Video Game Voters Network

14 March 2006

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Posted by:Josh

Times have been especially turbulent for video games lately, as politicians and other groups aggresively went after the industry in the aftermath of the notorious Take-Two/Rockstar “Hot Coffee” debacle, which has impacted the industry as a whole in a overtly negative way, only pouring oil on the fire of the video game violence debate that has always plagued the industry. Well now, thanks to the ESA and their new site, The Video Game Voters Network, gamers will have at least some kind of avenue to pledge their support, by voting no less, for their beloved industry.

Hopefully making a positive impact on those who would try and censor or regulate video games. This is something that all gamers should get in and help support, no matter what side of the debate you fall on, letting the democratic voice of true gamers be heard to those who do not understand the medium. Please, help to educate! Let your voice be heard!

From GameSpot’s article on the new site: The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a trade group representing America’s game publishers, has launched The Video Game Voters Network, which it describes as “a place for American gamers to organize and defend against threats to video games.”

The online initiative features the latest pending legislation in easy-to-digest form, the latest media coverage of legal issues, and a form letter that can easily be e-mailed to the appropriate members of Congress. The site also points gamers in the direction they need to go to register to vote, has the latest facts about the demographics of gamers, and includes several professional viewpoints on the sensitive topic of gaming and violence.

In the past few years, several initiatives to restrict the sales of violent games have been proposed across the country. Several laws proposing strict restrictions on selling M-rated games, including those in Michigan, California, and Illinois, have been overturned after being deemed unconstitutional by court judges. However, with a possible CDC investigation and more states constantly jumping on the violent-game-ban bandwagon, The Video Game Voters Network is asking gamers to remain vigilant.

“These legislative threats on video games by politicians who don’t even know how to play them creates a double standard for this innovative medium,” reads a warning on the Web site. “But if the attack on video games works, what’s to stop them from going after the other media we enjoy also? Government regulation based on games’ content will stifle creativity and will have a chilling effect on game publishers who may feel the need to dilute content due to the threat of government action and fines.”

Of related note is this GameSpot article, which covers Democrats Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, Hillary Clinton of New York, and Dick Durbin of Illinois persuading a Senate committee to approve a sweeping study of the “impact of electronic media use” to be organized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and a potential first step towards a future government crackdown, on video games as well as other media.