Federal legislation proposes ID checks for video game retailers

by Alexander Sliwinski on May 8th 2008 1:26PM

A bipartisan bill proposed in the House seeks to require video game retailers to check IDs before selling M- or AO-rated games to minors. Variety reports Reps. Jim Matheson (D-Utah) and Lee Terry (R-Neb) have proposed the Video Games Ratings Enforcement Act to protect children, as Terry puts it, from some games where "scores are often earned by players who commit 'virtual' murder, assault and rape."

As GamePolitics points out, both representatives have tried and failed at taking on video games before. If the bill becomes law, retailers who don't post a sign explaining the ratings system or sell an M-rated game to a minor would be charged a $5000 civil penalty.

[Via GamePolitics]

Source

Tags: bill, jim-matheson, law, lee-terry, matheson, terry

Reader Comments (79)

Virtual rape, whatever. I was raped by a video game.

That's not funny.

If you don't mind me asking, how many points did the game earn when it raped you? Did it get the high score?

Sorry jordan... enjoy your M games in 5 more years.

Makes sense to me. They do the same with movies anyway. Well, they're supposed to.

No. They aren't supposed to. You know who IS supposed to censor? Parents. Sadly, half decent parents are rare these days. Parents shouldn't even deserve to call themselves parents anymore. The real parents these days are politicians who know jack about what they're censoring.

Oh, I see now. I read bounchfx's comment and realized they do that probably out of company policy, not out of requirement by law. My bad.

What's funny is this comes a day before FTC's reports came out and it basically said the industry IS doing a much better job at self regulating...

The rationale for the bill is sensationalistic, but the logic behind it really can't be argued against. We check IDs for movies, tabacco, alcohol - what makes games any different? Pass the damn thing already and let our buddy Jack start blaming GameStop instead of Take Two.

I completely agree with Paul. Better gamestop and walmart be blamed than the devs.

Difference? There is no legal requirement for them to ID you on movies.

hilarious because MOST RETAILERS ARE ALREADY REQUIRED TO CHECK ID ON M RATED GAMES.(at least it's in their company policy. Not all employees do however.)

and I don't know any brick and mortar stores that sell AO rated games.

umm there are plenty of Hentai in mall suncoast video or whatever it is called these days, and all they have are flaps of plastic hiding the row of box art.. same with teh playboy titles

If they're dropping the hammer on videogames like this, the same needs to be done for other forms of media. Censor the whole effin' planet. If you enforce one, enforce'em all.

In all seriousness, they keep giving me me a reason not to vote those jackasses back into office.

I think what's more important is the fact that these same people will defend any book just because it's a book. Which means I could give a child $8 to go into a store and buy a copy of American Psycho and nary an eyebrow would be raised. Why? Well, aside from the H-Games, no game has featured rape. In the novel? He rapes a severed head....

Now comes the frightening thing, when I was 8, I read Stephen King's The Stand because it was in my elementary school library. Granted, I was fucked up beforehand but still.

Im not entirely familiar with how it works in the US but over here in the UK most shops will ID anyone who looks underage to be playing the game.

Its not really an issue checking ID's. The real problem, as many have said, is with parents buying there kids these games, and then complaining about stricter measures needing to be enforced.

Case in point, i went to GameStation to get a copy of GTA IV on the 29th and the last copy was sold right infront of me to a woman buying the game for her 6 year old son who was standing right there, he couldnt even reach the counter. Its that kind of blantant lack of parenting that really annoys me!

@ Sir Fidlious Wong

A severed Head? THat's sick. Anyways, every new media has it's share of troubles while getting popular. Books and music went through the same thing before it came the norm. lol I remember reading something about people calling music the new porn.

I'm fine with an ID check when children want to purchase M rated games. That makes sense. Unfortunately I'm not fine when the people proposing the legislation for the bill think that there are games out today that are all about raping and killing people for bonus points. Custer's Revenge is pretty damn old guys, give it a rest.

Where is the score system in GTA that gives me points for raping? I haven't found it yet.

Also, to use a game oft-targeted by people offended by video games, Grand Theft Auto shows the consequences of one's actions. More so, in this latest title, Grand Theft Auto 4, consequences are nigh realistic. Land one punch to someone with authorities in the area? Police seek you. Accidentally bump into a police vehicle? Police seek you. Do these critics actually play the games they hate so much?

I agree, getting a score for that stuff is silly. Because really, aren't murder, assault and rape rewards in and of themselves?

You can triple your points if you string those together in a triple threat combo. I know, I've tried. I got the idea form a video game.

Bipartisan? I guess the repubs are taking a break from the whole "states rights" thing.

I'm not really against ID check for this, but I think if we can handle driver's licenses as state-by-state laws, we can manage video games that way too.

Republicans like states rights when they don't agree with national policy and ignore them when they do.

I got raped by Superman 64 when I was younger. ;_;

How does a Bill become a law anyway?

The bill just has to get voted on by the house, if it passes, it gets voted on by the senate, if it passes there, the pres signs the bill (if he wants) and it becomes law.

Watch this hahaha

Schoolhouse Rock- How a Bill Becomes a Law
http://youtube.com/watch?v=mEJL2Uuv-oQ

You left out the part about how special interest groups hire lobbyists that spend $2,000 per candidate to buy votes.

Long overdue IMO, does anyone really think a 14-year-old should be playing GTAIV??

thats up to the 14 y/o parents

I was too young to be playing GTA3 when it came out...and I think I turned out just fine.But my parents raised me right aswell so that helps.

And whats the deal with this post? I got ID'ed the other day buying GTA4...I thought all places had to do this anyway?

You know, the Viginia Tech shooter wasn't a killer in any way, shape, or form. In fact, he was a playwrite. How come the media didn't start pointing fingers at Broadway?

Basic thing is this. If this was being done for all the right reasons, I'd agree with it. But it's not. It's being based on blatantly false information that contradicts real research in an attempt to somehow "fix the system" that isn't broken in the first place.

How about instead of wasting money on this, we take steps to start controlling and legalizing drugs. "But then everyone would become druggies!" No, actually. Not everyone is a drunk nor a smoker. And since the Mafia was given power by prohibition, what do you think legalizing drugs would do to the street gangs who depend upon drug money to finance the street violence? But that's radical thinking, the world doesn't work that way. And so we'll blame another drug dealer who guns down a cop on GTA, not the system put in place to MAKE those drugs profitable. And our kids will become even safer the tighter we make the bubble around our children like that school shooter fuck who was basically isolated in the bible belt.

*Cho wasn't a GAMER... damn lack of editing.

So you agree with me it should NOT be up to the 14 y/o which is how it is now.

If this bill passes, said 14 y/o parents would have to buy the game for them.

Even the most attentive, most dedicated parents, could easily not realize what video game their kid is playing.

I think it would be nice for the law to actually enforce this. It's always hit and miss when you buy a game if you will get ID'd or not. I bought GTA IV a couple days ago and didn't, I bought COD4 and did, my little brother bought Halo 3 and did, he bought Bioshock and didn't.

REALLY?!?

Because my mother was working three jobs when I was growing up AND still kept a close watch on what games I was playing and was very involved in my habits in this regard.

Parenting isn't a fucking miracle, it's a byproduct of having children and taking responsibility for those actions and it's about high time for you bill supporters to realize that. I know when I was 14, I sure as fuck didn't have $60 at any given time. Likewise, when I did buy games, I was often taken by my mother to BUY these games. Hell, I even remember being denied renting Vice: Project Doom from Blockbuster until my mother had a chance to play it. Or how she would thumb through my Nintendo Power and make lists of games I could play.

i don't agree there should be a law. aren't enough retailers enforcing this as policy already?

FTC has just recently announced kids can get R-movies, explicit music easier then M-rated games.
so much for the need to regulate retailers. aparently they need to throw in movie dealer and music stores as well.
you know what if funny about game consoles verses DVd and music. is that video games have a 2 tier protection. one at the store and the second the game console itself. while the average Cd player or dvd player doesn't have these.

http://gamepolitics.com/2008/05/08/breaking-ftc-study-shows-massive-improvement-in-game-rating-enforcement/

Yucca - Oh I am a bill, yes I'm just a bill and I'm sitting here on capital hill!

I love the plan. Another great benefit...fewer singing, swearing 12 year olds on Live and PSN annoying the hell out of people (at least for some games).

Boy, do I love me some games where you rack up major bonus points for assualt and rape!

How many millions of children watched helplessly as countless Goombas had their lives ruthlessly cut short by a fat curbstomping plumber with a Ron Jeremy mustache and a thing for red overalls?

We must act to save the children!

Looking at image... Can't resist...

I'm an amendment to be,
Yes, an amendment to be,
And I'm hoping that they'll ratify me,
There's a lot of flag burners,
Who have got too much freedom,
I wanna make it legal,
For policemen to beat 'em,
'Cause there's limits to our liberties.
'Least I hope and pray that there are,
'Cause those liberal freaks go too far.

"So why can't we just pass a law against flag burning?"

whats with the 'rape' part? can someone show me a game where you actually rape someone?

Custer's Revenge

I completely agree with this rule....if the Ratings systems is to be taken seriously...it needs to be enforced.

I definitely thought this as I sat in the midnight launch line for GTA IV as parents sat there with their children to purchase the game.

Granted I don't agree thats a game meant for a 8-11 year old......but at least the rule was being enforced. Can't fix bad parents.

I'm glad to see that Congress is taking its job seriously for once, what with a trillion-dollar budget, high unemployment, an ongoing war, and all the 12-year olds able to play M-rated games.

We're more than a trillion dollars in a deficit. Unemployment isn't that high, it's much lower than European unemployment too. Still, I agree.

I'm 38 and I had to show ID to buy GTA IV. This bill is a waste of time and money.

I hear ya, brother.

I'm 28 and I had to show my ID to buy beer. That took away precious drinking time. :d

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Federal legislation proposes ID checks for video game retailers

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