Expert Warns of Possible Catastrophic Effects of California Videogame Law

[GLo Jones]

This is a ridiculously exaggeration of what's going to happen, if the law even gets passed at all.

It'll likely only cause retailers to be more strict on their employees. If a store stops selling a certain rating of game, then customers are going to go somewhere else, giving more incentive for rivals stores to continue selling those games. Retailers may even launch mystery shopper campaigns on their own stores, to enforce their rules, and stress the illegality of selling to minors.

Nothing else will change, except from kids being forced to get their parents to buy a lot more of their games.

 

[theblackmonk90]

Or more likely they will move to other developed economy's and continue to produce video games with M rating for other countries. I am pretty convinced that if the US abandons the lead it has by hobbling the industry the games industry will simply stop selling those games in the US.

No, you don't get the point at all. It's not about it being illegal to develop M rated games in the states. It's all about sales.

The US is a massive games market, and if US retailers get cold feet due to this law, then they could well refuse to stock M rated games. The fall out from that would be no more M rated games, at least not of the triple A standard. No developer would develop games if you can't sell them in one of the biggest games markets, you wouldn't make a profit and companies that don't make a profit... well, just ask 3d Realms how that business model worked out.

Ninja stealth edit: Naturally, retailers deciding not to stock the games is a worst case scenario, but if it's all the same to you, I think I'd like you colonials to strike this one down before it gets that far.

I do understand. All too well. Companies are not going to give up the massive profits they make from M rated games just because the US puts restrictions on them. The market for the games will shrink as will sales because those games will no longer be marketed in the US but they will continue to sell in the rest of the world such as the EU and Japan. Companies will simply not sell them in the US market.

 

[Desworks]

Or more likely they will move to other developed economy's and continue to produce video games with M rating for other countries. I am pretty convinced that if the US abandons the lead it has by hobbling the industry the games industry will simply stop selling those games in the US.

No, you don't get the point at all. It's not about it being illegal to develop M rated games in the states. It's all about sales.

The US is a massive games market, and if US retailers get cold feet due to this law, then they could well refuse to stock M rated games. The fall out from that would be no more M rated games, at least not of the triple A standard. No developer would develop games if you can't sell them in one of the biggest games markets, you wouldn't make a profit and companies that don't make a profit... well, just ask 3d Realms how that business model worked out.

Ninja stealth edit: Naturally, retailers deciding not to stock the games is a worst case scenario, but if it's all the same to you, I think I'd like you colonials to strike this one down before it gets that far.

I do understand. All too well. Companies are not going to give up the massive profits they make from M rated games just because the US puts restrictions on them. The market for the games will shrink as will sales because those games will no longer be marketed in the US but they will continue to sell in the rest of the world such as the EU and Japan. Companies will simply not sell them in the US market.

The massive profits they make come mainly from the US market. Take it out, and suddenly companies will be looking for ways to ensure that the next Resident Evil makes a T rating, as making profits in the 3 big regions is better than making profits in only 2.

You are very mistaken if you think the US market will be treated like Australia.

 

[Angus565]

Plaaaay-ers your game is through, 'cos now you've got to answer to, AMERICA! FUCK YEAH!

I love how I - a gamer in a totally different country - will possibly be affected by the wishes of some American governors.

I know what you mean, and I living in Canada will probably have this law if it goes through as well. Even if we don't at first it won't be long before the same governors in the US will be going on about how terrible/awful/evil/communist Canada is for not enforcing the law that they made up. Because that's what happens in our supposedly "Free" country... I really hope this thing doesn't go through.

 

[Sparrow]

Well, yeah. In AMERICA that'll happen.

[small]Bwahaha! You got your fancy release dates before ours, but Europe wins in the long run![/small]

 

[Something Amyss]

Or more likely they will move to other developed economy's and continue to produce video games with M rating for other countries. I am pretty convinced that if the US abandons the lead it has by hobbling the industry the games industry will simply stop selling those games in the US.

Unlikely. We're the huge consumer market. They didn't go overseas for films, did they?

 

[Woodsey]

Plaaaay-ers your game is through, 'cos now you've got to answer to, AMERICA! FUCK YEAH!

I love how I - a gamer in a totally different country - will possibly be affected by the wishes of some American governors.

I know what you mean, and I living in Canada will probably have this law if it goes through as well. Even if we don't at first it won't be long before the same governors in the US will be going on about how terrible/awful/evil/communist Canada is for not enforcing the law that they made up. Because that's what happens in our supposedly "Free" country... I really hope this thing doesn't go through.

It's not even that though. If the sales drop does happen then one of the biggest markets is closed, not to mention that if it's not protected under the First Amendment then developers are more likely to stay away from maturely themed games.

I mean, this is all unlikely, but it's still hugely irritating to say the least.

 

[Sampsa]

I say that innovation from creative aspect is already stiffled.

 

[Something Amyss]

I still don't understand what all the fuss is about. The rest of the worlds games industrys still appear to be going strong despite the fact that kids can't buy 18 rated games.

Can a kid in the states seriously walk into a shop and buy Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto?

The markets are interconnected; if you take out the largest one, all the others will feel it.

That assumes there's a correlation between the kids being able to purchase the games and kids being abl to play the games. The FTC reported that their undercover shoppers were turned away 80% of the time, but parents can still buy M rated games for their kids.

And, I might add, will under all but the most extreme repercussions of the case. Not the case that Danny's talking about, where kid can't walk into a shop and buy M rated titles, but one where they are actually banned.

 

[RUINER ACTUAL]

(Not trying to get explictly political)Anyone know: The Supreme Court is mostly Democrat right now, right? If it was Republican, I would be a little worried, but not as much if it's Democrats.

 

[Capo Taco]

This might be a problem if those triple AAA mature games were actually mature.

This is silly criticism. Putting fines on selling mature rated games to minors is not a bad thing.

 

[FalloutJack]

Do I have to fight you too, California? Because I will if you force me to.

 

[TheReactorSings]

A friend of mine used to work for HMV here in the UK, and their policy is to try and scare the hell out of all their new employees regarding selling age-restricted products to minors. (I think that the employees are held responsible on an individual basis under law.) Doesn't seem to make any difference to the success of those products, and I'm not convinced that this proposed US legislation will either, but then I'm not familiar with all the ins and outs.

(Also, does anyone else feel a wee bit cynical about having a man who works for games companies telling us that a small change in law affecting game sales will result in the collapse of the industry, America, the world...?)

 

[tharglet]

OT I live in the Uk, so it being illegal to sell 18 games to under 18s and so on isn't exactly new to me, it all works fine here

It works fine here, because the vast majority of retailers that sell games are perfectly happy to stock 18+ games. Only times I've heard of retailers *not* stocking things on the shelves is in the rare circumstances a game might be banned (ahh, the manhunt fiasco, where it never actually got banned).
In the US, there seems to be a fair few chains that won't stock AO games, which is effectively 18+ for us, hence the rating fiddling.

 

[Modus Operandi]

I live in the Uk, so it being illegal to sell 18 games to under 18s and so on isn't exactly new to me, it all works fine here, and I understand the precedent but, I am in agreement that I can't see all this happening, sure we SHOULD be defending against it, but to be honest all I can see is it ending up like hte UK law, which is perfectly fine, if a movies an 18, you can't buy it, so I'm not quite sure why it should be different, the US have laws on movies and stuff don't they?

Yes, but the UK isn't almost the entire western videogame market, now is it? That's the whole point of the OP -- if the law passes, the retailers will have to adapt. If they adapt by reducing or completely eliminating M-rated game shelves, it will affect everyone in the industry, because USA is where game companies from all over the world look to for their profits.

And then there is, of course, the USA-specific problem of singling out games as illegal to sell to minors, while movies, music and books are still a legal "free-for-all", effectively establishing legal censorship based on knee-jerk reaction to animal instincts and ignorance (fear of the unknown).

 

[TheReactorSings]

(Interesting note: In California they banned the dictionary from some schools because they define 'oral sex')

Is that really a political correctness issue? By that standard, Saudi Arabia must be one of the most politically correct countries in the world.

 

[Aeriath]

The law works over here in the UK. I really can't see a massively over-the-top dip in sales as most of you are predicting if this law gets passed. The retailers will still stock the games, the kids will just ask their parents (as I hear is pretty normal over there anyway because of the recommended ratings).

Even if the doomsday scenario some people have cooked up, AAA games would still be made in Europe in Japan, but they'll be done on tighter budgets (just cut the graphics budget in half, that'll do).

 

[Jackal403]

This will be no different from the convenience stores that can't sell cigarettes to minors. Retailers won't stop shelving the games because kids can't buy them, or they'll be prosecuted, they'll just start enforcing an ID check behind the counter. It's not as big a deal as people make it seem!

 

[elvor0]

I live in the Uk, so it being illegal to sell 18 games to under 18s and so on isn't exactly new to me, it all works fine here, and I understand the precedent but, I am in agreement that I can't see all this happening, sure we SHOULD be defending against it, but to be honest all I can see is it ending up like hte UK law, which is perfectly fine, if a movies an 18, you can't buy it, so I'm not quite sure why it should be different, the US have laws on movies and stuff don't they?

Yes, but the UK isn't almost the entire western videogame market, now is it? That's the whole point of the OP -- if the law passes, the retailers will have to adapt. If they adapt by reducing or completely eliminating M-rated game shelves, it will affect everyone in the industry, because USA is where game companies from all over the world look to for their profits.

And then there is, of course, the USA-specific problem of singling out games as illegal to sell to minors, while movies, music and books are still a legal "free-for-all", effectively establishing legal censorship based on knee-jerk reaction to animal instincts and ignorance (fear of the unknown).

No it isnt half the entire market, but however I fail to see how the US will just suddenly go "Right thats it, we can't possibly risk selling 18s", given it probablly a very large portion of sales, given they happen to be your "Call of Duty selling 1 billion dollars worth-esque games", if they do stop selling them I udnerstand it would damage the production side of the industry, but at the same time it'd also massively damage sales, which would only be caused by the people in CHARGE of sales, thus stopping selling them would only be detrimental to them selves.

 

[Lullabye]

This might be a problem if those triple AAA mature games were actually mature.

This is silly criticism. Putting fines on selling mature rated games to minors is not a bad thing.

Yes it is. And all those triple A games are M rated. Halo, Call of Duty, GTA, etc.
Why should my games that I know and love have to be scapegoated for some stupid politicians to get votes, but every other industry is free to go?
Fuck that.
If this goes through, then I want it to be illegal to sell tickets to R rated movies to minors, and I want ACTA to go through as well. Rein in that music industry. Plus, illegal to sell music with parental advisory labels to minors.