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[happybirthdaygelatin]

"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."

Now being 23 I have to say I would not be upset over this bill passing.  I'd just feel befuddled.  The business aspect of it had never occured to me till I read this though.

"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"

[Empty Friend]

That is so very completely and totally idiotic it is beyond reason.  I'm with exactly what the opponents say.  It's basically saying it's ok to do shit because you're too much of an impressionable F***head to understand a videogame that isn't even meant for you is just a videogame.  Completely removes accountability.  I won't even get into the culpable/non-culpable ignorance schpeal. GAH.

So Much Angry... Just.

[GalacticCmdr]

I was expecting to see this was nothing more than a Urban Legend, but it looks like the Washington (state not DC) Congress is going to at least put this to a floor vote. I personally doubt this will get anywhere - there is big money in the software trade in the PacNW.

[happybirthdaygelatin]

No shit, passing this would be Washington shooting it self in the economic foot, what with two of three major console companies having their corporate offices in the state.  I think microsoft also moved a couple of the developers they absorbed out here as well.

[Digs]

It'll never fly. It implies a massive probative supervision over every copy of every M-class game sold, which is impossible and offencive on lots of levels, or a similarly disgusting but more randomized breach of privacy. Ridiculous. You can watch over the sale of widespread products, but not the use. It'd be like trying to outlaw sugar. Eighteenth Amendment kind of stuff.

Not the sort of thing that warrants wasted funds.

[torg]

Its like punishing the car companies, because someone stole a car and killed someone with it....

[Johnny C]

Go Canada!

[Wildonnie]

What utter bull.

You know, if and when this bill passes, when the first kid in Washington commits a crime "due to a video game", I hope the knee-jerk politicians look first at the age of the child, then at the ESRB rating.  How much money you wanna bet the kid will be barely a teenager, yet the game will be M for Mature, which is the same as rated R movies, both of which you can't sell to someone under 18 without a parent there.  And you know what the public opinion (and I use that term loosely) is on blaming the parent.  Or blaming the store who sold it.  For shame that in America we should HOLD PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR OWN ACTIONS!  I've been awake for two hours and I'm already pissed.  Thank you government.

[Kjammer]

I think this law is going to get abused.
EXAMPLE:  Some parrents neglect their child, the child becomes a sadist who beats the other children at school (not just bullying) and eventually he kills someone.  The parrent is going to point the pinger at violent videogames (even if the kid has never seen one before).  Seeing as people can get away when they sue a motorist because they got their hands run-over while stealing their hubcaps, I'm sure the bad parrent would get away with it, even if the investigation says it wasn't the fault of "Grand Theft Auto: San Andraes", or "Doom 3."

We might as well issue an AK-47 to every person avobe 12,  and have the Gun manufacturers pay the victims of the gun-related crime 5% of the company's Net-Worth each, thereby screwing the company if more than 20 people die in a killing spree.
OK this situation is a bit too far-fetched.

[Deacon]

Honestly, even if by some miracle the law were really passed, it would be found unconstitutional on a number of different grounds.  It's ludicrous.

[emopants]

this bill is complete and total bullshit

hold the parents responsible, not the fucking company.

assuming that the game *does* cause violence (I don't believe they do, but we'll just stipulate it for a minute), then its rated M, and it shouldn't be sold to kids.  if a parent buys it for their kid (or allows them to play it), then the parents are responsible.

[Johnny C]

Part of me wants to argue for this bill, just to piss people off. Then the other part of me realizes that arguing for this bill is impossible.