Washington (State) Bill Would Hold Game Makers Accountable For Players' Actions

[PapaSKooT]

http://komonews.com/stories/35494.htm

BULL****!

SEATTLE - Should the people who make and sell "violent video" games be held accountable if someone commits a crime because of playing them?

That's something our state lawmakers are considering, to open game makers up to more liability.

House Bill 2178 proposes to hold the makers and sellers of violent video games liable if someone under 17 years old commits a crime, due in any part, to playing the game.

Supporters of the bill, like Bill Hanson with the Washington Police and Sheriff's Association, say "kids" are getting the games, and they're becoming desensitized.

"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," Hanson said.

Opponents argue that the proposed bill would shift the responsibility from the person who actually committed the crime.

Lew McMurran, with the Washington Software Association, says violent games are clearly rated for adults only, and that the responsibility should be on parents to use the video game rating system and control what their kids are playing.

"We're removing the responsibility from the person who committed the act, to somebody else who's completely removed from the situation" McMurran said. "There's a very strong video game industry in this state that we want to support. We don't want to bring undo attention to an area where there's actually jobs being created, where there's actually some good economic development in our state"

House Bill 2178 is still in the committee stage in the state House of Representatives.

[CMX Jedi]

i was always told your responsible for your actions.
this bill is bull****.

[zombiemonkey]

Its always about making excuses. Im sick of it.

I will repeat- Japan and Europe have bloodier movies, and the same or bloodier video games. Why isnt this a problem over there? Americans are always so quick to blame others.

Oh I get so mad over this stuff I cant form sentences!!!!!

[skorp]

Whoa... LMAO!

If I was 16 and they passed that bill I would shoot them myself....

[Ninjermy]

Wtf thats so retarded. How can they hold gamer makers responsible. First of all if someone was to commit a crime and they hold the creators responsible, which company do they charge? They all make violent games so who is to say whether Rockstar's GTA caused them to commit the crime, or Bungies Halo2?
Oh and also the people in washington are ****ing ****s

[mrmp3]

Kinda remember a while back, early to mid-90's, some kids killed a cop and cited one of Tupac's songs as influence. How stupid would it be if I went to a mall, killed 50 and injuring hundreds and cops come in yell "freeze!" and I go "I'm sorry, State of Emergency made me do it!" That means I'd get off probably going to some sort of mental health center for a year while the Rockstar developers rot in a cell. Wow that's just the dumbest bill I've ever heard. If this gets past, god only knows what they'll think is ok to pass after.

[Cryogenic Pyro]

Stupidest. Bill. Ever.

My company sells kitchen knives. You use the kitchen knives to kill someone. Am I to be held responsible for the murder?

If you chose yes, you are either:
A. A moron
B. A politician

[zombiemonkey]

DIdnt they already try this with guns? Holding the manufacturers responsible? Either way this is ridiculous. And if it passes, its just another sign of how ignorant our politicians are. They cave too easily to special interest groups!

[Anthony4sho]

"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," Hanson said.

And the problem with that is.....



Yet again though, it's a typically ill-informed process that lead to this proposal.

The average PS2 owner is 25-years old. Hardly what I'd consider a child...

Violent games have ratings for a reason. If a parent decides to buy Little Johnny GTA: SA, then it's up to them to ensure their child is responsible enough to play it, not the game developers, as the game was developed for a mature audience...

How about people actually take some ****ing responsibility for the fact that they're anti-social, violent ****ers instead of trying to pass the buck?

[Max33]

Yeah...thats bull **** alright,thats why it's funny.
It's just part of pullpit pollitics,latest bandwagon.I just got done watching some localy elected goofbals talking about how "appauled" they were at vidieogame content(hilarious),in a local news story about the new ESRB ratings,the avalibility of mature rated games to kids,and a bill that perposes to lay misdomeanor charges/fines on retailors who sell M rated games to minors.(wich,if there is any libality aside from the parents,thats where it lies)

But the bill in Washington is such bull ****,that it dosent have a chance,hence the funny.

[iloveRPGs]

I'm under 17, I play Halo 2, GTA, RE, and so on all the time. I'd never even consider actually shooting someone. I know so many other kids my age that are the exact same way. It's not the game maker's fault, it's the dumb**s kid's.

[l Maximus l]

I live in the State of Washington and I can tell you that this State is extremely liberal...atleast the Seattle King/Pierce County area.

This is no joke, but, in our State, people who live in Eastern Washington are wanting to split the State into two States just so they can disassociate themselves from the idiots in the city. I live in King County now and am moving to Pierce County this month...both are pretty liberal counties, sadly, but, I almost feel like moving to Eastern Washington.

It seems to me that Washington State Government wants to be our mommy and daddy because they apparently know what's best for us...either that, or they are bored as hell and have nothing better to do than try and make new laws that don't make any sense.

I agree, this is bull****.

[SilentStryk07]

Quoth our beloved George W...
"Terrorists will be held accountable for their actions"

now... a terrorist is technically anybody who commits a crime u could commit by playing a game"... so our pres (rather unfortunately tho) has a point that a state gov't completely defies and is now basically trying to get game makers to play mommy and daddy for their buyers... wow....no wonder our country is goin to hell

[TOTTEN]

Quoth our beloved George W...
"Terrorists will be held accountable for their actions"

So since its a law being considered its automaticly Bushes fault. Please quote a piece in the article where it says bush is part of this or stop being ignorant.

[jteqnique]

This is such BS. If they do it with one entertainment median then they must do it with ALL of them. You can't pick and choose what you like and don't like. Its like the beer vendor at the Giants stadium who sold beer to someone already drunk (like he's supposed to know), drunk guy drives home, hits a girl and kills her, and the vendor gets a 105 million dollar lawsuit thrown at him that was upheld by the supreme court. Hes a frickin beer vendor, and won't even make one percent of that in his lifetime.
Good-bye violent Movies. Star wars is rated PG but it has violence, looks like the entire movie will take place in the senate. I could go on and on. This is bull-sh*t and they know it. Isn't this supposed to be a free society??? AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

[sst0cki]

This bill will not pass, its more or so a scare tactic to send a message to minimize the violence in games or actions will be taken. Politicians may be stupid but their reasonable. Maybe one of em bought and xbox and played Halo2 live and got their assed kicked so many times they got fed up. Sore losers

[DemonLoki]

Holding a gamer acountable for gaming actions means the are acountable only pushing buttons on a controller- If the video game demands you to cram a human heart into the port, maybe some liability- But video Games are just that GAMES-

I cannot see a person even of subpar-intelligence persuaded to commit a crime against their nature because they were influenced by a media such as a game. Are they saying these people are so stupid they could not have made a simple thought as a crime wihtout seeing it first in a game?

Where are the parents by the way? Video games take time to play- these kids shouldn't be playing games without the parental supervision if they are such criminaly deviant little bastards. Why don't the crack down on parents who influence the behavior of children and should be responsible for a child.