In Oklahoma, games = porn

[sigma7]

Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry has signed into law the State-specific Bill HB30004, which redefines a list of items, such as hardcore pornography, which are deemed “harmful to minors”, to include video games which use “inappropriate violence”.

Sorry, missmiah and cptn_oblivious. Lemme know if y'all need to flee the state under cover of darkness.

Comments

[rainfletcher.livejournal.com]

Begging the question, of course, of what constitutes "appropriate violence."

But that's obviously not up to the buyer to decide.

[kateshort.livejournal.com]

I'm on two sides of this issue.

On one hand, I figure if a game is labeled AO (Adults Only), then that's like NC-17, and shouldn't be available to minors. However, the M-rated games should be treated like R-rated movies. That is, you shouldn't easily be able to get to it on your own, but you should be allowed to view it / play it / whatever with your parent's permission.

If a government wants to make it illegal to sell M-rated games to minors, then they need to also make it illegal to sell R-rated movies to minors, and likewise illegal to sell PW-stickered albums to minors. Cause we all know that there are some seriously hardcore R-rated movies out there that could be just as offensive and damaging to young children.

On the other other hand, the libarian in me is all FREE SPEECH, DAMMIT.

So, yeah.

*ponders*

[kateshort.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah-- they're TOTAL pinheads for not just using the ESRB standards.

[sigma7.livejournal.com]

Well, from what I remember, Oklahoma also used to have (still don't know if it's on the books) an insanely tight anti-pornography law which, thanks to some spurious definitions -- something akin to equating any portrayal of pre-18 sexuality as child porn, which would encompass American Beauty, American Pie and other movies without the word "American" in them....

Oh, here we go: The Tin Drum, flashpoint for the above-mentioned law.

I just hope and pray eventually our society moves to a point where violent videogames really are the most important thing to be spending our time and energy on.

That said, I'm going to install Hitman: Blood Money now.

[missmiah.livejournal.com]

The law just changed to allow tattoo artists here.

Pretty sure the red dirt makes people in government into prudes. Should be a scientific study or something.