Minnesota Game Law Struck Down

"We are pleased that the court has so quickly overturned this ill-conceived law," said Bo Andersen, president of the Entertainment Merchants Association, one of the plaintiffs in the case.

U.S. District Judge James Rosenbaum ruled that the law violated free-speech rights. He also concluded research failed to back up the state's claims that the law would protect the psychological well being of youngsters and foster their moral and ethical development.

"The state itself acknowledges … that it is entirely incapable of showing a causal link between the playing of video games and any deleterious effect on the psychological, moral, or ethical well-being of minors," Rosenbaum wrote.

-- U.S. judge throws out Minnesota video game law


That article is pretty sad though, leading off with the typical sensational nonsense about how the law is to "fine youngsters who get their hands on the smuttiest, bloodiest and most violent video games" and how in God of War " players gouge out eyes, sever limbs and make human sacrifices." Man ... one human sacrifice in a game and you are branded for life. Even after the quote above, which one might think is a pretty sound case for not regulating it, it goes on for another half page to moan about how terrible games are.

Cheers to David Walsh though, for laying it down simply, "Parents need to be media wise and watch what our kids watch. We can't always look to law to solve this problem."

Darn tootin'. Instead of wasting taxpayer money trying to solve a non-existent crisis ... let's try to find the kind of communication and education that will let parents make rational choices. Isn't that what parents are for anyway?





tagged: game, gaming