Bill Holds Game Makers Liable for Violence

[BurntToast]

Originally Posted by Taken from IGN.com

March 2, 2005 - A bill under consideration in Washington state would hold videogame developers accountable for violent acts ostensibly inspired by a particular game.

Currently under review by the state legislature, House Bill 2178 would hold game retailers and manufacturers accountable for "injury or wrongful death" committed by a person under age 17, if the game "was a factor in creating conditions that assisted or encouraged" the perpetrator.

While the bill is still in committee stage and far from becoming law, its dramatic interpretation of criminal responsibility reflects growing concern and controversy about the effects of violent video games.

Seattle ABC affiliate KOMO quotes bill supporter Bill Hanson of the Washington Police and Sheriff's Association: "If you sit up and watch this and play these games over and over again... it seems that this is alright to walk up and hit a police officer over the head with a bat."

Needless to say, opponents of the bill point out that it simply shifts blame away from the person who actually commits a crime. Further, the connection between violent videogames and actual violence -- the controversy parallels a similar furor over violent films and television -- remains tentative at best.

Games sold in the United States carry ESRB rating codes warning parents of potentially objectionable material. Especially violent games are rated "M" for Mature, and are not intended for minors.

Unbelievable... will this mean that people can claim "videogame insanity" and it will be the manufacturers fault? I remember when I was younger that some kids were killed while wrestling and imitating WWF (WWE), they never took them off the air or held them responsible.

What is this world coming to???

[MooseMan3000]

Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa WHOA.


So we can blame the video game developer responsible for some idiot kid's actions... but we can't put his parents in jail? Jigga-WHAT?

If this bill doesn't fail miserably, I may have to go all GTA on the sponoring Senator or Representative's ass and then claim I couldn't help it because I played the game.

Seriously, who thinks of these things? Oh wait, misinformed politicians and irresponsible parents. I knew that.

[Carno]

Shit like this makes me want to beat every politician to death with a steel rod.

Seriously, fuck them. If stupidity were a crime, all of them would get the death penalty.

[thatoneguy]

I can't agree more with the other responses to this article... I fail to see how people can blame video games/movies/tv shows/etc. for the stupid things people do. If a kid goes out and hits a police officer with a bat, it's because he is a bad kid, or has some kind of emotional/mental problems. It's NOT because he played a game and did it. Any rational person knows that you can't pull a Grand Theft Auto and go on a rampage shooting people and nothing will happen. People use this as an excuse to a) get themselves out of trouble, or b) get money for being stupid.

If this law passes, where does it lead? Should newspapers be held responsible for people who read articles about someone being murdered, and then go murder someone? Or if I read a novel and someone in the book steals a car, and I go steal a car, is that the book or the author's fault? This is completely asinine.

[Fremen]

Can I get a Bill passed charging C-SPAN and C-SPAN 2 with boring me to death?

Seems just as reasonable.

[Mr.Deflok]

Why stop there.

What about movies?

What about music?

What about the internet?

What about television?

What about abusive parents?

What about ignorant politicians?

Let's just lock up everyone and destroy everything that could ever influence someone in an ill manner.

Fucking assholes.

[Coppertop]

Hooray for legislating away personal responsibility.

Sign of the times, sign of the times...

[CityOfAngels]

Normally I would say there's no chance in hell for that bill to pass, but as they say nowadays: "Since Bush is president..."

[Bodyhammer86]

Originally Posted by CityOfAngels

Normally I would say there's no chance in hell for that bill to pass, but as they say nowadays: "Since Bush is president..."

I know this is for another thread but one of the staunchest advocates for censorship of entertainment is Senator Joe Lieberman, who just so happens to be a democrat. Furthermore, Bush has never shown any support for a bill like this during his last term or his current term.

/end threadjack

[shakran]

Originally Posted by Bodyhammer86

I know this is for another thread but one of the staunchest advocates for censorship of entertainment is Senator Joe Lieberman, who just so happens to be a democrat. Furthermore, Bush has never shown any support for a bill like this during his last term or his current term.

/end threadjack

Agreed. This is one area where the Dems and I do not see anywhere close to eye to eye. Hell, I can see Halx getting charged under laws like this if we let it go too far. "Yeah I raped that girl 'cause I saw porn stuff on TFP and it gave me an unrealistic view that women always want to have sex so, yeah, it's not my fault."

Plus, games like GTA have the M label on there, which is a signal to retailers and parents that it's not appropriate for Little Johnny. It's not Rockstar's fault if a salesidiot or a parentalidiot lets Johnny get his hands on the game.

[Ace_O_Spades]

All I can say is

"Thank god I live in Canada"

stuff like this always just makes me so thankful.

[Carno]

How many games are made in Canada?

[Ace_O_Spades]

Originally Posted by Carn

How many games are made in Canada?

Does it matter?

We will get the games, but don't need to worry about bullshit lawsuits and backwards legal systems.

And even if the entire market fell apart in the USA, we'd still have Ubi-Soft in France, who makes some of the best games on the market right now bar none.

[edit]

Ever heard of bio-ware? Umm... before it got bought out that is... I think it got bought out.

Also, ever heard of EA Sports?

2nd Edit:

http://emceedeus.eliteforce.com/cana...ighProfile.php

I think the company behind GTA are British - which (if it's true) means this law will fail to have any juristiction over the prime suspect.

The only upshot of this law is that no company will want to develop software in the US - this is already happening due to heavy handed protectionist laws governing software copyright and ownership, leading to many jobs in the software industry (outside of the Microsofts etc) going to countries with less silly laws.

So, in summary then, a silly law, which will do nothing except encourage skilled labour to exit the country, whilst having no effect on stemming the flow of violent video games into the country, because they will all be written abroad.

Well done.

[Telluride]

Originally Posted by Mr.Deflok

Why stop there.

What about movies?

What about music?

What about the internet?

What about television?

What about abusive parents?

What about ignorant politicians?

Let's just lock up everyone and destroy everything that could ever influence someone in an ill manner.

Fucking assholes.

You pretty much hit the nail on the head. It would be bad enough if this sort of law was applied to one thing (video games, in this case). What makes it really scary is that it would almost certainly be spread to every other form of entertainment or life experience.