NEWS - Wednesday, January 4, 2006
Maryland, Indiana Join Violent Game Bash
Maryland, Indiana May See Violent Game Laws Despite anti-violent game laws being judicially blocked in California, Illinois, and Michigan, two more states may soon see legislation regulating sale of mature-themed games to minors. GamePolitics.com reported today that representatives in both Maryland and Indiana are now proposing legislation similar to that tried in other states. In Maryland, Republican Delegate Wade Kach is introducing HB 54, which would ban the sale of games rated AO (Adults Only) to minors. While such legislation alone would be rather tame, Maryland Democrat Justin Ross is proposing HB 75, based largely on California’s AB 1179. Ross’ bill would use its own rating system, thereby ignoring the ESRB ratings already in place. The bill calls for fines of $1,000 against retailers who violate the law. In Indiana, Democratic Senator Vi Simpson said she will introduce a law which ensures that current ESRB ratings are enforced. Simpson’s proposal will not introduce new ratings categories, but rather put teeth in a system which she believes is currently too lax. "We’re not setting ages or changing the ratings, we are asking retail agencies to enforce it," Simpson told the Associated Press. "Right now, kids can walk into just about any store and get their hands on a video game in which they can shoot police officers, use drugs, steal cars, rape women or even assassinate a president. That’s frightening to say the least."Source: http://www.ign.com
