Video Game Voters Network calls on Californians to rally against Schwarzenegger’s new law
Gamers let your voice be heard! California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his new bill that makes it against the law for minor’s to purchase violent video games in his state, has been overturned by a California judge, who called the new law unconstitutional.
The Governator is set to appeal the ruling, and he is determined on getting the law passed. “I signed this important measure to ensure that parents are involved in determining which video games are appropriate for their children.” He promised he would, “vigorously defend” the law.
Now the the Entertainment Software Association’s Video Game Voters Network is calling on all gamers of voting age, but particularly those in California, to send the Governor a strong message and defend our favorite medium against government intervention by urging the Governor to withdraw his appeal, which has not yet been filed.
The web-site makes it as easy as possible for gaming voters to send e-mails to the Governor’s office by using a form. Provide an e-mail, name, and address, and the VGVN will send Schwarzenegger a copy of the form letter. They can also add in their own remarks, and the VGVN even provides a list of talking points to consider making to the Governor. It should be noted that filling out the form on the Web site also automatically registers a person in the VGVN.
Gamers really have to get in there and fight for this. These laws are NOT a standard for sales of movies (or movie tickets), music, books, comics or any other type of medium. All industries are self-regulated like ours (and most video game retailers do have a policy of not selling M-rated games to minors), and this would set a bad precedent of the government getting involved in parenting our video game industry. Thankfully every law they’ve tried to pass so far has failed on nearly every occasion, always deemed unconstitutional because video games are a protected form of speech just like movies, music, television and books.
It is NOT the government that needs to get involved, but parents who need to be more informed about how the ratings work. And maybe even kids themselves, although I know most kids are aware of the ratings. Kids will play what they will play, it is not the government’s job to stop them, but the job of the parent or guardian.
