Poll: Arcade games are Illegal in this town

[GamerPhate]

Ran across a post about a town that made arcade games illegal 29 years ago, and they voted recently to keep the ban in place. This is the most insane form of censorship I have seen in a while. Here is the article if you are interested.

http://blog.games.yahoo.com/blog/663-massachusetts-town-votes-to-keep-arcades-illegal

Do you think it is Constitutional to ban arcade games?
And what is your opinion of this subject?

**EDIT*** UPDATED FACTS - CLIFF NOTES

The Town is Marshfield, Mass. (25 mils S/E of Boston)
It has 4,297 citizens. (About 1/4thish of them voted)
Superior Court and Mass. Supreme Court all turned them away when they tried to overturn the law. In 1983, the U.S. Supreme Court closed the matter for good, refusing to hear the appeal. (CASE CLOSED)

 

[Judgement101]

Constituational? Why would you even ask that? There is nothing in the Constitution saying you can't ban an object.

OT: I don't live there, therefore it doesn't effect me so I really don't care about their laws.

 

[GamerPhate]

Well if I was to quote a portion that it applies to, perhaps the "pursuit of happiness", lol? But it falls into the line with "obscenity" or even "pr0n" the way they are treating it. The article makes it appear that arcade games = fast food or other bad things for kids, although there are links in the article countering that arguement I believe.

 

[HigherTomorrow]

Well if I was to quote a portion that it applies to, perhaps the "pursuit of happiness", lol?

Nice try mate, but that's the Declaration of Independence. At least know the difference between your Constitutional Rights and our founding fathers declaring that the 13 colonies were no longer part of the British Empire before throwing around "unconstitutional" and all that jazz.

It's certainly not unconstitutional, but it's definitely an insane law. 29 years? The only town in America? "Open the door in Adult Entertainment"? You mean playing video games as a kid -> pornography?

I think it's a bit crazy, and would certainly like to see it lifted.

 

[FalloutJack]

Ran across a post about a town that made arcade games illegal 29 years ago, and they voted recently to keep the ban in place. This is the most insan form of censorship I have seen in a while. Here is the article if you are interested.

http://blog.games.yahoo.com/blog/663-massachusetts-town-votes-to-keep-arcades-illegal

Do you think it is Constitutional to ban arcade games?
And what is your opinion of this subject?

*Wearing a monocle*

Now that games are considered art, they are infringing upon the freedom of expression, and must therefore...must be burned at the stake.

Mmm, quite.

 

[JoJo]

Your poll is incomplete, I don't think that by the current U.S. constitution it's unconstitutional to ban arcade games, however I also don't think that the town should be able to ban them.

 

[Dogstile]

Games are now art. You're not allowed to ban art.

Follow your own laws american town!

 

[GamerPhate]

Well if I was to quote a portion that it applies to, perhaps the "pursuit of happiness", lol?

Nice try mate, but that's the Declaration of Independence. At least know the difference between your Constitutional Rights and our founding fathers declaring that the 13 colonies were no longer part of the British Empire before throwing around "unconstitutional" and all that jazz.

It's certainly not unconstitutional, but it's definitely an insane law. 29 years? The only town in America? "Open the door in Adult Entertainment"? You mean playing video games as a kid -> pornography?

I think it's a bit crazy, and would certainly like to see it lifted.

Ahh yes in my haste I did misquote my documents. Perhaps Unconstitutional is a bit steep of a charge, but somehow this just doesn't sit right with me. It feels like book burning to me.

 

[GamerPhate]

If a town votes to ban something then thats fine with me. Some towns are still dry counties. Also didn't the arcade die in the 90s?

Sure it is their town, they can do as they like. But sounds really backwards to me. I could see this happen in like an Amish town or something. But yeah, the height of the arcade died in the 90s, but they still exist... barely.

 

[Reishadowen]

What another fine example of ignorant, stuck-in-the-fifties losers who are terrified by the thought of something new they don't understand. The article compares it to "Footloose", and as stupid and non-sensical as it was in that movie to ban dancing, it's just as stupid to ban arcade machines for pretty much the same reasons. Although if I remember the movie correctly, arcade machines never killed anyone.

Aren't they installed in public places like restaurants at the building-owners discretion anyways? If they don't want them there, don't let them in, you don't have to go "city-wide ban" just to keep them out. And unless they ban all types of video games in that city, console and hand-helds too, that "games are flat-out bad for kids" is very hypocritical. (not that it isn't BS anyways...)

It's the land of the crazy people, and I'd bet that this is one of those towns that might have dragged arcade machines out into the parking lots and burned them in demonstration some decades ago. (look it up, I think the game was "pedestrian" or soemthing)

Remind me never to visit Marshfield MA, they might burn us hardcore gamers to the stake or something. :/

 

[GamerPhate]

Games are now art. You're not allowed to ban art.

Follow your own laws american town!

That is kind of where I was getting to there. I felt that they are like you said, a form of art, and to ban such a thing reminds me of the Mccarthyism days. I can see a shop that doesn't want them there to not place them there, that is their decision. But to outrightly say that they are illegal, this is just silly!

 

[p3t3r]

quick someone go put packman on every public computer over there. not arcade machines but it can still play games

 

[GamerPhate]

who cares, only ever see the things in cinemas/bowling alleys/theme parks (or that one bitchin arcade in london) nowadays anyway. I'll play with friends if there, if not no big. No skin off my back.

Well its not just arcades, it is places like you mentioned, the cinemas, bowling alleys, theme parks, etc would all be banned there. There isn't a single arcade game there, period. Granted, in my skim read of it, it looked like only around 1100 people voted, so I am not even sure how big this town is anyways. And it was kind of a close vote, but the majority won I guess.

** EDIT - ALMOST 4,300 people live there

655 - 554 was the vote count, so it was pretty close. There were enough citizens that could have voted and made the difference, but did not.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

Maybe there's another reason for it. Like kids were massing there and getting into fights and stuff. I would look further into the history of it. There is probably another reason besides 'arcade games are bad mkay'

 

[Bakuryukun]

Ran across a post about a town that made arcade games illegal 29 years ago, and they voted recently to keep the ban in place. This is the most insane form of censorship I have seen in a while. Here is the article if you are interested.

http://blog.games.yahoo.com/blog/663-massachusetts-town-votes-to-keep-arcades-illegal

Do you think it is Constitutional to ban arcade games?
And what is your opinion of this subject?

Sounds like a pretty similar story to my home town, we made both arcades and porn shops illegal in my town, (because you know those two places are like the same thing)