New York governor signs 'unnecessary' game law

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jul 22nd 2008 at 3:58PM }

New York Governor David Patterson has signed some of the most ... well, put it this way, if you like the government wasting time, then you're going to love the recently signed New York game bill. GamePolitics reports the legislation establishes an advisory council to conduct a study between games and real-world violence. It also requires -- here's the kicker -- new video game consoles to incorporate parental lockout features by 2010 and retail games to disclose ESRB ratings. News flash: All consoles already have parental lockout features built in and ESRB ratings are prominently displayed on each game's box and disc.

For its part, the Entertainment Software Association believes the law ignores "legal precedent, common sense and the wishes of many New Yorkers in enacting this unnecessary bill." It points out that the mandates required are already voluntarily in place and the bill unfairly singles out the video game industry. The ESA asks if New York would like to convene a government commission on books, theater and film as well. It's still up in the air if the ESA will sue New York, but the lobby group has gotten good at getting game laws overturned in several states and making its money back for doing so in the process.

Tags: david-patterson, esa, game-law, law, legislation, new-york, new-york-game-law, the-esa

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

gir @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:01PM

Yay! I'm gonna be sick!

OMGOMG @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:03PM

*Gets ready for blind jokes*

Negativecool @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:11PM

He's not blind, but he is the god at paying attention to two different things.

Right eye: Addressing the questioner

Left eye: Addressing the nipples popping out of that hottie's sweater.

Arttemis @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:12PM

"All consoles already have parental lockout features built in and ESRB ratings are prominently displayed on each game's box and disc."

You can't exactly blame him for not SEEING the ratings or parental options.
http://www.instantrimshot.com/

busydoingnothing @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:25PM

lol@instantrimshot. My cheesy jokes just got 100 times better.

Mr.ESC @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:31PM

Best website ever I just need a site with a laugh track.

Chase @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:42PM

How did you not see this coming?

Levi @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:44PM

I found this for ya Mr. Escape. It's kinda quick and dirty, but it will do the trick.

http://www.soundboard.com/sb/laugh_track.aspx

SimbaDogg @ Jul 22nd 2008 11:45PM

@ negativecool.

he's not blind? ok...peep this scenario: if he's checking out an ipod that is DIRECTLY in front of him, lets say 1 foot away, he sees that ipod about as well as the average person would see an ipod at 400 (FOUR HUNDRED) feet away. i'm sorry, if thats not blind (legally blind, which he is) that i dont know what your definition is.

Rocketboy @ Jul 23rd 2008 8:52AM

Patterson's never seen legislation that he didn't like...

NukeAssault @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:03PM

Well he is legally blind... So that could explain why he couldent see the ESRB rating. =P

But seriously... stupid.

whistlepig @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:04PM

he only signed it because he couldnt see what it was about

Shawn @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:06PM

wow, i knew he was blind but i didn't know he was retarded too. They should put Spitzer back in office, he's a horny dude, but hey, we're all human...New York sucks I'm moving

Wiinterfang @ Jul 22nd 2008 6:19PM

Dude O__0.

Saria the Cat @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:07PM

Wow, just shows how ignorant officials and politicians are of the game industry and yet how simultaneously bent they are on controlling its mysterious evil effects on children.

dat @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:13PM

save the children

BigD145 @ Jul 22nd 2008 8:44PM

Abortion will be mandatory because, you know, living leads to death.

Chase @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:13PM

Justice is blind.

ButtersParker @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:52PM

you're killing me

Deadpool @ Jul 22nd 2008 6:24PM

So he's Daredevil! I knew it!

I fought Daredevil once. I put a ipod on him and told him it was a explosive device that would turn him into Ben Afflack. He was like "NO NOT AGAIN!". Fun times.

Lone Starr @ Jul 22nd 2008 6:51PM

I didn't see that joke coming.

Ranko @ Jul 22nd 2008 7:05PM

(Reply to Chase)

In the words of the Animanaics:

"Justice isn't blind, she's cross-eyed."

theturtle363 @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:16PM

damn i wish i didnt live here

Ben @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:17PM

Here we go again

Rob Accomando @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:19PM

Well, it's about time! Now I can finally keep those naughty games away from my young'uns

dat @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:26PM

AHAHAHAAHA and with this law in place I can sleep better at night. Thank you government! Also government, I would like to be burped at 2am and 4am and my bottom powdered at 6.

baby sea tuna @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:32PM

Our government does late-night bum-powdering now?! Is that a new amendment or something? I wonder if I can request mine to be given by Barbara Boxer...rrowr!

This truly is the best country in the world!!

Vcize @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:21PM

So get this.

In 6 states, it is actually a law that it is illegal to live with someone that you are not married or related to. Obviously, it's an uninforced law, but it's still a boon. In particular, it will cost me $5000 on my taxes the next two years because I cannot claim my fiance as a dependent because technically to do so would be to admit breaking the law, which thereby voids that claim.

Where am I going with this? Well, these laws are left over from the early 1800's, and just haven't been changed yet. The last time a politician was interviewed and asked about them the response was "we just haven't had time to get around to changing it yet".

You don't say. Well, it's good to hear that they're spending that valuable time passing redundant laws for stuff that already exists then.

KrazyIan @ Jul 22nd 2008 6:10PM

What state do you live in?

MarMar @ Jul 22nd 2008 8:45PM

These things happen, and it is the reason that great towering figures of law such as Justinian, Suleiman the Magnificent, and our founding fathers are so important: they all somehow managed with seemingly super-human ability to codify and modernize thousands of years of complicated, arcanely worded/written, contradictary, and often-times bitterly contended law. Schools teach in history class "Justinian... byzantine empire... codified roman law... was really important... end of lesson." and don't seem to want to explain WHY codification is so unbelievably important and impressive.

America's legal system in its current form is pretty depressing for some people. Many countries in the western world have modernized their constitutions and governments to a much greater extent than us. Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Greece, Japan, Ireland... These are all fresher and 'younger' governments than ours which hasn't been meaningfully ammended in the longest time. The solution -- if you ask me -- is the dissolution of the 50 states into more efficiently managed regions with less popular representation so that more actually gets done.

John @ Jul 23rd 2008 4:56AM

Or better yet, why not just a totalitarian dictatorship, so we don't have to have crazy things like representation and soveriegnty of states, or personal freedoms to impede efficient rule.

MarMar @ Jul 23rd 2008 10:36AM

I'm not saying end democracy and representation, I'm saying end meaningless borders that no one cares about anymore that are a drain on our efficiency. The Civil War is long over -- you're American first and Virginian/Californian/New Yorker/etc. second. why should new york and new jersey be separate states or massachusetts and new hampshire? they're completely interdependent. new york city has more in common with northern new jersey than new york city has in common than in all the rest of the state of new york!

Rocketboy @ Jul 24th 2008 4:49PM

No, she's not a dependent because she's an adult (i hope) who is separate legal entity. Once you become married, you are now a single legal entity.

Vcize @ Jul 24th 2008 8:08PM

Wow, Rocketboy. I guess I'll give you a pass on this one, because you're certainly not the only know-it-all out there that tries to act as if your guess about something you have no idea about is a fact.

The following are the requirements for claiming a dependent that is not related to you, straight from the IRS:

1. They must be under 25 years of age if they are a full-time student, or under 19 years of age if they are not.

2. They must have lived with you ALL year.

3. They must have made less money than the total amount that the exemption is worth ($3400).

4. They must have been responsible for paying for less than half of their living expenses on their own.

5. Must not violate local law. In states where cohabitation is illegal, even if unenforced, voids the claim.

My girlfriend is a 23 year old full time student with no income that paid far less than half of her living expenses on her own, and lived with me all year.

We qualify for 1-4 no problem, but #5 is where I lose it, as living with my girlfriend is technically illegal here.

Rocketboy @ Jul 26th 2008 1:13AM

Vcize.. really? Your local gov't is enforcing a blue law? Well, I guess it's Aol/Weblogs's duty to report your IP address and send you to jail.

And I could apologize for misunderstanding that you were specifically talking about claiming her as a dependant, but your chick is a lazy freeloader, and you are a pompus twit.

Oh, and age does not matter.

Vcize @ Jul 26th 2008 2:24AM

"Vcize.. really? Your local gov't is enforcing a blue law? Well, I guess it's Aol/Weblogs's duty to report your IP address and send you to jail."

I'm not following you here. It has nothing to do with jail or the local government enforcing anything (they're not enforcing anything), it's the fact that the law, which is totally unenforced and only around because "they haven't gotten around to remove it" is costing me money on my taxes.

"And I could apologize for misunderstanding that you were specifically talking about claiming her as a dependant, but your chick is a lazy freeloader, and you are a pompus twit."

Well I'm not sure what part of 'it will cost me because I cannot claim her as a dependent' you didn't understand. But as for the rest of it, my girlfriend is in her 3rd year of med school and on rotation 60-70 hours/week, hence her lack of income, and I think we've proven the only pompus twit in here is the one that CONTINUES to make ridiculous assumptions about things he clearly is not aware of.

mr mobius @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:22PM

Wow, two joystiq posts in a row about douchebags. Can we make it a treble?

Paul P. @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:24PM

Man, and this guy used to be so cool, what with his coke parties and swinging.

then again, I guess it is the NY legislature that drafted the bill.

Duke @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:25PM

Best law ever!

Now if they would just write one to keep monkeys from doing calculus while flying rocket ships, America would be safe.

Arttemis @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:31PM

Amen to that. I saw Marky Mark's Planet of the Apes.

The consequences of passing a law like that are NOTHING compared to what would happen if.. they.. started taking integrals determining the the fate of humanity.

Jonathan-DBOSS @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:28PM

What a bunch of f*cking retards! It just p*sses me off that some stupid effing idiots running our offices are doing something "good" for society. This guy right here shows what a piece of horsh*t our world has come to. I mean, horrible stuff happen and they do sh*t about it, or pretend to. F*ck them!

ATTICAA!!!

andyg8180 @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:37PM

if i do boom boom in my huggies, do you think gov't will be mad??

Jakka (Not sure why he got banned?) @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:38PM

Guys, he is blind.Don't joke about him.

That's not cool.

Jakka (Not sure why he got banned?) @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:44PM

...and to be honest, it's not like this law is useless.

If it only confirms on something that's implemented anyway, then what's the problem? ESRB isn't a government organization so anything that makes it any more official is a good thing for us gamers, right?

Triforceowner @ Jul 22nd 2008 7:27PM

I like this guy's thought. I mean how long do you think it took the legislature and executive to pull this off, probably a half-hour. I know we all like to laugh at people who know less than us, but it does make something official that once was only self regulatory.