This may turn out like gun control in Canadaa, with guys in trenchcoats selling M to AO videogames at 80$ because the local Gamestop won't sell them to children. Basicly it's going to make videogame stores lose money and crimanals who sell pirated games will start selling more pirated M rated games thus giving more money to the crimanals and less for the videogame distributing companies.
Rhode Island Proposes Jail Time for Underage Game Sales
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
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Jail time is on the extreme side. It also would just bog down an already bogged down system needlessly. However, fines are completely reasonable. They should do it with movies as well, but that doesn't mean that Mature games should not be kept out of the hands of minors. As Gamers, we actually want this. It means that when someone wants to use games as a scapegoat, there is no one to blame but the parents. When a random Jack Thomson type comes along and point his finger at a video game developer, we can all politely raise out hands and say, "The parents bought there kid the game. Still want to blame the developer?". Sure, people will still argue the point, but they will feel stupid doing it, and they will eventually lose all momentum.
Even in this case, you wouldn't be prevented from playing your games. All you have to do to be completely kosher with the law is to get your parents to buy the game. The law just forces parents to be involved in there childrens life, and give them the opportunity to make choices regarding there kids. It seems like it just sucks, but parents do, and should, have some control over there children's entertainment habits, and all you have to do is make the case to your parents that you are responsible enough to deal with a games adult content.Crossborder said:
Bits and pieces of this country make sense. The majority doesnt but little bits and pieces do. There is a good chance that those little bits and pieces go over to the crazy side but meh. I certainly do enjoy that little bit of sanity I hear about ever so often.
So, the state that's in the news most recently for having a high school closed for failing to graduate a majority of seniors (http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/03/09/rhode.island.school.battle/index.html?hpt=Sbin) thinks that this is the best way to spend its time, money, and focus?... Do us a favor, guys. If the pattern holds true and the ESA shellacks you in court for trying to pull this, take the money out of your salaries, rather than the budget education funds come from.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AO-rated_productsAltorin said:
Not how any of the games on that list are very popular games that sold a lot in the US. Yes, that list is small, but half of them enjoyed a large slice of success.
Having said that, I once procured a copy of Thrill Kill, and I honestly don't believe it deserved an AO rating, but whatever.
Agreed. Gotta love how everyone pulls out the BFGs against video games but refuses to look at the just-as-harmful-if-not-moreso music and movie industries. If you really want to *protect your children,* why not go across the board with it?Catkid906 said:This... this seems kind of strict... but I guess it's fair. Only if they include movies though... underage movie sellers too. THEN it's fair.
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how stupid are people to keep trying to pull this kinda shit, I mean they always single out videogames, why not movies too, at least if they did that then it would be obvious to even the stupidest person that it was a waste of time
Jail time...? God, putting hardworking people in jail for trying to make some money isn't exactly how you fix a problem. While I may be extremely biased here (being 14) if laws like this are enforced I won't be able to go out and purchase masterpieces like Heavy Rain and Mass Effect 2 myself....
well that's a giant bag of bs i've been watching porn since i was 13, two people i know have been smoking since they were 15 and i know a good number of people who get hammered on a regular basis and i'm 19Andy Chalk said:
Personally, although I think jail time is too extreme, I think it SHOULD actually be a criminal offence to sell mature games to minor. In fact, I think it should also be an offence for an adult to procure a mature game for a minor. After all, the same is true of alcohol, isn't it? Whenever I see an adult buying a copy of Grand Theft Auto 4 for their whiny brat of a kid I die a little inside. These games AREN'T for kids and they get their ratings for a REASON.
Of course, part of my problem is I live in Australia where this issue makes up much of the ammunition used by the douchebags preventing us from getting an R18+ rating for games. Fucking Atkinson...
Of course, part of my problem is I live in Australia where this issue makes up much of the ammunition used by the douchebags preventing us from getting an R18+ rating for games. Fucking Atkinson...
What next? Will it become a misdemeanor to buy mature games on behalf of a minor, like how it is with alcohol?
I live in Australia. The ratings here are pretty simple for games. Not even getting into that R18+ thing here, btw.
G - General
PG - Parental Guidance Recommended
M - Mature. Recommended for persons 15+
MA15+ - Restricted Mature. Not legal for sale or consumption for people under the age of 15.
R18+ - Restricted. Not legal for sale or consumption for people under the age of 18.
^ That system, as described, works well. I think incarceration is a little over the top, but a fine? Definitely warranted. Generally speaking, as far as I'm aware, it's the retailer who cops the fine, not the employee, but don't expect to see them at that retailer for too long.
That way, no criminal record for people who sell, but they do get punished. The system works pretty well.
...except for the problems like that our classifications board is inconsistent, pro-censorship, etc, but those aren't intrinsic problems with the idea of a restricted rating.
And, finally, this is possibly a problem - Mum can buy it and give it to kid. That's legally fine. Get a parent or legal guardian to okay it, and I'm not legally restricted from selling little Timmy the game. If Mum is there in person. Theoretically, there are laws about demonstration or consumption of restricted media by minors, but they're largely unenforcable. If we had a better ratings board, I'd be very happy with people not being allowed to view media above their age, but we don't, so it's a compromise.
G - General
PG - Parental Guidance Recommended
M - Mature. Recommended for persons 15+
MA15+ - Restricted Mature. Not legal for sale or consumption for people under the age of 15.
R18+ - Restricted. Not legal for sale or consumption for people under the age of 18.
^ That system, as described, works well. I think incarceration is a little over the top, but a fine? Definitely warranted. Generally speaking, as far as I'm aware, it's the retailer who cops the fine, not the employee, but don't expect to see them at that retailer for too long.
That way, no criminal record for people who sell, but they do get punished. The system works pretty well.
...except for the problems like that our classifications board is inconsistent, pro-censorship, etc, but those aren't intrinsic problems with the idea of a restricted rating.
And, finally, this is possibly a problem - Mum can buy it and give it to kid. That's legally fine. Get a parent or legal guardian to okay it, and I'm not legally restricted from selling little Timmy the game. If Mum is there in person. Theoretically, there are laws about demonstration or consumption of restricted media by minors, but they're largely unenforcable. If we had a better ratings board, I'd be very happy with people not being allowed to view media above their age, but we don't, so it's a compromise.
What's next? If you're seen littering they're going to come beat the living shit out of you? Absurd.
I honestly didn't recognize any on the list except san andreas, manhunt, farenheit and magna cum laude.. none of which were sold in retailers as AO games. They were sold as M rated games that either had alternate "director's X-Rated Cut" editions which were AO and only sold online, or were altered to meet an M-Rating so that they could be sold at retailers.Scrythe said:
The rest were low budget games that went to the ESRB in order to GET an AO rating, so that they could put an AO on their box as some sort of marketing ploy, the same way pornography would put X-Rated on their movies. They'd get them rated just so they could flaunt their X rating.