Joe Baca is at it again!

RenoBassist · 03-08-2003, 07:36 PM

Rep. Joe Baca from California tried to institute the Protect Children from Video Game Sex and violence Act of 2002 on May 2002, but i died in Congress. Now he's at it again, reintroducing it on February 13, 2003. This bill would make it a (get this!) federal crime for retailers to sell M-Rated Games to minors. Personally, it's just embarassin for Baca when he puts faulty infromation and incorrect names on his own website. See what I'm talking about, and letme hear your opinion. Should it be the responsibilty of the federal government to tell kids what they can or cannot play, and should the penalty be that severe?

http://www.house.gov/baca/108th/pr030213a.htm

I especially like the "Max Pain" part.

Hey, Baca, check this out!

wned: Uh-oh, I see more violence (jackass).....

GameGuyPete · 03-08-2003, 08:58 PM

The thing is that there should have been some kind of universal rules list for ID checks and consequences before the government got involved. I've always subscribed to the firm belief that M-rated games should not be sold to minors without parental/guardian approval and that retailers should be held at least partially accountable for selling these games improperly.

Unfortunately, retailers are worried about the bottom line more than any ESRB rating, and many will sell any old game to any one who has the money-- regardless of the content. There's no penalty for the retailer if a minor buys these games, yet minors can, in turn, blame the game, the publishers, and the developers for any wrongdoing that he thinks "drove" him/her to do such an act.

A good solution to this issue to ensure that some accountability is involved is to obtain driver's license numbers for any parent/guardian/other adult that consents to purchase an M-rated game for a minor. That way, we know who gave consent if a parent claims that he/she did not buy the game for their child and it takes the onus off of the retailer for having only hearsay to fall back on.

In my opinion, regardless of whether any "proof" has been shown which links gaming to violent tendencies, the gaming community has to do something to draw the line. Parents aren't willing to always be responsible for what their kids are playing, and it's gotten to the point that someone else has to be, lest the government make decisions like the ones that Rep. Baca are trying to push through. Gaming has become mainstream now, and is fair game for criticisms like this.

03-08-2003, 07:36 PM	#1
RenoBassist Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 44	Joe Baca is at it again! Rep. Joe Baca from California tried to institute the Protect Children from Video Game Sex and violence Act of 2002 on May 2002, but i died in Congress. Now he's at it again, reintroducing it on February 13, 2003. This bill would make it a (get this!) federal crime for retailers to sell M-Rated Games to minors. Personally, it's just embarassin for Baca when he puts faulty infromation and incorrect names on his own website. See what I'm talking about, and letme hear your opinion. Should it be the responsibilty of the federal government to tell kids what they can or cannot play, and should the penalty be that severe? http://www.house.gov/baca/108th/pr030213a.htm I especially like the "Max Pain" part. Hey, Baca, check this out! wned: Uh-oh, I see more violence (jackass)..... __________________ \"Me, with my punched-out eyes and dried blood in big black crusty stains on my pants, I\'m saying HELLO to everybody at work. HELLO! Look at me. HELLO! I am so ZEN. This is BLOOD. This is NOTHING. Hello. Everything is nothing, and it\'s so cool to be ENLIGHTENED. Like me. Sigh.\"

03-08-2003, 08:58 PM	#2
GameGuyPete Moderator Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 405	The thing is that there should have been some kind of universal rules list for ID checks and consequences before the government got involved. I've always subscribed to the firm belief that M-rated games should not be sold to minors without parental/guardian approval and that retailers should be held at least partially accountable for selling these games improperly. Unfortunately, retailers are worried about the bottom line more than any ESRB rating, and many will sell any old game to any one who has the money-- regardless of the content. There's no penalty for the retailer if a minor buys these games, yet minors can, in turn, blame the game, the publishers, and the developers for any wrongdoing that he thinks "drove" him/her to do such an act. A good solution to this issue to ensure that some accountability is involved is to obtain driver's license numbers for any parent/guardian/other adult that consents to purchase an M-rated game for a minor. That way, we know who gave consent if a parent claims that he/she did not buy the game for their child and it takes the onus off of the retailer for having only hearsay to fall back on. In my opinion, regardless of whether any "proof" has been shown which links gaming to violent tendencies, the gaming community has to do something to draw the line. Parents aren't willing to always be responsible for what their kids are playing, and it's gotten to the point that someone else has to be, lest the government make decisions like the ones that Rep. Baca are trying to push through. Gaming has become mainstream now, and is fair game for criticisms like this. __________________ Peter J. Skerritt, Jr. Senior Editor, PSX Extreme.com This Week\'s <B>Pete\'s Perspective</B> column: <A href=\"http://www.psxextreme.com/scripts/misc/misc.asp?MiscID=87\"target=blank>Silence Is Deafening</A>

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