Gamers: Now is the time to stand up and be counted!

For nearly two decades, elected officials have tried to regulate which video games you can buy, rent and play. Every single time they’ve passed a law, the federal courts have struck it down as unconstitutional. But this may change this fall.

[Umbrella Corp]

Video games are the best we shouldnt allow them to be a second class entertainment option.These days it should be considered to be along the lines of a movie or a book.So much work gets put into them its just absurd.I bet Arnold Schwarenegger doesnt want to talk about his violent role as The Terminator...

[T9X69]

I agree, when it comes to video games the bottom line is its entertainment. Same as TV shows, Movies, Books, or any other form of media used for entertainment. Playstation posted this on Twitter and I figured it would be good for this site because more people need to read and sign this petition, I don't believe Arnold is going to win but there always is that chance he might.

[Umbrella Corp]

Great find mate Im gonna give you a bubble,this is the type of news we need not "Whyz teh xbox/ps3 iz teh failz"

[SeanRL]

Ima Canadian, so I'm not really involved in this, but as a gamer I say good luck! Kick his hypocritical ass back over the damn border.

[rumplstilts]

If you are Canadian you can still sign it. I know I did.

BTW happy Canada Day!

[Darkstorn]

1. This bill won't pass. Even though the Supreme Court is made up of a bunch of Luddites, they know the law well enough to conclude that Leland Yee's (and Schwarzeneggar's) proposed legislation is unnecessary.

And even if this bill does pass, it's not that big a deal. It simply explicitly states that game sales to minors are illegal.

2. Jerry Brown (the CA attorney general) is the probable next CA governor, and has come out in support of gamers by opposing Schwarzennegar v. EMA. I can't say the same for Meg Whitman, however.

[DarkBlood]

whew thank god though it doesnt concern me as im older now but i fear for the padiwans :P

[mastiffchild]

I tend to agree fella. What we must remember is just how big the games industry now is and if the States love anything it's big, successful businesses. The worst outcome is that you end up like us in the UK where it's actual law not to sell mature games to kids rather than just a guideline for stores and parents.

Thng is, even our UK law isn't really something that they can police. As a parent I don't allow my kids to play certain games(though will sometimes let them play ones with ages older than theirs if played with me or mum to explain the adult themes and avoid them getting it ass backwards off a mates older sibling etc)but how in the universe can I stop them playing anything they like at someone elses house? In this respect I find all this legislation and legal nonsense in the US a vast waste of time and money that we'd be better off avoiding altogether. Methinks someone wants a legacy to leave rather than having a clue what they're on about but having met Arnie I can assure you there's VERY little going on upstairs. Frightfully dull and dim man in my experience.

[BeaArthur]

I will vote against any politician that supports game censorship.

[Dan50]

Censorship is pure evil

[dizzleK]

this really isn't a big deal. it's unnecessary but it isn't the end of the world. afraid of censorship? then be afraid that we're nominating a supreme court justice who absolutely HATES the first amendment.

"In a 1996 paper, “Private Speech, Public Purpose: The Role of Governmental Motive in First Amendment Doctrine,” Kagan argued it may be proper to suppress speech because it is offensive to society or to the government,”reports World Net Daily."

http://www.infowars.com/sen...

[Darkstorn]

And the fact that Antonin Scalia consistently votes against speech rights doesn't concern you? You need to study the voting record of conservatives on the Supreme Court: http://www.firstamendmentce...

And for the record, Kagan is a moderate, perhaps slightly center-right appointee. She recently came out in support of overturning Chicago's gun control ban, did she not?

[dragon82]

I have added my name to their list.

[KingPin]

This is pure Bullsh!t! im sorry, but im a grown man. i think i know whats good and bad for me. i dont need a monitor telling me what i can play and what i cant play. ok, for kids its a different story, but do parents not take any responsibility these days? do they just leave it up to the system to raise their kids. damn! and when they run out of things, theyl tell you what toothpaste to use. what clothes to wear. what air to breathe! this shit is ridiculous!

[wiggles]

What do they mean by curtailing....do they mean lock all "M" rated games up in a closet?....

The article doesn't really go into details about what the possible impact could be.

Does anyone following the case have any information?

[Mr Marbles]

Schwarzenegger is just trying to pander to his hollywood special interests buddies.

Dont worry it wont pass, the Supreme Court still leans to the right (conservative) which means they will not be quick to make law anything that is not in the constitution, and trust me the constitution says nothing about free speech does not apply to video games.

[Dan50]

If this passes video games would NOT be protected and government can ban and censor what they please. They could make laws saying its a crime to own a violent game and have them classified like drugs.

[Mr Marbles]

But I just dont see the conservative Justices voting to pass this, and the court is split, half conservative half liberal, with Kennedy in the middle, he will most likely go with the conservatives on this one.

This is just another government power grab, government has been expanding its own powers like crazy since Obama got elected, well the Sup Court is not controlled by liberals like the congress and senate so this blatant violation of the constitution is not going to fly.

[Darkstorn]

@MrMarbles-

You do not understand strict constructionism, the basic tenet of the conservative philosophy on the Supreme Court. Strict constructionism holds that we are only given rights that are explicitly stated in the Constitution, not vice versa. In fact, loose constructionists (read: liberals) are the ones who have been lobbying for expanded civil liberties (ie gay marriage, abortion, and assisted suicide; with gun control being the chief exception) through Constitutional interpretation as of late. And that is using just as originalist, objective, and textual an analysis of the Constitution as the conservatives.

I argue that so-called 'judicial activism' is not relegated only to the liberal faction of the SCOTUS, as the sole decision of conservatives to interpret the Constitution not as a governmental skeleton (so to speak) to be added upon, but an impeccable Bible of sorts, is just as 'activist.' Conservative interpretation of the Constitution still advances an agenda, and still pisses off a lot of people.

[Mr Marbles]

I think your reading too much into my post. First off Im not talking textbook definitions of conservative interpretation of Constitutional law. Im talking who and what we routinely consider "conservative: relative to who and what we call "liberal". For example John P Stevens was considered a "liberal", while Clarance Thomas is considered a "conservative".

Having said that, Im not sure I agree with your argument that the conservative strict interpretation of the constitution, is somehow activist in itself. I just don't see the act of maintaining legal precedent as activism. To sit on the bench and uphold a law as it was written, is far less "activist" than to sit on the bench and reinterpret and add to a law as it was written. So I think when "activist judges" are called such, the term is quite fitting, since laws are supposed to be written in representative bodies not on court benches.

[Saryk]

Well I signed the petition. We’ll see if these so called politicians do the right thing.

[TheSleepyGamer]

I'd hate to see censorship arise. That would hurt the entire videogame industry.

[scar20]

if they pass this i will literally kill arnold and i live in calfornia

[DaBadGuy]

They've got my signature. I don't want to see the day where the government tells me what I can and cannot legally purchase as an American citizen born and raised. It's different obviously with stuff like porn and all that, but videogames? Come on. I can go to Rated R movies and I can buy any DVDs, books, etc that I want, why should videogames be treated any differently? If this passes and games are outlawed, it will be a huge blow to not only the industry, but gamers worldwide. Could you imagine a world where games like Red Dead Redemption would be outlawed and people would have to sneak copies around like they were dimebags or something. It's disgusting.