, no problem. A rifle on a farm is a valid and necessary tool, and I've known 12 year olds that could handl
Re:so... (Score:2, Funny)
You know, for when that...corn...gets out of line.
Re:so... (Score:2)
Re:so... (Score:2)
Most of the kids who kill themselves playing with "daddy's gun" found out about the "secret" gun that the parents never wanted the kids to know about. Take the gun out, show them how to use it, and let them know that they can shoot it
Re:so... (Score:2)
(eyebrow raise) (Score:2)
Re:so... (Score:2)
The difference is context. I can legally own a gun, there are places and times where it is legal to discharge my gun but if I go out shooting people in the head that is when we have the problem.
It's illogical to blame the gun for the murder. Not that pinning the blame of murder on games is any better but most people have the ability to see the valid and legal reasons for gun ownership and usage.
By your arguement it actually makes the banning of games
So the seller can't know it's 'illegal' beforehand (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:So the seller can't know it's 'illegal' beforeh (Score:1)
Re:So the seller can't know it's 'illegal' beforeh (Score:2)
The main thing here is that the law will have a chilling effect on all mature games being sold in LA. The problem is that it will be about impossible to repeal the law through the courts without being tried under the law, and noone really wants to be the martyr. I expect that stores just over the state border in TX, MS, and AR will do
Re:So the seller can't know it's 'illegal' beforeh (Score:2)
>
Unless that game had content the ESRB missed. Or, post-Hot Coffee, I would not be surprised if you could get in trouble if somebody found a way to edit in violent content after the sale.
Bravery (Score:2, Insightful)
"These decisions should be left to the legislature, the representatives of the people, not the courts."
Legislators: "I'm not touching that. Let the courts decide."
Re:Bravery (Score:2)
What was that quote?
"Evil is what happens when good men do nothing."
Re:Bravery (Score:2)
Re:Bravery (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Bravery (Score:2)
Well, in all fairness to the Legislators, I think they've been abundantly clear that they would like to pass such legislation, without any real equivocation. It's just that they are aware that it is not really within their power to do so.
Re:Bravery (Score:2)
Just plain stupid (Score:4, Interesting)
We all know why no one voted against this bill. They have seen the bans in other states thrown out on first ammendment grounds. They understand this will have no real effect (aside from forcing the game industry to pay some legal bills). They do this because they do not want to be the guy in November with ads running against him saying "John Smith wants kids to kill hookers like they do in the game he supports Grand Theft Auto."
I am sick of legislatures playing lip service to what the lattest fad is. I wish Americans (and I am sure it happens in the rest of the world too) would grow a brain and quit letting rhetoric dictacte their life.
Re:Just plain stupid (Score:2)
It's easy to listen to rhetoric. It takes effort to actually learn about something.
Sadly, the vast majority of humans lack the interest (or even the capacity) to
really understand the issues. Therefore, rhetoric remains effective.
I just want an accountability law (Score:2)
Re:Just plain stupid (Score:2)
not morbid! (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:not morbid! (Score:2)
They don't need to vote against it (Score:2)
Meanwhile, these legislators get to shout about how they've 'taken a stand' and are 'protecting your kids'.
Re:They don't need to vote against it (Score:2)
Re:They don't need to vote against it (Score:2)
Re:They don't need to vote against it (Score:2)
To Louisiana politicians (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:To Louisiana politicians (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:To Louisiana politicians (Score:2)
Re:To Louisiana politicians (Score:3, Funny)
Re:To Louisiana politicians (Score:2)
There is no such thing as democracy - or at least, there has never been a true democracy. Well, there might be, I haven't looked in the last few months (and some of the countries around are unstable enough to where you might want to look every month to see if the government has changed - but I doubt any of them will convert to democracy.)
The US is not a democracy. It's a republic. The definition of republic is a "representative democracy". What's the definition of democracy? Every citizen gets a vote. T
Re:To Louisiana politicians (Score:2)
So if you are Jesus, tell me if this bird in my hands (that are behind my back) is alive or dead.
Re:To Louisiana politicians (Score:2)
It's the new American way of doing things. Instead of making honest money by taxing the sale of the games they try to make money by making them illegal so that they can demand money for unnecessary work.
The Netherlands is on the
Re:To Louisiana politicians (Score:2)
Why do you think that they have a city to rebuild? It wasn't because of a weather event.
Re:To Louisiana politicians (Score:2)
Hey Louisiana - we decided to give you back to the French! Get packin'!
Re:To Louisiana politicians (Score:2)
Re:To Louisiana politicians (Score:2)
Let's see how many people here have read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Where SEP comes from) compared to the number of people who know of "the lyrical jubilee that is Naught By Nature"...
Oh, I think HHGG winds by a couple orders of magnitude.
Re:To Louisiana politicians (Score:2)
Re:To Louisiana politicians (Score:2)
I'm not too concerned about this (Score:2, Insightful)
What's that? Your kid brought a gun to school and executed his classmates? You say that his violent video games made him do it*? Well then, who bought him the video game?
* - I find this notion laughable, b
Re:I'm not too concerned about this (Score:2, Funny)
Re:I'm not too concerned about this (Score:1)
How could I be so ignorant and heartless? HOW?!?!
Re:I'm not too concerned about this (Score:1)
Not to mention turning kids into communists! [newgrounds.com]
Re:I'm not too concerned about this (Score:2)
"The bill would allow a judge to determine if a video game is "patently offensive to prevailing standards" and if it's appealing "to the minor's morbid interest in violence." If the title meets these "criteria" the game could be ordered to be pulled from store shelves." How does a drivers license provide a means to purchasing games that are not on the shelf?
Re:I'm not too concerned about this (Score:2)
The minors... (Score:2)
So, then, anything rated Mature should be exempt from this part. Right? Oh wait, I forgot, only children play video games so any game made with any violence or sex must be marketed entirely at ten-year-olds.
Re:The minors... (Score:1)
Re:The minors... (Score:2)
Re:The minors... (Score:2)
The enforcement is at or above that of movie theaters.
We have them now (Score:4, Insightful)
In summation:
-they know a law already prohibits this
-they decided to approve it anyway
Therefore, every member of the legislature that voted for this bill has committed a crime. I assume the courts will be as swift in getting the wheels of justice spinning as they are for the local meth dealer or pot farmer.
Re:We have them now (Score:2)
Re:We have them now (Score:2)
I know that was intended to be humor...
However, Canada's political system can require to vote along party lines or receive retribution (i.e. be kicked out of the party, effectivly ending the political career.) I'm not sure if the American system is different, but you get the idea.
The on
Re:We have them now (Score:2)
I beleive the excuse "I was only following my orders" went out of fashion at Nuremburg. These are elected officials. They have a duty to righteousness.
Party Lines (Score:2)
Nothing institutionalized -- if you don't toe the party line, they won't throw you out, and politicians do occasionally switch parties -- but a lot of politics runs on the "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" principle. If you don't go along with the party when so
Re:We have them now (Score:2, Insightful)
Once Again... (Score:4, Insightful)
Vague (Score:4, Insightful)
I'm not sure if they could be any more vague. I mean, given the right conditions, you could argue this about just about any game. I recall many an hour in wholesome puzzle games like Lemmings and The Incredible Machine inventing horrible things to do to the creatures under my control. Does that count as morbid violence?
Re:Even worse: (Score:3, Funny)
Hold your reps accountable for bad voting! (Score:2)
One would hope that their representatives are not only representing their constituents' views but also strongly protecting their guaranteed constitut
Re:Hold your reps accountable for bad voting! (Score:1)
This is GOOD stuff (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:This is GOOD stuff (Score:2)
Yes. Just look at Utah's laws against just about everything "Sinful". Utah has trouble supporting it's own educational system while encouraging it's citizens to support the educational systems in surrounding states. Go to any border town and count the Utah license plates. It makes you wonder if the border towns would exsist
Bill based on disinformation (Score:1)
If anyone's interested in the "logic" behind this bill, you should read the coverage at GamePolitics [livejournal.com] or watch the entire hearing linked therein.
In summary, Jack Thompson was the star witness for the hearing, so one could imagine the mountain of crap he spewed about games. Perhaps even more fantastic than Thompson's testimony was the list of "racist games" Representative Burrell used to terrify the House with (a list no doubt provided by Thompson). Burrell spent about five minutes naming off a bunch of rac
Abusive legislation (Score:2)
http://www.wafb.com/Global/story.asp?S=4888522 [wafb.com]
Thompson tells 9 News he hopes retailers do end up in court so often, they will choose to stop selling violent games altogether.
Great idea, lets just harass people until they do what we want.
The interesting thing is that the use the excuse of protecting minors to push these laws, while the real goal is to prevent the games from existing at all.
Re:Abusive legislation (Score:2)
Aren't there laws against the exploitation of children? It's a shame they don't seem to apply to these "For the children" types.
Go Army! (Score:2)
I'm against this bill (Score:2)
This appears to be based on our obscenity laws (Score:2)
Adding violence to this definition of obscenity wouldn't be a bad idea, really. Of course, they forgot to add the most important part:
"Whether the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value."
Most of the violent games I can think of at least have serious artistic value.
Rob
Support the troops (Score:2)
underground railroad anyone? (Score:2)
Fuck Louisiana. If any state deserved everything they got - that's one of them. I hope they get 20 more hurricanes. Let-em enjoy their puritanical government regulations. Perhaps they'll re-institute Jim Crow laws next!
Why being "art" is important (Score:2)
Do you think this bill would have passed unanimously if we were talking about violent books? What about violent paintings? Consider Goya's El Tres de Mayo [wikipedia.org]. It's extremely violent, but we consider it art. I remember seeing this p
Yes, it already happened (Score:2)
Sad thing is, it already happened. Games are only the latest scapegoat. Before that it was (in no particular order) comics, music, board games, etc.
E.g., since you mention books or paintings, how about comic books? Seems to me like it fits both categories outstandingly. Well, long before computer games even existed, Congress was savaging comic books and presenting them as the great Sat