New York senate has passed legislation creating a governmental advisory council to examine potential impact on violent video games.The bill, which won with a vote of 61-1, mirrors one passed by the New York State Assembly, and is now on its way to Governor David Paterson. If he signs it, the new law would be in effect from September 2010.
The legislation requires consoles to be equipped with parental controls, and makes all games require the ESRB rating to be displayed on all packaging.
The 16-member advisory council will make recommendations to the ESRB in relation to game ratings, and will also set up a parent-teacher violence awareness program to help students who may have a leaning towards violence.
In reality, most of the bill just makes it a requirement to follow what is already a well used voluntary system of rating games.
View: Games Industry
Quite a long wait then
Why does their need to be a bill anyway? The PS3 already has the option for this, not sure about the 360 though.
See this site:
http://www.grandtheftchildhood.com/GTC/Home.html
"Despite the media hype and political posturing, new, federally funded research on violent video games and teenagers indicates that the politicians and even some health professionals may have it all wrong!
In 2004, Drs. Lawrence Kutner and Cheryl K. Olson, co-founders and directors of the Harvard Medical School Center for Mental Health and Media, began a $1.5 million study funded by the U.S. Department of Justice on the effects of video games on young teenagers. In contrast to previous research, they studied real children and families in real situations
What they found surprised, encouraged, and sometimes disturbed them.
Coming to the project with no agenda except to conduct sound, responsible research, their findings conform neither to the views of the alarmists nor of the video game industry. In Grand Theft Childhood, Kutner and Olson untangle the web of politics, marketing, advocacy and flawed or misconstrued studies that until now have shaped parents’ concerns.
What should we as parents, teachers and public policy makers be concerned about?
•The real risks are subtle, and aren’t just about violence, gore or sex.
•Video games don’t affect all children in the same way. Some children are at significantly greater risk. (You may be surprised to learn which ones!
Grand Theft Childhood gives parents practical, research-based advice on ways to limit many of those risks. It also shows how video games—even violent games—can benefit children and families in unexpected ways."
The government's studio they asked for shows that this law isn't valid.[center]
Uh, don't they already do that???
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