Calif. advances bill on violent video games

California lawmakers have reconsidered and approved a bill in committee that would ban the sale of violent video games to minors.

The California Assembly's arts committee on Thursday passed the bill by Democratic Assembly Member Leland Yee on a 6-4 vote after taking it up for reconsideration.

The bill had failed to pass the committee on Tuesday when it fell a vote short of the necessary six votes. The bill now goes to the full Assembly. If approved, it would go the state Senate for review.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose Hollywood film career includes violent movies, has not taken a position on the bill, which allows for $1,000 fines for violators and requires violent video games to be labeled.

"For the same reason we don't allow kids to buy pornography, cigarettes, or alcohol, we shouldn't allow them to go to stores and buy video games that teach them to do the very things we put people in jail for--abusing women, joining street gangs, killing police officers, or even assassinating President Kennedy," said Yee, a child psychologist, referring to scenarios in some video games.

Game developers and console makers say laws restricting game sales are unnecessary because their industry is doing a good job stopping minors from buying "Mature"-rated games.

However, the $10 billion industry expects bills restricting game sales to pass this year in Illinois, Michigan and North Carolina.

Two federal appellate courts have already ruled such laws violate the free-speech guarantees of the First Amendment.

< Let's review. Sex is as natural as eating, sleeping and breathing. Pornography is a reflection of the actual sex, or fantasies thereof, which occour in real people's lives and minds. Pornography is in no way unnatural, immoral, or bad. Cigarettes are bad but they're not as bad as marijuana which is banned outright. And like alcohol, they are only bad when overdone, like any vice. In places where alcohol is allowed for kids, particularly where it's a completely natural thing to have with your meals, it is not a problem. And videogames are an outlet. Life is fucked up, life makes you mad. Life makes you want to kill things because there's just no other way to get justice or revenge. Life is fucked up. Let's ban life. Let's keep kids from having to experience the daily pain of losing their innocence to have a chance of success in this world. Most of what you "kill" in videogames is aliens, zombies, corrupt people. ALL of what you kill is pixels. Yee needs to STFU. >