Senator Calling For Video Game Regulation Sounds Off

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Next week, on November 2nd, the Supreme Court is set to begin oral hearings for Schwarzenegger v. EMA, a case that, if successful, will make it illegal to sell “ultraviolent video games” to minors. Proponents of the bill say that they’re protecting children from the desensitization of violence, while opponents say that retailers are likely to stop selling violent video games should the bill pass, making it difficult for adults who want to play them to obtain a copy.

The man pictured about is Leland Yee, Democratic senator from California, and one of the bill’s strongest advocates. In an interview with Gamespot, he says that the ESRB rating system is biased because “the ESRB is funded by the industry, so it’s like the fox guarding the hen house.” Upon being asked why the movie industry aren’t experiencing the same resistance, he said “Within video games, content is so embedded that you are unable to look at all the content in one sitting.”

Which is funny, because I have my copy of Fallout: New Vegas right next to me, and on the back of the box, the ESRB ratings box says “MATURE, 17+” and listed below are the terms “Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs.” Upon spending now close to 30 hours with the game, I can say that all of those are included in the game, and nothing is missing from the list.

So…I was just able to look over all of the questionable content in one sitting – in about five seconds, actually. So, Senator Yee, please tell me again why the movie industry isn’t experiencing the same scrutiny and why exactly the ESRB ratings system is biased?

Click the via link below to read the entire interview.